Wednesday 23 February 2011

Best Supporting Actor 1950: George Sanders in All About Eve

George Sanders won an Oscar from his only nomination for portraying Addison De Witt in All About Eve.

All About Eve is a well made, well written, and well acted drama about the aging theater actress Margo Channing  (Bette Davis) having her position of star of the stage being usurped by the manipulative Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter).

Addison De Witt is the most famous theater critic in the world at least according to himself, who is well known in the theater world for his sardonic wit, and criticism. Sanders seems simply the only person for this role. There is something about Sanders which he utilizes so well in this film, and that is he seems to be in a class of his own. Sanders just has this perfect quality that suggests he is simply functioning on some sort of different level which could not work better for Addison De Witt.

Sanders fully and brilliantly realizes his characters incredible wit, intelligence, and his overly classy way he acts and moves. Each movement he makes are always more fully amplify Addison way and nature. Sanders is not in the film overall actually that much, but he is always noticeable, and always brings the right amount of attention to himself. Sanders is just compulsively watchable in his performance, whether he is making a remark made as witty and sardonic as possible with Sanders' impeccable voice, or is reacting to another speak with his perfect reactions always dissecting them, and finding weakness or strength or what that say.

Sanders makes Addison the perfect pompous but incredibly intelligent critic, in this lively completely entertaining performance. A great performance in almost every moment he is in adding everything he can even in the smallest of moments, but he is also given one scene just for Sanders to be completely outstanding. This is of course his scene where he finally manipulates Eve, and shows her how things really are. Sanders is simply incredible as Addison destroys Eve's facade and breaks her down. He also shows a slight sensitivity breifly when Eve laughs at him, that Sanders quickly but perfectly weaves into the razor sharp edge of his character. Sanders holds no bars in this scene, and is chilling as he tells of Eve how she is now his. Sanders for this scene alone deserved an Oscar it is that good. With this incredible scene, and all of his other short but scene stealing moments this was an Oscar well deserved for George Sanders.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh totally agree - he truly stands out along with the ladies.

JJJ said...

Bette Davis + George Sanders is probably my favorite nominated Lead + Supporting pair ever for a movie. For me at this point 2nd place is Vivien Leigh + Hattie McDaniel.

He was also very good in Rebecca. I actually preferred his short performance over Olivier's or Fontaine's, though not Anderson given her amazing crazy ranting scenes.

Michael Patison said...

Perhaps by single favorite performance of all time.

species1859 said...

George Sanders is simply one of the finest actors ever in Hollywood. In addition, he is the most handsome, intelligent man one could want to see. All this is topped off by a beautiful deep voice and a lovely English accent.