My first encounter with All About Eve was when it was referenced and
quoted during a scene from the WB’s now-defunct Felicity. I was
20.

That’s just not right.

See, in the five years that have
followed, I’ve come to learn that All About Eve is an institution– a
speakerbox of sorts, calling out to women everywhere like the cinematic
manifesto it is.

I’m exaggerating, you say? It’s just another black and
white movie, you say? Let’s look at the facts, shall we?

Not only is it
listed among the American Film Institute’s 100 Greatest Films of All Time, and
not only was it nominated for 14 Academy Awards, but it also revived the career
of one incomparable Bette Davis and showcased the darker side of rising star
Anne Baxter. Not to mention the fact that it featured some of the sharpest
acid-tongued dialogue ever to hit the silver screen.

Based on a short
story, “The Wisdom of Eve,” by Mary Orr (which appeared in a 1946 issue of
Cosmopolitan and was inspired by real events), All About Eve is a
tale of blind ambition. Watch, as the title character, Eve Harrington, connives
and befriends and deceives with equal ease until she has succeeded in stealing a
bit of the aging superstar, Margot Channing’s, spotlight. All this happens hot
on the heels of Margot’s decision to embrace and mention the masquerading Eve,
who initially pretends to be Margot’s biggest and most devoted fan.

Any
identity theft/woman-to-woman stalking film following 1950 probably draws part
of its inspiration from All About Eve. But Eve is more a study in
social and feminist dynamics than a campy suspense/thriller (for that, see a
much older, creepier Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?). Eve
touches on issues of ageism, classism, and sexism, while prioritizing its
coverage of female characters over that of “their men.”

There’s also a
whole life imitating art mythos surrounding the behind-the-scenes history–and
several juicy bits of irony that fascinate film historians even today. For
instance, following production, Davis married her onscreen fiancee, Gary
Merrill. Though Davis and Celeste Holm were cast as best friends, they couldn’t
stand each other in real life. And despite her second billing and the fact that
she’d won an Oscar just years before, Anne Baxter insisted stealing Davis’
thunder by facing off against her in the Best Actress category, instead of
campaigning for the supporting nod. Many believe Anne split the votes. Neither
actress won that year.

I could go on and on. This is merely a snapshot.
Just consider it an impassioned plea: don’t let your daughters’ first encounter
with this dynamic film be a call-out reference in a WB teen drama. It should
actually be required viewing for every girl at the onset of adolescence.