Silent Sundays: King of Kings (1927)

“But what evil hath He done?”

            Yes, it is Easter. Yes, I am watching and writing up a Biblical film. How original I know. I thought about doing another type of silent film but when I saw King of Kings saved in my favorites folder for silent films on YouTube I could not pass it up. Plus, Cecil B. DeMille directed this film. How could I not pass it up?

            This telling of the story of Jesus begins in a royal court. Mary Magdalene. Like most people she knows she too laughs at God and gives in to whatever pleasures and vices she wants. Mary becomes upset because Judas was seen with a group of beggars led by Jesus. In a rage she has her finest things made ready so she can go and tell Jesus off. Several people in the court tell Mary she has no chance against Jesus he has changed so many.

            Judas has only joined Jesus because he thought Jesus would be king of Israel and give him high office. Spies from the High Temple have been sent by the High Priest Caiaphas to look for Jesus and hear what the people have to say about Him. These spies are a Pharisee, a Scribe, and a Temple Guard. All three try to tell the people that Jesus is not a man of God. A crier calls the Sabbath. The Pharisee turns to his other compatriots and says they will wait to see if Jesus heals on Sabbath so they have something to accuse Him of.

            The first time Jesus is seen is when a blind child opens his eyes for the first time. Jesus healed the boy of his blindness. The boy sees Jesus’ kind face, loving face surround by a holy light. It the first face he sees. Jesus lovingly embraces the boy.

            Mary Magdalene finds Jesus. She is immediately taken and disarmed by Him. He cleanses her of the Seven Sins. When she is fully cleansed, Mary covers herself with her robes and then goes to Jesus and kneels before Him.

            The Scribe, Pharisee, and The Guard return to Caiaphas to tell him that Jesus healed someone and then called God His Father. Caiaphas tells them to take the Guard Matthew to find Jesus. If He does not pay a tax He will be arrested, if He does than He will offend the people. They find Jesus and force Him to pay. Jesus has Peter and Judas pay for them.

            One day Jesus is approached by Martha and Mary of Bethany. Their brother Lazarus has died and they would like Him to resurrect Lazarus. Jesus goes to the tomb and resurrects Lazarus. Those who believe in Him look on in awe and those who do not flee.

            Jesus and his disciples next go to Jerusalem much to the annoyance of Caiaphas. The High Priest tries to think of something to do with Jesus. A woman is convicted of adultery and is the brought in to the Temple. Caiaphas has the woman brought to Jesus who if He lets the woman go can be stoned to death in her place. Jesus stops the men from stoning the woman. He tells the men if they are without sin then let them be the one to cast the first stone. When everyone leaves Jesus asks the woman if a man has accused her, she responds that no a man was not the one to accuse her. Jesus tells her to go and sin no more.

            The Temple is littered with sinners and stalls for people to sell their wares. Jesus has enough and knocks everything over and causes a stir to drive corruption from the Temple. This outburst greatly angers the corrupt Caiaphas. He sends his guards after Him. Caiaphas wants Jesus to be taken but not in the open. He has Judas tell them where Jesus is staying with the Disciples. It is the Last Supper. Jesus knows He will be betrayed and by Judas so He has Judas leave to do what he has to do. Judas lets the guards know that he will point out who Jesus is with a kiss. Jesus is arrested on Mount Sinai.

            Jesus is brought before Pontius Pilot for trial. Pilot cannot understand why Jesus is being tried since He has not done anything wrong. He lets the people and the priests determine whether Jesus should be punished so his hands are kept clean. Caiaphas orders his priests to bribe the rogues of the city to shout out that Jesus is a traitor. Pilot asks the crowd is they would rather have the murderer Barabbas released or Jesus. The crowd chants for the release of the murderer.

            As part of His punishment, Jesus is made to drag His cross through the streets. A young boy He had healed is beside himself because of what Jesus has to go through. The boy tells his father that if he were a big man he would help his friend carry the cross. The father takes to heart what his son tells him and comes to Jesus’ side when He falls and has trouble getting back up.

            In the meantime Judas has gone mad because he has caused the blood of an innocent man to be spilled. At the trial one of the guards threw a rope in Judas’s direction. He took the rope and walked to a tree close to the hill where Jesus is set on the cross. He watches the crowd sneer and jeer at Jesus and the guards keep the faithful back.

            In the ninth hour since He was placed upon the cross, Jesus dies. God sends a storm of rain, wind, and thunder and lightning. All the non believers and evil people run away only to be killed by falling boulders and trees. Caiaphas runs to the Temple to beg God to punish him and not the people of Jerusalem. The Temple comes down on him.

            Three days later Jesus rises from the tomb and returns to his Disciples.

             I know the story of Jesus from having gone to church and Sunday school. I was worried I was going to be bored since I knew the story but Cecil B. DeMille’s direction was just amazing. It is one of those where the direction really enhanced the story. DeMille’s direction captured every single emotion be it love, faith, devotion, greed, hate, or lust his camera captured it. So many scenes were moving and beautiful. The one shot in one scene that has now become one of my favorites from a film is after Jesus and the Disciples leave the Last Supper and the camera stays focused on the chalice Jesus and the Disciples drank out of. The scenery surrounding the chalice fades to black while the chalice is lit in Holy light. I could not get over how beautiful that scene was. It is a scene I will always remember. Another scene that was perfectly filmed was Jesus carrying the cross. DeMille kept the camera focused on the end of the cross as it dragged on the ground. He not only captured the burdensome cross he also captured the people rallying either in ignorance or sadness.

            King of Kings is one of the best silent films I have ever seen. It is visually enthralling and beautiful. Knowing the story it actually took on a whole new life to me. You do not need to be religious or Catholic to see King of Kings. If you love beautiful films that are perfect from the writing to the acting to the direction to the scenery and everything else you be amazed with King of Kings

Under the Skin (2013)

“I just wanted to get away.”

“Why here?”

“Because it’s anywhere.”

            There are several movies I have seen that have left me thinking what the fuck did I just watch? I like crazy mind fuck movies. If a movie can leave me a bit confused but kind of understanding I think it is good. To me that means they have some deep undertones that need to be looked up. Under the Skin was definitely one of those mind fuck movies that once I researched I understood it a little bit better.

            The story takes place through the eyes of an alien woman simply credited as The Female (Scarlett Johansson). She is given the body of a dead girl. The Female takes the clothes off the girl then goes to a mall to get clothes and makeup.

            The Female drives around in a van. While driving she observes people and also picks up men. Some of the men she drives she lures back to an apartment or house. This apartment or house turns into a completely black room. With every man she brings back she takes off more and more of her clothes. The men strip down to nothing as they follow her. They do not even realize they walk into what looks like a very deep puddle of water and are emerged in some kind of liquid. The liquid pulls everything out of their bodies until just their skin is left.

            The more The Female travels around she tries more human things such as eating and having sex. But with all this participation and observation the more she becomes disenchanted with the human world she sees it for how harsh and evil it really is.

            My summary is what I was able to get out of Under the Skin while watching it and after looking up the plot and some reviews. I think the idea of seeing the human world in the eyes of an actual alien is genius especially because it through the eyes of a woman and how easily some of the men were able to be seduced. I also think it was fascinating that a man wrote the screenplay and he is showing a spectrum of men from nice guys to guys looking for sex and being easily seduced to a guy with a horrible facial disfigurement to an evil bastard who molested The Female and eventually killed her. I know not all men are like this they were stereotypes but a lot of the men in this movie were not actors. The characteristics of these men also taught The Female a range of human emotions and feelings she never experienced before. Under the Skin will leave you saying to yourself “what the fuck?” but I will say it is worth watching at least once. It is different and mind fucking yet it is interesting and intriguing. 

Jaws (1975)

“I don't think either of one you are familiar with our problems.”

“I think that I am familiar with the fact that you are going to ignore this particular problem until it swims up and BITES YOU ON THE ASS!”

            I have lived at the Jersey Shore my entire life. When I tell people that I live at the Shore they give me a look. They look at me like seriously you live at the Shore? You are ass white how does that happen? It happens very easily. First, I run a movie blog I am technically a kind of human vampire that burrows in a dark basement either in an office or on the couch watching movies. Second, the sun is hot it is a demon and it turns me into a red demon-looking creature. Third, getting sand in various orifices is uncomfortable and beyond annoying. Fourth, and most importantly, I do not know what is swimming around me in the murky Jersey water! Anything in the ocean creeps me the fuck out! I have no doubt one of the biggest reasons for not caring too much for the ocean and being terrified at what could be swimming next to me has to do with the nightmare inducing Jaws. Who hasn’t had Jaws-induced dreams in their lives?

