All About Eve (1950)

Why it's here:
I couldn't let us go through this festival and not see Bette Davis. Problem is, I had a hard time picking from among her films; none of them really seemed to suit us and we were getting to the end of her era. All About Eve, a highly acclaimed film, seemed a good choice.

Specs:
Over two hours, black and white. Available in a beautifully restored version on dvd.

Our family's average rating on a scale from 1-10:
7.17

More about the film and our reaction to it: 
Bette Davis plays Margo, a middle-aged stage actress who is part talent, part arrogance, and part good hearted woman in an exceptional performance. Anne Baxter is also wonderful as the young ingenue, Eve, who apparently idolizes Margo and spends the film alternately winning over then alienating various people in Margo's life. The supporting cast is uniformly excellent; we especially liked George Sanders as the film critic who is ultimately in control. And I was totally stunned when Marilyn Monroe walked into the frame part way through. I had not realized she was in the picture, as she was still an unknown bit-player. But there is no mistaking Monroe and she was wonderful in a small role as a air-headed actress who is nonetheless sharp about her career

The great acting and fascinating story idea make this a top notch piece of filmmaking.

Because my younger son and I had just seen Sunset Blvd., we kept noticing the many parallels between the two films. Although we both enjoyed this film and appreciated the acting, we also both agreed that Gloria Swanson's was the better performance and Sunset Blvd. the better film.

However, while watching, we had the unfortunate logistical problem that we were on the laptop while riding in a car, and we could not hear the dialog very well. The dvd was already overdue at the library and we were on the last day of our grace period! We had to watch, and we had to watch NOW, so we sucked it up. ... maybe the film was better than we realized.

Overall, although the film is certainly well-made, we doubt it would be the best choice for most families, as the themes are troubling and of more grown-up interest.

Iconic image:

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

Why it's here:
Combo love story and ghost story. How can you go wrong with that.

Specs:
Over and hour and a half, black and white.
Set at the turn of the century England

Our family's average rating on a scale of 1-10:
7.63

More about the film and our reaction to it:
Although the film is not a horror film or a thriller, and the "ghost" in the case ends up being very nice, audiences should know that before we get comfortable with our ghost, the movie is actually quite frightening. When Mrs. Muir is looking to rent a lonely seaside cabin, and it appears that the house is haunted, tension is intensionally played up and the film is sure to frighten some kids.

The scariness evaporates as soon as we get to know the ghost better. The "relationship" between him and our leading lady is wonderful and quirky enough to carry the movie. The acting is very good throughout, especially Rex Harrison as the ghost. Natalie Wood even appears as Mrs. Muir's young daughter.

One of the coolest things about this picture was seeing Palos Verdes, in LA, where the seaside cabin was filmed. So amazing, circa 1947, to see all that primo real estate empty -- and the area so remote. Crazy to think that any part of LA could have passed as the quaint English seaside. But it worked.

Iconic shot: