All About Eve Text Response Essay

[FallingStar]

Prompt: Margo says “funny business a woman’s career.” All About Eve is about the roles woman must play. Discuss.

Set in the conservative milieu of 1950s American theatre, entrenched in patriarchy, Joseph Mankiewicz’s film All About Eve presents a society where there are distinct roles for men and women. These roles are played both in acting and in their lives. As actresses, women usually need to play the role of young characters despite their real age. As the actresses age, they play the role of a mentor for younger, aspiring actresses, often unwillingly. When women gets married, they are to give up their careers and play the role of a housewife. Meanwhile, men play the dominant roles in theatre life, overpowering the female actresses of the time.

As there are hardly any roles for older women, older actresses often need to play the role of younger characters. Accordingly, they are forced to hide their age in order to continue their careers. Margo, who is “not twentyish, not thirtyish … forty” years old is arguable a victim of such acting roles in which women often need to play. Hence through the use of make-up, she is hiding her age, even pretending to be younger in order to continue playing roles in which the theatre dictates to women. With a lack of roles for older actresses, they either have to choose between being a 40 year old actress playing a 24 year old character, or to give up acting altogether. Such a dilemma can be deliberating, causing dissatisfaction as with the case with Margo.  Consequentially, woman are limited in their careers as an actresses by their age, as they must play the roles of young women in the theatre.

As an aging actress, women are also forced to play the role play the role of a mentor to younger actresses. With age comes the decline of available roles, hence the theatre society of the 1950s dictates that older women allow younger actresses to take their place, often unwillingly. As Eve integrates into the theatre life, the theatre community is seen to be forcing her to take Eve under her wings. In combination of Karen’s showing Eve the way into the theatre and Addison’s “poison pen,” Margo is encouraged to give up her career to become a housewife, motherly figure just like Karen is. As such, she is pressured into fostering Eve in her career, even if Eve pushes her out. Eve, being Margo’s understudy is also not immune from this pressuring either: she is forced to mentor an imitator of her, Phoebe, by Addison De Witt, her cruel and ruthless manager. In the scene where Phoebe adorns herself with Eve’s clothing and bows as if she just received the Sarah Siddons award, the replication of Phoebes suggest that no actress is immune from the forced role of being a mentor of the younger “carbon copy” of themselves. Hence the mentorship role of younger actresses is one that is portrayed to be a role which female thespians cannot avoid, thereby it is a role they must play in their careers.

Yet despite the social pressures, it is still the choice of the actresses themselves to give up their careers. They can leave their careers as an actress by choice, as it does not have to be by force. Being “a true star,” Margo clearly has the opportunity to continue her acting career despite her age. Yet she has chosen to leave such a career to get back to “being a woman.” Despite coming to the realisation the superficiality of fame and glamour, her career identity is still threatening to engulf her, as shown in the scene where the person Margo is placed with the cartoon Margo. A far camera shot of Margo, where the cartoon of Margo is much larger and more prominent then Margo herself, shows that her stage life may be the more dominant part of her. To further highlight the dominance of her stage life to her real life, she confesses that she “can’t tell [Margo Channing the actress and Margo Channing the person] apart, implying her that her actress identity is one which may be far from the real Margo. Thereby, when she senses her stage life coming to an end, she needed to come to terms with her whole theatre identity fading, hence a career is only a temporal role for women.

In the 1950s, women are expected to give up their carers when they marry. This expectation is reflected in Margo’s dissatisfaction with her career as she wants to “be a woman” instead of staying in the “funny business” of a career. When discussing her thoughts in the car that ran out of petrol, the confinement portrayed in the camera shot, portrays Margo’s statements as a confession. In the car, Margo confesses her love for Bill, even wanting to “turn around in bed and there [Bill] is.” In the times of the film, being a woman means being a married to the man she loves and staying at home. This notion is clearly reflected in Karen’s way of life, where she is Lloyd’s “loyal little woman.” In contrast to Margo, Karen is only in “the theatre by marriage,” a role in which is considered more acceptable for her times. As Margo can only be an actress unmarried, it is implied that she would be “busy herself around the house” when she marries, just like Karen. Thereby, married woman are pressured to play the role of a housewife by the society of their times, a role in which married woman must play due to societal pressure. 

There are various role in which women play in All About Eve, hence the film is about the role that women are pressured to play due to social pressures and the theatre cultures of the times. Viewers are encouraged to consider the sexism that is present within their societies.


[HopefulLawStudent]

Just general comments this time cos I'm a bit time-poor atm but:

Be careful when embedding quotes: Margo, who is “not twentyish, not thirtyish … forty” years old is arguable a victim of such acting roles in which women often need to play.

^^ Seems really clumsily put thanks to the quote

Be careful with word choices: "deliberating", "fostering Eve in her career"

Ensure that you substantiate everything with textual evidence: "With a lack of roles for older actresses, they either have to choose between being a 40 year old actress playing a 24 year old character, or to give up acting altogether", "Margo is encouraged to give up her career to become a housewife, motherly figure just like Karen is."

You need to make sure that you maintain relevance. The para starting with "Yet despite the social pressures, it is still the choice of the actresses themselves to give up their careers. .." seems to have a bit of a tenuous connection with the prompt itself. You need to make a clearer link re: how that para is connected to the prompt: AAE is about the roles women play.

[literally lauren]

Prompt: Margo says “funny business a woman’s career.” All About Eve is about the roles woman must play. Discuss.