            It is summer time on Amity Island. The town is bracing for summer tourists and locals to flock to the beaches. They are also expecting the summer to be quiet and calm just like every summer is. Unfortunately this summer is going to be a little different for Amity Island. A young girl was out for a swim one night when she was attacked in the water and killed. Her body washes up on shore. The whole town is shocked. Police Chief Brody is called to the case. It appears to the untrained eye that she might have been mutilated by a boat or cut up. A scientist named Hooper is brought into town to examine the girl. He tells everyone that she was attacked and killed by a very large shark.

            The mayor of the town refuses to believe that the girl was attacked by a shark. He does not want to scare away the tourists and their money. He proposes that the beach be shut down for twenty-four hours. That plan unfortunately does not work. A small boy and a dog are eaten.

            A group of fishermen and local law enforcement go out looking for the shark. They find one they all believe to be the shark. Hooper tries to tell everyone that the shark they caught is not the shark that killed the boy and girl. That night Hooper and Brody open up the shark since anything it ate within the last twenty-four hours will still be in its stomach. No human remains are found.

            Amity Island is in a panic. Everyone sits on the beach but will not go swimming. The final straw for Brody comes when his son is almost eaten by the shark in a bay. He forces the mayor to sign a contract to hire Quint, an old shark hunter.

            Quint takes Brody and Hooper out on his old fishing boat. They literally fight the monstrous Great White until the end of Quint and the boat.

            Until today I had never watched Jaws in its entirety. Deal with it! I have been getting shit for years from family and friends about never having sat through the whole thing. I have always seen bits and pieces of it since I was little. Having watched certain scenes when I was little made me never want to see this movie and deathly afraid of the ocean! There are a ton of movies I have always wanted to see but never did before and Jaws, despite it scaring me, is on that list. Watching it as a twenty-seven year old, Jaws is not scary. Am I still terrified of sharks? OH HELL YES! It is so obvious the shark was fake. I can totally see how this movie scared the ever living shit out of people back in 1975 when it was released, though. Had I not really known what was coming I would have jumped twenty feet in the air when the head of a guy the shark killed pop through a hole in a downed boat. Holy crow that scene was crazy.

Sorry, I found this gif and had to put it on here. Hope you like seeing your lunch again.

            I liked Jaws. I think it is a good movie. I would not go overboard (ha ha) and say I consider it one of the best movies I have ever seen. I can definitely see why it considered one of the greatest movies ever made and how it had such a huge impact on people and the movie industry when it was released. Nothing like it had ever been done before. Steve Spielberg’s direction and the score by John Williams also made the movie culturally impactful. Everyone, even if you have just seen clips of it, knows the string theme and can picture scenes from the sharks perspective in their minds.  Jaws is a movie that is required to see if you are a movie buff and it is also entertaining. 

This post is dedicated to my friend Kelly. When I asked on my Facebook what movies I should watch Kelly responded in bold letters: JAWS. I work with Kelly and when I mentioned her suggestion her face totally lit up. She told me she does not watch many movies but Jaws is the one movie that when it is on TV she has to watch it. Her and her boyfriend know the entire movie by heart. She was even gracious enough to write up her own quick review: 

Jaws is my favorite movie. I take the back. Jaws is my most favorite fucking movie, ever, and the best fucking movie ever. Period.

Aside from the purely magical acting of Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss (Robert Shaw the most, but we'll get into that in a moment) - there is a quote in Jaws applicable to just about every life situation, ever.

I typically equate a person's likeability with how many Jaws lines they can quote in a conversational exchange. No, really.

Additionally, let's talk about Quint for a second. Quint is the embodiment of all that is cool and epic in this universe. Quint GRABS A MACHETE as Jaws is eating him, and stabs the shark as he's being chewed to death! If you don't sit with rapt intent every time that Robert Shaw delivers Quint's Indianapolis speech, you have no soul. People love Chuck Norris? Chuck Norris has got nothing on Quint.

In closing, unless you watch Jaws every single time you find it on cable, regardless of the point in the movie at which you tune in - we probably aren't going to be friends. Just saying.

Kelly (I know you look at my blog!), I hope you approve of my review and we can truly be friends! Thank you for the suggestion.

 

The Woman in Gold (2014)

“We should be reunited with what is rightfully ours.”

            Do you have an object such as a photograph or piece of jewelry or piece of furniture or a piece of clothing or china set, etc. that has holds special memories and meaning to you and your family? Is it an object that when you or a family member look at a flood of memories from a specific moment in time rushes to your mind?

