History Film / AllAboutEve

* SmallRoleBigImpact: Addison Dewitt gets a rather minor role throughout the film, [[DealWithTheDevil but]] ''[[DealWithTheDevil damn]]'' [[DealWithTheDevil is]] [[EvilerThanThou that role important!]]

* SmallRoleBigImpact: Addison Dewitt gets a rather minor role throughout the film, [[DealWithTheDevil but]] ''[[DevilWithTheDevil damn]]'' [[DealWithTheDevil is]][[EvilerThanThou that role important!]]

* SmallRoleBigImpact: Addison Dewitt gets a rather minor role throughout the film, [[DealWithTheDevil but ''[[DevilWithTheDevil damn]]'' [[DealWithTheDevil is]][[EvilerThanThou that role important!]]

* VictoryIsBoring: Once finally manages to win the Sarah Siddons Award -- which she had spent the entire film manipulating events and everyone her for -- she says in her speech that she feels connected to her community... but to manipulations alienated herself from many of the most important people in her life (Margo, Karen, Lloyd, and Bill). She leaves the awards and doesn't even want to go to the after-party. Instead, she goes home, and she even forgets her award in the car, as she's ultimately unhappy about it. [[{{Irony}} It is ironic that after all the lengths that Eve went to become famous and affirmed by the public, she can barely appreciate the rewards of her hard work because she has no friends, unless you count Addison, and even he's more of a frenemy if anything.]]

* FlatCharacter: Max Fabian is introduced during the opening scene but during the actual film, he doesn't get a to do aside being the PluckyComicRelief and a plot device.

* OlderHeroYoungerVillain: Margo Channing has hit her 40s three months prior to the film's events, Eve on the other hand is probably in her mid-to-late-20s.

* AmbiguouslyGay: Modern viewers like to imagine Addison and Eve as homosexuals, Addison from his posh way of speaking and Eve from her obsession with Margo. Regardless [[spoiler: it's revealed that Eve was run out of town for having an affair with a married man, and Addison blackmails her into marrying him]] so this one is up in the air. Eve does have enough smouldering moments with other women, such as her (supposed?) neighbor, that she could rate as AmbiguouslyBi.

* TheDandy: Addison.

* DrowningMySorrows: Margo, at Bill's welcome home party.

* EveryoneHasStandards: Addison admonishes Eve for insulting the memory of dead heroes and the women who loved them.

* SubvertedSuspicionAesop: The entire plot of the movie.

* EvilerThanThou: Addison shows Eve that in the end, he's bigger and badder than she could ever be, reducing her to a miserable, teary-eyed mess.

%%* FunnyForeigner: Max Fabian.

* SpotTheImposter: A subtle but key example as Addison and Eve talk about her past with Eve saying she saw Margo perform at the Schubert in San Francisco which Addison describes as "an oasis in the California desert." This comes up when Addison demolishes Eve's entire façade in the film, noting that San Francisco has no Schubert Theater and "it was an easy lie, unworthy of you."

* RichBitch: Margo is a successful actress and not too nice to those around her. She does suffer BreakTheHaughty and has TookALevelInKindness towards the end.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: ''Deeply cynical.'' '''Everyone''' in this universe of this film a selfish, cynical jackass who lacks the ability to care about others; and if a character does not start that way in this film, he or she will sure as hell be disillusioned into cynicism by the end of this film.

* AmbiguouslyGay: Modern viewers like to imagine Addison and Eve as homosexuals, Addison from his posh way of speaking and Eve from her obsession with Margo. Regardless [[spoiler: it's revealed that Eve was run out of town for having an affair with a married man, and Addison blackmails her into marrying him]] so this one is up in the air.

* CastingCouch: A variation. It's hinted that Miss Caswell got her audition via Addison being persuaded to pull some strings.

--->'''Lloyd''': She apologized, didn't she?
--->'''Karen''': On her knees, I've no doubt!

%%* GentlemanSnarker: Addison.

* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: So Addison reveals he's onto Eve's lies and knows her actual backstory, and starts calling her out on how stupid and ill-judged her faux-backstory was. Think this means he's going to reveal himself as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold? Does this mean EvenEvilHasStandards? Not particularly -- he's more than happy to keep it all under wraps, in exchange for Eve putting herself at his mercy in such a way that's just short of outright slavery. And although he can tell immediately that "Phoebe"[[note]] Implied not to be her real name; she tells Addison, "I ''call'' myself Phoebe."[[/note]] has the same designs on Eve that Eve had on Margo, far from being worried for Eve, he seems amused by the idea that she might be hit by a bolt of LaserGuidedKarma.

