Rating: 
Summary: More Than You Ever Wanted To Know
Review: One of the most talked about movies from the 1950s, the plot and dialogue from All About Eve is part of American pop culture. Sam Staggs has written an exhaustive account of the making of the movie, from the projects conception to its completion, and beyond. The beyond part is more than one needs to know and it detracts from the overall work. If Staggs had ended the book at the 1950 Academy Awards, I would have found this book to be a more enjoyable read. However, the digression into the making of Applause (a musical based on Eve) seems way out of place and who really cares. Applause, unlike Eve, just doesn't have much relevance today. Staggs writes enthusiastically about the subject, but at some points it's almost scary, like some wacky Star Trek fan. I like the movie and understand it's impact, but it's not as important or relevant to most people on the planet as it is to Mr. Staggs and his friends. Having said all that, there is a lot to enjoy in this book, and for the most part, Staggs is a good story teller. If I were the editor, I would have kept to the facts and dumped the other stuff in the trash, or saved it for another book, which would have been more appropriate. If you're a film buff, there is plenty to like about All About All About Eve in spite of itself.
Rating: 
Summary: too much all about eve
Review: Padded,repetitious-would make a great magazine article but too not enough material for a book
Rating:
Summary: A bumpy night with Eve
Review: Personally, this was both more than I wanted to know about Eve and not enough about ALL ABOUT EVE. There's a lot of information here about the person who inspired the story of Eve Harrington but what I was looking for was information about the filming of the movie. The most detailed information involves the filming that took place at the old theatre in San Francisco. The research is impressive, especially concerning the director Mankiewicz, all the actors and the original story written by Mary Orr. Best of all are the boxes within the text which give wonderful details and add levity to what could have been a tedious tome. It is fun to read and although I wanted to put it down, I found I couldn't.
Rating: 
Summary: Title Sums It All Up
Review: Sam Staggs does indeed cover All About "All About Eve". This is book is directly aimed at only those fans who cannot get enough and will seem too much for the casual fans (if such creatures exist) of the movie All About Eve. In other words, much of this book seems aimed at gay men who wallow in the high artistic camp of what All About Eve has become. In this respect, it is quite a thorough joy, as the history of the true story behind the movie is presented, the original short story, and then into the heart of the book, the filming of the movie (Celeste Holm comes in for perhaps too hard a time because of the author's personal feelings towards her and her attitude toward his book. Her actual celluloid performance was perfect.) The remainder of the book follows the growing legend of the film and the creation of the musical, Applause, based on it. It is a breezy, fun read without a single bumpy night in sight.
Rating:
Summary: Fasten Your Seat Belts
Review: Sam Staggs has written a very entertaining account of how "All About Eve" came to be. Everyone knows this film was Bette Davis' finest hour. Not all was sweet and cozy on the set. Davis became a lifetime friend of Anne Baxter and an arch enemy of Celeste Holm. The book details her rocky marriage to Gary Merrill and the rocky career of George Sanders. This was one of Marilyn Monroe's first films and she was not treated kindly by her fellow actors. The entire book, however, is not about bitch fights and tantrums. Staggs covers every aspect of its production from directing, scenic design, editing...you name it.The film was based on a true incident that happened to actress Elisabeth Bergner in 1944. Many years later he finds the real "Eve Harrington" in Ms Bergner's life. Her identity is revealed and so is her story.The book sags somewhat when Staggs writes at great length as to why the film has such a gay following. That part of the book is very interesting, but he does go on a bit at length.The interest picks up again when he tells of the making of "Applause", the Lauren Bacall Broadway musical, that is based on the story by Mary Orr. Or was it?All in all it is a very interesting read with a few dragging moments and a few innacuracies. Well worth the time however.