            There is a saying “the most important things in life aren’t things.” This saying to me is like “money can’t buy happiness.” Of course money can buy you happiness it can make you comfortable. And there are without a doubt physical things in your life that are important to you and your family. Things hold memories of good and bad times, of people that are no longer in your life, or a moment or even a person you want to cherish forever.

            During World War II Hitler and the Nazis took things away from the Jews. They looted religious artifacts, jewelry, clothes, china, and most especially art. What they looted was not just solely inanimate objects they stole memories and culture and hard work. The Nazis went into peoples’ homes and told them they had no right to what they had because they were Jewish and inferior and inferior people should not have the privilege of owning anything valuable. Pride was also another thing that was also stolen.

            One of the most famous pieces of art that was stolen during World War II was Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer by the Austrian Secessionist artist Gustav Klimt. The Block-Bauer family had been a patron to Klimt. They commissioned him to make several works of art for them but their pride was in his portrait of Adele. Adele was beautiful and intelligent. She had a great magnetism that pulled people into her orbit. She loved her country, her heritage, and her people. Adele unfortunately died tragically young at age forty-three of meningitis. Her husband Ferdinand never fully recovered from her loss. For decades after the War Maria Altmann, Adele’s niece, never forgot her aunt and her beautiful portrait, or how the Nazis forced her and her husband to leave their beloved Vienna and family behind forever. The movie The Woman in Gold, based on the book The Lady in Gold by Anne- Marie O’Connor, tells the story of how Maria Altmann, with the help of a lawyer who was also a family friend, took on the Austrian government to have her aunt’s portrait and all of her memories of a good life she had to leave behind returned to her.

            Maria’s (Helen Merrin) sister Luise has just passed away. At the funeral is a family friend whose son is a lawyer. She asks her friend to have her son Randy (Ryan Reynolds) contact her. Randy is a young man in 1998. He just accepted a job at a big law firm and he has a young wife and baby daughter. Maria wants Randy to help her try to get back her Aunt Adele’s portrait from the Austrians. Randy is given time by his law firm to explore the matter but only for one week.

            The Austrian government has an art restitution committee. They hold a meeting in which Maria and several others speak about what happened to their families and what was taken from them and never returned. The committee absolutely refuses to return The Woman in Gold it is considered the epitome of Austrian art and culture and their version of The Mona Lisa. They also state that it was in Adele’s will that all her art work by Klimt be given to the Belvedere Museum, where it had been since World War II, upon the death of her husband. There are several issues with Adele’s will: one, it was on a piece of paper and not official, and two, the most important was that she was not the rightful owner her husband was and therefore had no right to leave them to the museum. Of course the museum blew that off and so did the committee.

            Years and years pass as Randy and Maria try everything in their power to have The Woman in Gold returned.  Finally Randy decides that he is going to sue Austria. His plan works. The case makes it all the way to the Supreme Court and comes to a close in the courts of Austria which grants Maria with ownership of the portrait.

            To know much more than what I was able to articulately write and explain, I highly encourage you to research the painting, the legal battle, and to read O’Connor’s book (the book is poorly written in my opinion but the information in it outweighs the bad writing and editing).

            Based off the small summary I gave of the movie if you are wondering how can a work of art by a painter who lived over a hundred years ago be worth so much for an old woman fight for? It is mostly the idea of attached memories. The last scene of the movie is Maria Altmann walking into the apartment on Ringstrasse in Vienna and a flood of memories return to her. She sees her Aunt Adele following her and her sister around the house playing with them, her Uncle Ferdinand shows her a passage in a book he is reading, she sees her father happily playing his cello, in another room memories of her wedding come back to her, and in the last room she sees the portrait of her aunt hung prominently over the fireplace and the real Adele standing underneath it. That is what the portrait meant to Maria Altmann. It meant memories of her happy family and her loving aunt and the save comfortable home of her childhood. It represented not only happiness but also of all the people and things she had to leave behind in order to flee safely to America away from the Nazis. (That was my favorite part of the entire movie it was beautiful. I genuinely teared up a little bit).

            Another very important reason Maria wanted the portrait back and out of Vienna is because of the country’s role in World War II. The Austrians allowed Hitler and the Nazis to basically walk right in and take over. Austria has memory loss when it comes to WWII. Or better yet they chose to have that memory loss. Many of the people claim that their country was the victim that they were a conquered people when they were in reality not. One of the greatest atrocities the museum and the Nazis did to the portrait was to change the portrait’s title. They changed the title from Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer to simply The Woman in Gold. By changing the name to something simple and understated they stripped Adele of her Jewish identity and heritage.