* SpotTheImposter: A subtle but key example as Addison and Eve talk about her past with Eve saying she saw Margo perform at the Shubert in San Francisco which Addison describes as "an oasis in the California desert." This comes up when Addison demolishes Eve's entire façade in the film, noting that San Francisco has no Shubert Theater and "it was an easy lie, unworthy of you."

* TheVamp: [[spoiler: Eve is revealed to be one. She's willing to seduce Bill or Lloyd to advance her career and Addison finds out she has done this before.]]

''All About Eve'' is a 1950 Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox film, written and directed by Creator/JosephLMankiewicz. It recounts the tale of Margo Channing (Creator/BetteDavis), a seasoned veteran of the stage and the darling of Broadway, taking under her wing Eve Harrington (Creator/AnneBaxter), a young acolyte with nowhere else to go, whose motives are not what they seem. Other important characters include Addison [=DeWitt=] (Creator/GeorgeSanders), a jaded, cynical, and frighteningly influential drama critic; Bill Samson, Margo's director boyfriend; Lloyd Richards, Margo's playwright; and Karen, Lloyd's wife and Margo's [[TheConfidant closest friend and confidant]]. The costumes were by famed Hollywood designer Edith Head and the film score was by Music/AlfredNewman. Creator/MarilynMonroe also appears in a small role.

* DrinkOrder: "I'll have a martini. Very dry."

* CastingGag: Creator/TallulahBankhead played Margo in a radio adaptation of the movie. For years it was rumored that she was the inspiration for Margo.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Addison has no issues with Eve doing everything possible to succeed. Unless those things include easily discovered lies, hurting those who loved and cared about you and using pity for those who have died in the military.

* LoonyFan: Margo is the only source of happiness in Eve's life from before the two even meet in person, and the focus of her activities for a long time afterward. The ending shows that Eve may have gained a LoonyFan of her own.

* OhCrap: Eve remains defiant during the early stages of Addison's declaration that she belongs to him now and his revelation that he knows her real name (Gertrude Slescynski) and that her parents haven't heard from her for three years. But her defiance turns to horrified panic when he reveals that he knows she had an affair with her married boss at the brewery in Milwaukee and was paid $500 to leave town to avoid a scandal, as she realizes that if she doesn't submit to Addison, he will completely destroy her dreams of stardom.

-->'''Bill:''' I love you. You're a beautiful and intelligent woman, a beautiful and intelligent woman and a great actress, a great actress at the peak of her career. You have every reason for happiness, every reason, but due to some strange, uncontrollable, unconscious drive you permit the slightest action of a kid, of a kid like Eve to turn you into a hysterical, screaming harpy! Now once and for all, stop it!

** Margo gets broken by Eve's increasing success and her friends seemingly turning on her, but fortunately for her an HeelRealization averts a tragic end.

* CastingGag: Creator/TallulahBankhead played Margo in a radio adaptation of the movie. For years it was rumoured that she was the inspiration for Margo.

* CynicalMentor: Margo has been in theater for many years, has seen it all, and knows just what makes audiences tick. Addison has much wisdom to offer to a promising young unknown, but certainly does not feel compassion for her or for anyone else.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Addison has no issues with Eve doing everything possible to succeed. Unless those things include easily discovered lies, hurting those who loved and cared about you, and using pity for those who have died in the military.

* GoodSmokingEvilSmoking: Eve is first seen lighting a cigarette in the end, when she meets Phoebe, to signal that the roles have been swapped at last.

* InsufferableGenius: Margo, Bill and Addison.

* LoonyFan: Margo is the only source of happiness in Eve's life from before the two even meet in person, and the focus of her activities for a long time afterwards. The ending shows that Eve may have gained a LoonyFan of her own.

* MeaningfulName: More than a few. Eve is named after the first woman, which makes her character seem generic, while allowing the film's title to have a [[DoubleEntendre double meaning]]. Her surname, Harrington, could be taken as a reference to "Red Herring". Margo is to Bill Sampson what Delilah was to Samson in that she robs him off his power. Addison [=DeWitt=]'s name is both a reference to the adder that offered Eve the apple in the garden and of course his wit: Addison The Wit.

