ALL ABOUT EVE
In 1949, 'A Letter to Three Wives' was released which earned Joseph L Mankiewicz two Oscars, one for Best Director and one for Best Adapted Screenplay. Then the very next year this masterpiece was released, and yes, once again Mr Mankiewicz won the same two Oscars. Quite an achievement. It's a long time since I first saw this picture, but the basic storyline had stuck with me: ambitious young actress Eve Harrington (played by Anne Baxter) supplants aging actress Margo Channing (Bette Davis). But I had forgotten that this film starts by giving away the ending, with an awards ceremony where Eve is the star turn. We then get a series of flashbacks, narrated by different characters, which show us how we got to this point. By doing this the film removes some element of mystery (where is the film heading?) and replaces it with suspense (how will Eve's startling rise to stardom affect Margo and her friends?). I'm sure Hitchcock would have approved - see 'Vertigo...