Set in the conservative milieu of 1950s American theatre, entrenched in patriarchy, this is a perfectly solid opening, but if the prompt is more specific/character-based, it can be odd to open up with discussions of 'milieus' Joseph Mankiewicz’s film All About Eve presents a society where there are distinct roles for men and women really like that you're delving into . These roles are played both in acting and in their lives I kind of know what you're getting at, but try to state this in clearer terms. As actresses, women usually need to play the role of young characters despite their real age. As the actresses age, they play the role of a mentor for younger, aspiring actresses, often unwillingly. When women gets married seems like you're moving a bit further away from the prompt, they are to give up their careers and play the role of a housewife. Meanwhile, men play the dominant roles in theatre life, overpowering the female actresses of the time.

As there are hardly any roles for older women, older actresses often need to play the role of younger characters careful with this word - try to only use it when you're referring to the actual characters in the film: Margo, Eve, Addison, etc.. Accordingly, they are forced to hide their age in order to continue their careers. Margo, who is “not twentyish, not thirtyish … forty” years old is arguable why only 'arguably?' And is she a victim of the roles, or the social pressures that surround the stigma of ageing for women a victim of such acting roles in which women often need to play. Hence through the use of make-up using the word 'hence' makes this a bit confusing since these two ideas don't really link together very clearly, she is hiding her age when, exactly? Try to contextualise this evidence, even pretending to be younger in order to continue playing roles in which the theatre dictates to women. With a lack of roles for older actresses, they either have to choose between being a 40 year old actress playing a 24 year old character, or to give up acting altogether how do you know? What evidence is there of this in the film?. Such a dilemma can be deliberating, causing dissatisfaction as with the case with Margo again, how do you know!? You're right, but show me you're right through your use of evidence.  Consequentially, woman are limited in their careers as an actresses by their age, as they must play the roles of young women in the theatre. and what is Mankie saying about this overall?

As an aging actress, women 'an' implies singular, but 'women' is plural, so this expression is a bit confusing are also forced to play the role play the role of a mentor to younger actresses. With age comes the decline of available roles, hence the theatre society of the 1950s dictates that older women allow younger actresses to take their place, often unwillingly what do you mean by this exactly?. As Eve integrates into the theatre life, the theatre community is seen to be forcing her Margo(?) to take Eve under her wings. In combination of Karen’s showing Eve the way into the theatre and Addison’s “poison pen,” these are really complex and interesting bits of evidence, but you kind of blitz through them here, so try and flesh this out. Margo is encouraged to give up her career to become a housewife, motherly figure just like Karen is how do you know?. As such, she is pressured into fostering Eve in her career, even if Eve pushes her out. Eve, being Margo’s understudy is also not immune from this pressuring either: she is forced to mentor an imitator of her, how do you know? Phoebe, by Addison De Witt, her cruel and ruthless manager. In the scene where Phoebe adorns herself with Eve’s clothing and bows as if she just received the Sarah Siddons award, the replication of Phoebes what do you mean by this? suggest that no actress is immune from the forced role of being a mentor of the younger “carbon copy” of themselves. Hence the mentorship role of younger actresses is one that is portrayed to be a role which female thespians cannot avoid, thereby it is a role they must play in their careers. Perhaps touch on how Margo feels about this mentorship role? And how you know this, based on textual evidence.

Yet despite the social pressures, it is still the choice of the actresses themselves to give up their careers connection to the prompt could be a little more apparent here. They can leave their careers as an actress by choice, as it does not have to be by force. Being “a true star,” Margo clearly has the opportunity to continue her acting career despite her age. Yet she has chosen to leave such a career to get back to “being a woman.” Despite coming to the realisation the superficiality of fame and glamour, her career identity is still threatening to engulf her, as shown in the scene where the person Margo is placed with the cartoon Margo. A far camera shot of Margo, where the cartoon of Margo is much larger and more prominent then Margo herself, shows that her stage life may be the more dominant part of her true, though I think this might be a bit of a stretch evidence-wise. To further highlight the dominance of her stage life to her real life, she confesses that she “can’t tell [Margo Channing the actress and Margo Channing the person] apart, implying her that her actress identity is one which may be far from the real Margo this is much stronger!. Thereby, when she senses her stage life coming to an end, she needed to come to terms with her whole theatre identity fading, hence a career is only a temporal temporary? role for women.

In the 1950s, women are were expected to give up their carers when they marry. This expectation is reflected in Margo’s dissatisfaction with her career as she wants to “be a woman” instead of staying in the “funny business” of a career. When discussing her thoughts in the car that ran out of petrol, the confinement portrayed in the camera shot, portrays Margo’s statements as a confession. In the car, Margo confesses her love for Bill, even wanting to “turn around in bed and there [Bill] is.” In the times of the film, being a woman means meant being a married to the man she loves and staying at home. This notion is clearly reflected in Karen’s way of life, where she is Lloyd’s “loyal little woman.” In contrast to Margo, Karen is only in “the theatre by marriage,” a role in which is considered more acceptable for her times. As Margo can only be an actress unmarried, it is implied that she would be “busy herself around the house” when she marries, just like Karen. Thereby, married woman are pressured to play the role of a housewife by the society of their times, a role in which married woman must play due to societal pressure overall solid discussion here; evidence is much clearer . 

There are various role in which women play in All About Eve, hence the film is about the role that women are pressured to play due to social pressures and the theatre cultures of the times. Viewers are encouraged to consider the sexism that is present within their societies this is a bit L.A.-ish; try and focus on the author's overall message rather than what viewers could potentially feel/do..
 
There were some parts I was a bit less sure of here, but I'm being really nitpicky just in case you wanted to work on some little things. Just wanted to go through this essay since you've been doing such a great job with other people's! This is really good overall though, so don't stress! Bet of luck for tomorrow!