All About Eve, by Joseph Mankiewicz, explores how women are unable to find satisfaction in roles that the theater offers. Mankiewicz argues that a woman can never be a true star, like Margo, or even a “carbon copied” Eve or Phoebe. The problem is that success can be fleeting and there’s always another one on the way. In the theater, the only role that can be successful is the one of the docile and self-effacing female.
Mankiewicz says that women will only be fulfilled in their role as a docile, humble housewife while men are the breadwinners. Karen is the perfect wife who supports her husband and doesn’t cultivate any other image than that of his wife. Karen may not be a “high-profile celebrity”, but her extravagant and ostentatious life is evident in the films, with the many beautiful costumes that she wears. Karen, unlike Margo, is not plagued by paranoia or anxieties. She displays a deep devotion to her husband and friend, which Lloyd praises as a “loyal woman”. Mankiewicz is praising those women who take on subservient roles, not just because it reflects the paternalistic attitudes prevalent in 1950s culture.
Karen teaches Margo how to balance her desire for a homely role with the need to be professional. Margo is constantly torn between two competing roles in her life. This is the root of Margo’s deep-seated anxieties. At Bill’s birthday, Margo, who is in her prime of fame and success, expresses discomfort at playing women that are half her years old. Margo, while sitting at the piano in a wearisome mood, is requesting that Liebestraum be repeated. Close ups reveal Margo’s fear of ageing and being replaced by an attractive younger understudy. Margo has a career that isn’t fulfilling, despite her many accolades. Karen tells Margo with an air that resignation that she finds it unfulfilling.
Eve’s and Phoebe’s performances of the “carbon-copy” role reveal the theatrical exclusivity and temporary nature that success has. Eve introduces Margo by taking on the role of a war widow who is literally climbing the theatre’s steps in order to get to the top. She is at her most deceptive when she tries to ingratiate Margo. She plays the role as her “sister”, lawyer, mother and friend in an effort to win her over. And then, after blackmailing Karen, she gets the role in Lloyd’s Play. Margo and Karen refuse to congratulate Eve on her Sarah Siddons Award. Margo, however, prods Eve by giving her the trophy. Margo murmurs, “Go place that where your hearts should be.” Mankiewicz hints that, in a world filled with vipers and competition, the success of one actor will only be temporary.
Margo and Eve both suffer from the professional worlds of theater, despite their success and fame. The “carbon copy” is the reason for their downfall, revealing how success can be fleeting. Karen is the only one who accepts that she is a submissive housewife and lives vicariously through her husband.