            The Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer was sold to Ronald Lauder’s (Estee Lauder’s son) NeueGalerie in New York City for $135 million dollars. I remember reading about this before I knew the whole story of the painting and being quite upset because the woman fought for it, took it out of Vienna, and then sold it. But now after reading the book and knowing more about its history and of Austria’s attitude it makes perfect sense for Maria to have done what she did with the portrait. Ronald Lauder was once an ambassador to Austria and was a collector of late 19^th century/early 20^th century German and Austrian art. Maria Altmann stipulated that the portrait of her aunt should always be on display for people to see.

            I want to point out that the art we see in museums was never meant to be seen in museums. Portraits, like Adele’s were meant to be hung in homes and to be seen by family and guests. Ancient religious relics were meant to be used in ceremonies to worship gods and goddess. Rooms were meant to be in the homes or buildings for which were originally part of. They had an identity within their context. Every single piece of art be it a painting, a room, a sculpture, suits of armor, etc. has lost their context. Museums can, try as they might to, supply as much information on a piece as they can but its truest meaning has been lost in transference from place to place. They have been stripped of their original intent and identity much like Adele Bloch-Bauer’s portrait was just not to the extreme extent hers was.

            Now that I have gone over some of the true story let’s get back to a movie review.

            Despite the story being incredibly fascinating I feel it would not have work as well had Helen Mirren and Tatiana Maslany not been cast in the role of Maria Altmann. Obviously, Mirren played the older Maria and Maslany played the younger. The two women have an incredible ability to adapt to whatever role they are given. Mirren and Maslany are forces of immense talent. Maria Altmann would have been a very good character as the older version but the younger version would not have worked as well had there been an actress in the role other than Maslany. This may seem like I am being biased but I am a huge fan of Maslany’s from her show Orphan Black where she plays nine (yes, I said nine) different clone characters to such insane perfection that you have a favorite clone. I have seen all twenty episodes of Orphan Black countless times and I still have to remind myself that the same girl is playing all these different women with all this baggage and back story. Maslany is just amazing. You can see how hard she works and how deep she cares for her characters because she makes playing them all look effortless. In The Woman in Gold, she makes the emotional heaviness of playing Maria Altmann when she had to leave her family look effortless and completely heartbreaking.  When actors and actresses are great in whatever roles they are given you can see their dedication come through. With Mirren and Maslany you can see their dedication and that is why the character of Maria Altmann, both young and older, was fantastic.

            (I do not know if any of what I just wrote makes any sense. It is hard to articulate my view of these two women because I adore them both actresses they are just so immensely talented)

            Ryan Reynolds did a good job playing Randy. Randy was not an extraordinary character he was an ordinary character with not such an extraordinary history like Maria. I will say that Reynolds did a great job portraying Randy’s kindness, perseverance, and determination. Daniel Bruhl is one of the top billed actors above the title but he is barely in it and he does not leave a mark whatsoever on the story or movie. Katie Holmes played Randy’s wife. She is just a waste of film.

            The Woman in Gold as a movie was more than I could have hoped for. I had been so exited ever since hearing the story was being made into a movie but I did not want to get my hopes up because of the Monuments Men movie which I thought was terrible. Fortunately The Woman in Gold exceeded my expectations. I have a BA in Art History and MA in Museum Registration. I understand art and I understand art/museum laws/ethics. Art law and museum ethics are what make this story so fascinating. Plus the idea of who owns art is also fascinating. Restitution from World War II is still happening to this day. Over 100,000 pieces of art are still missing. For my one museum class I had to read an article about looted art. The author wrote that Nazi looted art is one of the greatest unresolved issues of World War II. Over eighty years later Hitler is still creating problems. Maria Altmann’s case is one such case that has brought art restitution to the attention of the public.

            The Woman in Gold on the surface is about Nazi looted art. But when you look deep enough it is a story of stolen memories, pride, love, and families. It is about the power of art and how much a work of art could mean to people. To me art is a thing on which to place your emotions and create memories around even if they are hanging in a museum and you do not physically own them. I understand all the different ways that art moves people and how powerful that bond with a work of art can be (I go crazy for John Singer Sargent’s Madame X. To me there is no greater feeling in the world than when I stand in front of that sassy woman). In America we are not fortunate enough to know what it is like to truly care for a masterpiece of our country’s art. We do not have that one defining piece of American art that we would do battle for if it ever came to a point where it might leave the country. You do not need to know what doing battle for a piece of art would feel like or even know what it feels like to be emotionally attracted to be work of art to be enraptured, enthralled, and entertained by The Woman in Gold. 

