All About Eve (1950)

Bette Davis is right.

Strap yourselves in, folks. All About Eve is a must-see film.

Thank you, Joseph Mankiewicz, for writing and directing this incredible 1950 release. All About Eve earned 14 Oscar nominations and won six including best film, screenplay and director.

This drama boasts such a beautiful script with all kinds of delicious lines. It's also topical to watch more than 60 years later when the cult of celebrity is as strong as it ever was. The fate of actresses as they age and their transition from talk of the town to yesterday's news is also explored.

Eve (Anne Baxter) is a devoted fan to theatre giant Margo (Bette Davis). But Eve doesn't just want to worship Margo's talent. She wants to top her success. This lady is hooked on the "waves of love" audiences offer when they really like an actor's work. Eve gets a job as Margo's assistant and her manipulation accelerates.

She worms her way into Margo's life and proceeds to scheme and manipulate her way to major success. Only Margo's handler, Birdie (Thelma Ritter) is suspicious of Eve from the start. "You want an argument or an answer," Birdie tells Margo when she asks about Eve's actions.

Eve is a master at her craft, subtly weaving her spell to get others to do what she wants. Others, such as Margo, her friend Karen (Celeste Holm) and her playwright husband Lloyd (Hugh Marlowe) are out of their element against this master schemer. Eve is agreeable to using blackmail to get what she wants too.

George Sanders shines as theatre critic Addison DeWitt. This guy lives for the stage and its characters. Nothing else matters in his life. Only he is able to go toe-to-toe with Eve's scheming. Wait for when they're together in her suite. Sparks fly. "You're stepping way up in class," he warns her as they square off.

Eve's actions leave viewers slack-jawed at their audacity. She really is something else - and so is this movie.

My only real beef. The ending strikes this film fan as a copout with Eve ready to get a taste of her own medicine. But that's a small lament. Watch this film.

RATING: 9.5/10

FUN FACTS: Marilyn Monroe stands out with a small role as Miss Casswell, another young actress who dreams of success. But she's an amateur compared to Eve's cunning.

Hugh Marlowe and Gary Merrill, who appears as Bette Davis' boyfriend, appeared in Twelve O'Clock High. It's another one of Reel Popcorn Junkie's must-see films.

The Black Swan (1942)

Set sail for a witty script, plenty of adventure and gorgeous Technicolor with The Black Swan.



Leon Shamroy's work behind the camera is the real star of this 1942 effort from director Henry King (Twelve O'Clock High, The Song of Bernadette). He even won an Oscar for best cinematography.



In an accompanying commentary, actress Maureen O'Hara notes she did little work in Technicolor before The Black Swan. Afterwards, she wanted to do nothing but.



The story is pretty straightforward. Capt. Harry Morgan (Laird Cregar) is a pirate who is expected to be hanged by the King of England. Instead, he's given a pardon and sent to Jamaica to rid the seas of pirates. Some, like Jamie Waring (Tyrone Power), join him. Others, Capt. Billy Leech (George Sanders) vow to keep pillaging.



Waring becomes smitten with Lady Margaret Denby (Maureen O'Hara), the daughter of the colony's former leader. She's less than eager to get to know a former pirate. He keeps up his attempts to woo her, while Morgan faces impeachment over Leech wreaking havoc on British ships laden with gold.



There's a couple of funny scenes where Waring uses given circumstances to get a little closer to the knockout who is Denby.



Power made The Black Swan just two years after The Mark of Zorro. He gets to wield his sword again, especially in a climatic showdown with Leech. It almost looks like the film is speeded up to handle the one-on-one battle.



The Black Swan has a great cast with Thomas Mitchell (It's a Wonderful Life) and Anthony Quinn (Lawrence of Arabia) along for the ride.



Get the popcorn ready and savour this entertaining swash buckler of a tale.



RATING: 8/10



FUN FACTS: The Black Swan also received Oscar nominations for best special effects and music (Alfred Newman).



Leon Shamroy also shot South Pacific, Cleopatra and The King and I.