Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

All About Eve Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 21, 2019

Joseph L. Mankiewicz's "All About Eve" (1950) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include various archival cast and crew interviews; documentaries about the production of the film and the life and legacy of its creator; vintage radio adaptation; and a lot more. The release also arrives with a 440page illustrated booklet featuring writings on the film and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The 4K restoration of All About Eve was first introduced on Blu-ray by Twentieth Century Fox in 2011. For an in-depth analysis of the film, please see Casey Broadwater's review of the first release here.

All About Eve Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, All About Eve arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This digital restoration was undertaken by Twentieth Century Fox. A 35mm composite fine-grain, on loan from the Museum of Modern Art, was scanned in 4K resolution and restored at Reliance MediWorks in Burbank, California. The original monaural soundtrack was restored from a raw capture of the optical track from the same 35mm composite fine-grain. A quarter-inch magnetic recording was used for the main- and end-title sequences. The raw captures were performed by DJ Audio in Burbank. The audio was then restored by by Audio Mechanics in Burbank."

I own the original release of All About Eve and did only a couple of quick comparisons with it. Predictably, the presentation there is identical. (The first release that Fox produced was also sourced from the 4K restoration).

I quite like the restoration. However, I also see areas where some digital adjustments were made to rebalance the image and some of them introduce flatness. If you project the film, they become rather easy to spot. On other hand, they are not at all distracting and overall the film still has a nice organic appearance. The grading is very good. A new 4K remaster without the above-mentioned adjustments, however, will likely expand some nuances that are now struggling in backgrounds. Image stability is excellent. There are no distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

All About Eve Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The restored audio sounds very good. It is clean, sharp, and stable. Even when the volume it turned up a bit, the upper register remains solid. There are no audio dropouts, distortions, background hiss, or purely digital anomalies to report in our review. (Note to audio purists: The English Mono track that was included on Fox's release of All About Eve was lossy, not lossless).

All About Eve Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Audio Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by actress Celeste Holm, Ken Geist (Joseph Mankiewicz's Biographer) and Christopher Mankiewicz. It was also included on Fox's first Blu-ray release of All About Eve.

• Audio Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by author Sam Staggs. It was also included on Fox's first Blu-ray release of All About Eve.

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• Larry McQueen - in this new video interview, film costume historian and collector Larry McQueen discusses the costumes worn by Bette Davis and Anne Baxter in All About Eve and how they defined their characters. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2019. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).

• All About Mankiewicz - in this archival documentary, film scholar Michel Ciment interviews director Joseph L. Mankiewicz about his time in the film business and the highs and lows in his career. The documentary was produced in 1983. In English, not subtitled. (107 min, 1080p).

• The Secret of Sarah Siddons - when All About Eve was written and filmed, the Sarah Siddons Society was a fictional creation of Joseph L. Mankiewicz. This documentary chronicles the formation, after the film's release, of an actual Sarah Siddons Society in Chicago. The documentary was produced in 2010. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080i).

• Radio Adaptation - presented here is the Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of All About Eve featuring Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, and Gary Merrill in their original roles. with Reginald Gardiner playing Addison DeWitt. The adaptation aired o October 1, 1951. In English, not subtitled. (60 min, 1080p).

• Bette Davis Promotion - presented here is a short promotional with Bette Davis discussing her character in All About Eve. It was produced in 1950. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz - this documentary takes a closer look at the life and career of director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Included in it are interviews with the director's sons, Christopher Mankiewicz and Thomas Mankiewicz, his biographer Kenneth Geist, and others. The documentary was completed in 2010. In English, not subtitled. (26 min, 1080i).

• The Dick Cavett Show - presented here is a full episode of The Dick Cavett Show with actor Gary Merrill discussing his contribution to All About Eve and marriage to Bette Davis, as well as an excerpt from from another episode with Davis.
  
  1. Episode One - broadcast on June 18. 1980. In English, not subtitled. (29 min, 1080i).
  2. Episode Two - broadcast on December 31, 1969. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080i).

• Hollywood Backstories: "All About Eve" - this archival documentary focuses on the production history of All About Eve, and features interviews with Bette Davis, Celeste Holm, Anne Baxter, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and film historian Rudy Behlmer, amongst others. It was produced in 2001. In English, not subtitled. (25 min, 1080i).

• Joseph L. Mankiewicz: A Personal Journey - this archival documentary explores the life of director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. It was produced in 2010. In English, not subtitled. (26 min, 1080i).

• The Real Eve - in this archival documentary, film scholar Jonathan Kuntz and theater critic Harry Haun discuss the real-life people that inspired Mary Orr's story "The Wisdom of Eve", on which All About Eve is based. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080i).

• Booklet - 44-page illustrated booklet featuring: "Upstage, Downstage" by Terrence Rafferty, "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr, and technical credits.

All About Eve Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Criterion's upcoming two-disc release of All About Eve is sourced from the 4K restoration that Twentieth Century Fox introduced in 2011. However, it has a wealth of bonus features, many exclusive, that will be of interest to fan of the film. On other other hand, this release does no have all of the bonus features from the first release, so if you decide to pick it up, do not give away your other release of the film. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.