* OhCrap: Eve remains defiant during the early stages of Addison's declaration that she belongs to him now and his revelation that he knows her real name (Gertrude Slescynski) and that her parents haven't heard from her for three years. But her defiance turns to horrified panic when he reveals that he knows she had an affair with her married boss at the brewery in Milwaukee and was paid $500 to leave town to avoid a scandal, as she realises that if she doesn't submit to Addison, he will completely destroy her dreams of stardom.
* OneHeadTaller: Addison is this to Eve. This is particularly noticeable at the end, when he hits her.

* OutGambitted: Eve's attempts to find fame for herself go quite far.... Except her wishes to marry Lloyd. Turns out making allies with Addison was a mistake.

** At Margo's party, quite a few of the guests go gaga over a sable coat. Karen even says her new mink looks pitiful next to it. Even Even can't help pettin the fur as she talks to Karen.

* RealAwardFictionalCharacter: At the opening of the film, Eve is being awarded the Sarah Siddons Award for Distinguished Achievement, an award for acting. This was a fictional award at the time, but was later {{Defictionaliz|ation}}ed as a regional award in Chicago. The musical adaptation ''Applause'' changes it to The Tony.

* RetroactiveRecognition: To contemporary audiences. The relatively small part of Miss Caswell was played by one Marilyn Monroe, who went on to achieve some modest fame later on.

* EverybodySmokes

* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: So Addison reveals he's onto Eve's lies and knows her actual backstory, and starts calling her out on how stupid and ill-judged her faux-backstory was. Think this means he's going to reveal himself as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold? Does this mean EvenEvilHasStandards? Not particularly -- he's more than happy to keep it all under wraps, in exchange for Eve putting herself at his mercy in such a way that's just short of outright slavery. And although he can tell immediately that "Phoebe"[[note]] Implied not to be her real name; she tells Addison, "At least, that's what I call myself."[[/note]] has the same designs on Eve that Eve had on Margo, far from being worried for Eve, he seems amused by the idea that she might be hit by a bolt of LaserGuidedKarma.

* PermissionToSpeakFreely: Bertie starts off her early rants about Eve with a variation on this.

** When Eve gets her actin award, she wears a dress loaded with pearls.

** Earlier on, Margo gets one from Bill when he tears into her for letting her paranoia regarding Eve shatter her career and personal life.

'''Addison:''' I had lunch with Karen not three hours ago, as always with women who try to find out things, she told more than she learned. ''[Eve continues sobbing; Addison sits up straight again]'' Now, do you want to change your story about Lloyd beating at your door the other night?\\

* WhamLine:

* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: So Addison reveals he's onto Eve's lies and knows her actual backstory, and starts calling her out on how stupid and ill-judged her faux-backstory was. Think this means he's going to reveal himself as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold? Does this mean EvenEvilHasStandards? Not particularly -- he's more than happy to keep it all under wraps, in exchange for Eve putting herself at his mercy in such a way that's just short of outright slavery.

* MeaningfulName: More than a few. Eve is named after the first woman, which makes her character seem generic, while allowing the film's title to have a [[DoubleEntendre double meaning]]. Her surname, Harrington could be taken as a reference to "Red Herring". Margo is to Bill Sampson what Delilah was to Samson in that she robs him off his power. Addison [=DeWitt=]'s name is both a reference to the adder that offered Eve the apple in the garden and of course his wit: Addison The Wit.

* RetroactiveRecognition: to contemporary audiences. The relatively small part of Miss Caswell was played by one Marilyn Monroe, who went on to achieve some modest fame later on.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Eve gets one from Addison, as detailed in EvilerThanThou above. Earlier on, Margo gets one from Bill.

* TheVamp: [[spoiler: Eve is revealed to be one. She's willing to seduce Bill or Lloyd to advance her career and Addison finds out she has done this before.]]

* SpotTheImposter: A subtle but key example as Addison and Eve talk about her past with Eve saying she saw Margo perform at the Shubert in San Francisco which Addison describes as "an oasis in the California desert." This comes up when Addison demolishes Eve's entire façade in the film, noting that San Francisco (which anyone should know is by the ocean) has no Shubert Theater and "it was an easy lie, unworthy of you."

''All About Eve'' was nominated for fourteen UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s (including a whopping four nominations just for the actresses) and won six, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (for Creator/GeorgeSanders as Addison [=DeWitt=]), Best Costume Design for a Black-and-White film (Edith Head and Charles Le Maire), Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Sound Recording. This is still the record, with only ''Film/Titanic1997'' and ''Film/LaLaLand'' equaling it.

* PimpedOutDress: The lead role in ''Aged in Wood'' calls for one.