Rating:
Summary: All About TMI
Review: Sam Staggs intention I'm sure is good: to examine closely an amazing film that hasn't lost its punch fifty years later. In a sense his book "All About All About Eve" accomplishes that goal. Complete with juicy gossip, personal details, and an excellent examination of the impetus behind the creation of the story, Staggs brings us into, in front of, and behind this motion picture. After only seeing it once, I immediately purchased the DVD copy for my own library, if only to watch the amazing Bette Davis utter her famous line: "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night".However, this book is a good example of fan-mania to the extreme. Stagg obviously loves the film. but needed to be a little bit more selective in the information he shared with us. Did we really need to know about Zsa Zsa Gabor's real hair color in 1950? (he mentions it several times). Or a transcript of what I gather to be gay men talking about the film (it went on for three pages). I nearly stopped reading the book altogether when he launched into several adult films that borrowed their title and/or plot from the movie (which shall remain unmentioned here!). Selectivity could have made the book tighter, better, and easily, 100 pages less.
Rating:
Summary: All About Eve (and the rest of the cast)
Review: The author does not make a claim that his book is of the scholarly analytical school of film analysis, but an undertaking of a film enthusiast, particularly the movie in question. Mr. Staggs provides much interesting background material on what is generally regarded as one of the true adult films coming out of Hollywood during the studio era. Some of his anecdotes are old, but he often adds additional details not provided elsewhere. One problem with the book is that he often strays from the subject at hand, and relates a story about one of the actors that is unrelated to All About Eve. For example, Marilyn Monroe, a featured player with a very small part, receives far too much attention from Mr. Staggs. A highlight of the book is a detailed discussion of the genesis of the original story upon which the film is based, and the aftermath of the woman upon who Eve is based. The book may have benefited from a more detailed description of the plot. Buyers of the book are best served if they view the film just prior to a reading, even if they have seen the film before.
Rating:
Summary: Dreck
Review: The lit-crit deconstructionist approach. All that "sub-text" about "sexual ambiguity" and "S&M". You might naively think that Eve (Anne Baxter) is interested in Bill because she makes a pass at him, but no ... Staggs has seen the movie too often, projected too many fantasies into it, subordinated the movie to an agenda. There is some interesting gossip, and a nice summary of the fates of the players. Noe of this makes up for Stagg's stretched and contorted logic or his slack prose. If you want to see the inside of the way a great movie is made read the book about the making of Psycho instead, or Memo From David O Selznick. If you want gossip read one of David Niven's books.
Rating:
Summary: A MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Review: The opportunity to write a behind the scenes account of the making of one of the best films of all times has been missed by Sam Skaggs. While he has done a good amount of research, he has not been at all discerning in writing about what he has discovered. Nor has he availed himself of a good editor or a good copyeditor. The result is a repetitive mess of mixed metaphors and labored prose with little insight into the creative process of movie making. Finally, his search for meaning in even the most inconsequential details of Mankiewicz' screenplay and direction borders on ridiculous. Though Skaggs is acquainted with Freud (there's a chapter called, "Tell That To Dr. Freud Along With The Rest of It") he clearly has never learned that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much of a good thing
Review: There is enough material in this book (much of it new to me) to make a wonderful book--now I wish someone would write it! The author, Sam Staggs, has apparently never met an article, quote, bit of gossip, or unprovable theory about "All About Eve" that he hasn't regurgitated for this book. You may be surprised to know that every cocktail party scene in a film, every backstage movie since 1950, plays by Edward Albee, and God knows what else were all made possible by "All About Eve." I grant you, it's a wonderful movie and holds up very well, but it isn't the Second Coming. We forget that movies used to be over after their original release, you couldn't walk into a video rental place to pick up your fave for repeated viewings. Although Staggs admits as much, he still seems to believe that other film makers memorized the movie so thoroughly on its first release that they could steal from it in the decade before it hit TV. That said, the stuff about the 'real' Eve is fascinating, the chapter on "Applause" is interesting, and there are some real gems scattered throughout the book. The mountains of hyperbole do get in the way though. This is a beach read, or something for a long flight. But I'd recommend waiting for the paperback or until your library gets a copy--it's not worth $25.
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