26/01/2010

1950: All about Eve

As soon as a theatre star (Bette Davis) and her best friend (Celeste Holm) take a seemingly fawning fan (Anne Baxter) under their wing, the scheming and bitching and general meanness - what psychologists call relational aggression - begins in true female fashion. Indeed I was surprised that the screenplay had been written by Joseph L. Mankiewicz - after all, men would never say such nasty things about women - until I found out it was based on a short story by one Mary Orr.

It's a bit like a war movie, really: Quite entertaining as long as you don't have to be part of it. (7)

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