Topic > Narrative Devices in “All About Eve”

Director Joseph Mankiewicz’s All About Eve uses a circular narrative to hide the truth of Eve’s story. However, the impact that Eve's story ultimately has on Margo is more important than Eve's story itself. This is because the fictional nature of Eva's story allows it to be easily rewritten by other "carbon copies" like Phoebe, thus rendering it useless. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay There is great irony in Mankiewicz's title for the film, "All About Eve," as Eva's story is never told by Eva herself, but rather through the narrative of all those she has betrayed. Consequently, on a larger scale, the film is an exploration of the nature and effects of one's duplicity through introducing the narrative's key characters in Sarah Siddon's dining room, and then using a flashback to follow their retrospective trajectory , Mankiewicz makes palpable to the audience the betrayal that Karen and Margo feel, as a result of Eve's deceitful manipulation. Therefore, Eve is introduced to the audience just as Karen was - in the shadows of a door, shrouded in darkness. That such darkness is an allusion to Eva's deceitful nature is not noted by the film's viewers, but rather highlights Eva's apparent poverty as such, the obsequiousness revealed by Eva through her in-depth research into the careers and lives of Margo, Lloyd and Bill is slightly disturbing and further develops into dismay at his ability to make himself indispensable to Margo, becoming her “sister, lawyer… and cop.” The height of discomfort, however, is experienced in Mankiewicz's first explicit revelation of Eve's subterfuge, when she is rejected by Bill and childishly tears off her wig, before immediately switching from fury to fascination at the sound of Addison's blows. Thus, Mankiewicz's circular narrative effectively conceals Eva's deception, thus making her behavior more repugnant to the audience. While Eva's story is significant to Mankiewicz's narrative, it is not necessarily the most important. Rather, it is the impact of Eva's story on Margo that is most compelling. Mankiewicz first introduces Margo through Addison Dewitt's narration, where she is undoubtedly called a "real star." She is centralized in the frame and controls the caustic banter between her and the Richards, backstage, and strongly disparages her fans. Therefore, Margo is initially presented as the stereotypical celebrity who has outgrown her fame. However, while she appears to be at the peak of her career, the close-up of her face as she greets Bill at the airport and asks, "Will I miss you Bill?", reveals a deeply insecure and hesitant woman to Confidence. Thus, while Margo falls victim to Eve's manipulation, but is marginalized by her closest friends due to their belief in Eve's “quiet kindness” and “rare qualities,” Mankiewicz evokes great sympathy from the audience. It culminates in the confessional scene between Margo and Karen, where Mankiewicz reveals that Eve's machinations have uncovered deeper uncertainties in Margo's life. The dialogue is filled with great pathos, as Margo admits that she feels nothing but “unsafe, unwanted, and unloved.” Thus, Margo's transformation ultimately overrides Eva's story, which is rendered unnecessary by Phoebe's rewriting. In the final scenes of the film, Margo finds true fulfillment in her role as a docile and humble housewife, while Eva is hurt by the vain victory represented by her trophy. As the men in the room stand to applaud Eva, she is disheartened to see that.