Reviews

The Little Foxes is as entertaining today as it was in 1941. Lillian Hellman's theatrical hit with Tallulah Bankhead is magnificently brought to the screen by William Wyler with Bette Davis in the TB role. Davis received her fourth straight Oscar nomination (her sixth over all at that point in her career) for portraying Regina Giddons. It is a performance that rates among the best ever created by Davis, or any other actress for that matter.

Greg Toland's deep focus photography rivals that of his work on Citizen Kane.

It's nine Oscar nominations include Teresa Wright's for best supporting actress.

This was the third and last time Davis and Wyler worked together. During the shoot the two did not get along -- Davis even walked off the set and was almost replaced by Goldwyn. She was loaned to Goldwyn as part of a trade out for Warner Bros to have Gary Cooper for Sgt. York -- he took home the Oscar for best actor.

Dorothy Parker translated the theatrical script for the screen adding more location scenes for Wright.

All About Eve is an excellent film in every aspect. The 14 Oscar nominations, and six wins, testify to this. For 47 years EVE held the record for most nominations -- in 1997 Titanic matched the 14 nominations. Bette Davis was awarded the New York Critics Award once in her 58 year career -- and it was for this film. Marilyn Monroe, Thelma Ritter and Celeste Holms gave terrific supporting performances while Anne Baxter kept up with the great Bette every frame of the way. It was Bette's eighth nomination, and sixth loss; Judy Holiday won for Born Yesterday, beating two legends -- Gloria Swanson was also nominated that year for Sunset Blvd. All About Eve was the first film to be released after Bette ended her 18 years with Warner Brothers. For a moment she was back on top of the world, only to find disappointment throughout the 50's with choices and offerings in Hollywood. The writing by Mankiewicz and supporting performance by George Saunders would alone make the film worth viewing -- A NEAR PEFECT FILM!

The Catered Affair is one of those films that is worthy of watching for the fine performances of the main cast (Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, Debbie Reynolds, and Barry Fitzgerald). With the success of Marty the year before at the Oscars, cast and crew felt that this production would also be acknowledged. Davis has always considered the 50's (the decade she was married to Gary Merrill) her dark years. The decade began strong with All About Eve, Payment on Demand, and The Star -- the first and third leading to Oscar nominations... but then a few mistakes were made on her part -- turning down Come Back, Little Sheba... and accepting Another Man's Poison. It wasn't until What Ever Happened to Baby Jane that audiences and critics renewed their interest in this fantabulous star. For Bette fans, this film is a MUST SEE. For others, it may not be more than a great film to watch late nights while falling asleep with the TV on.