“Fasten your seatbelts, its going to be a bumpy night!”
-Bette Davis as Margo Channing in All About Eve, 1950
Bette Davis is simply one of the greatest actresses of all time. Her style, voice, and energy are unmistakeable. In All About Eve, Bette Davis is transcendent. The film itself is incredibly modern and deals with everything from the ruthlessness of the entertainment industry to the complexities of close friendships and romantic relationships. Bette carries the film effortlessly, completely embodying the aging actress Margot Channing. Margot befriends a seemingly harmless fan turned overly eager wannabe actress and the drama there ensues. The film holds up, largely because of Bette’s performance. It’s dramatic, but believable- totally engrossing, and ultimately relatable. You get the sense that Bette herself is somewhere muddled up in Margot and that gives the performance an added layer of excitement. Pulling no doubt from her own experiences with the film industry, her age, the expectations for her as a woman, friend, mother. etc.- Bette is explosive. She is one of the greats- something that never was before and will never be again. The woman in the photo is my friend and big eyed beauty Maddy Grabyel.