All About Eve (1950)

“Nothing is forever in the theater.”

            Have you ever thought what lengths you would go to meet your favorite actor/actress/celebrity? Hopefully you are not a creepy stalker who knows absolutely everything about them and follows them all over the place. I am a fan girl over several actors and actresses but I would never dream of going to extraordinary lengths to meet them. I have been to comic conventions (met Kristen Bell!) and book signings (met Tina Fey! And meeting Mamrie Hart in May!) and that is the only length I will go to. I will pay to go to signings and comic conventions or if the chance came about to get backstage passes for musicians if I have the cash.

            Many fans dream of meeting their favorite celebrities after a show or behind the scenes of a movie, becoming friends with them, and then somehow becoming famous through their celebrity friend. The 1950 film All About Eve takes that dream and gives it a good twist.

            The film begins at an award ceremony for the theater. Theater critic Addison DeWitt (George Sanders) begins his narration by introducing the characters in the story that will be told. He is telling his story as an old stage actor goes on talking before introducing the star of the night Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter).

            Eve’s assent into the New York theater elite the day she met Karen Richards (Celeste Holm) outside a theater after a show. Karen is friends with the show’s star Margot Channing (Bette Davis) whom Eve idolizes. Eve has been to every single performance and she likes the plays by the playwright Lloyd Richards, Karen’s husband. Margot puts on a fake act and is nothing but nice to her fan.  Margot asks Eve her life’s story. Eve tells them that she was from a poor farm out in Wisconsin, she moved to Milwaukee to work in a beer plant, she married a soldier who died, and she stayed out in San Diego where she had gone to see her husband before she knew he died.

            Margot takes Eve on as a friend and assistant. She tells her boyfriend Bill that she feels protective of Eve. After a show one night Eve comes to take Margot’s costume to the costume master. Margot realizes that was not a good idea because the costume master would be upset, when she opens the door she sees Eve with the costume in her hand looking at herself in a mirror.

             Over time Eve begins to show her true colors. She is a conniving, scheming woman who wants nothing more than to be an actress on the stage. She climbed and scratched her over Margot, Karen, Bill, and Lloyd to get the leading role in Lloyd’s new play. She sided with Addison who is as greasy and conniving himself but he is the only who sees Eve for who she really is.

            In the end Eve gets a taste of her own medicine with a fan of hers waiting in her room to meet her.

            The story made me think how Eve meeting Margot and becoming so close to her the way she did would most likely never happen today. I kept thinking if Eve were around today she would be that fan that sees Margot at all the conventions and signings and writes fan fiction based off her theater characters and people in her personal life. If Margot made films and was in TV shows Eve would be that one fan that has seen all of Margot’s filmography and make gif sets out of them. (I swear to you I am not a thirteen year old fan girl who makes gif sets and writes fan fiction… I am worse I am twenty-seven and fan girl over certain things like I am a thirteen year old! Tumblr is my best friend and I have recently become addicted to twitter [follow me: @cinethusiast].I do draw the absolute line at fan fiction, making gif sets, and feeling the need to know every detail about a celebrity. I fan girl over their final products such as films or music)

            All About Eve is a film I had been meaning to see for a while after hearing how it is one of the greatest films of all time and Bette Davis was great. I did not hype it up I have learned not to do so in my several years of being a film fanatic and writing this blog. Even though I did not hype All About Eve up I felt let down. I only felt let down by the acting I really did not like the acting at all. Davis was alright I like her but she just always seems to overact. George Sanders is usually plays interesting characters in his films and here as Addison DeWitt he was just alright because the character was dull. Ann Baxter was decent just not to the point where she should have been nominated for an Academy Award for the role. Celeste Holm I will say was great I have yet to see her in a bad role. Marilyn Monroe shows up for a time as a young woman who wants to become an actress. She was very good. As soon as she comes on screen she commands your attention among the older actors not just because of her looks there was just something there in her that made you pay attention. I can see why All About Eve is considered one of the greatest films ever made because Joseph L. Mankiewicz wrote an amazing screenplay and his direction is beautiful. Other than the writing and the direction I could not get into the film. Despite my feelings I will say that All About Eve is worth seeing at least once just to say you have seen it if you really like film.