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All About Eve: Limits Of Women's Power

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All About Eve: Limits Of Women's Power
“All about Eve” demonstrates the limits of women’s power. Discuss
All about Eve directed by Joseph Mankiewicz’s in the 1950’s imposes limitations on the power of women, depicting them to be bound by gender expectations in a male dominated society. Within the film this is shown by the beauty and age of Claudia Caswell and Margo Channing’s insecurities. The women’s reliance and dependence on men which suggests they are controlled. The ruthless ambition that women poses to have a successful career are based around displaying masculine traits.

Within All about Eve the beauty and age of women causes conflict between many characters. Margo Channing began her acting career at the young age of four. Addison states this during the opening scenes introducing all the characters which he says about Margo “First appearance at the age of four in Midsummer Night’s Dream”. This suggest that the theatre is interested in youth which Margo does not poses as she explains the age difference between Bill and herself “Bill’s thirty two, he looked it five years ago”. This quote is a comparison to men as they do not have to worry about their appearance or age. Margo is very insecure about herself as she believes she is quite old for the theatre and believe that the theatre is for
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The ruthless ambition of gaining what they want is powerful as Eve states when accepting the Sarah Siddons Society award “… and the theatre itself, which has given me all I have”. It shows that Eve only has a trophy in exchange for her loss of friends and those driven by false values gain little worth. Throughout the film Eve shows many masculine traits which allows her to gain success within the theatre however at the cost of losing everything else. It is not only women who have ambition within All about Eve, men have ambition but it is not necessary for their career in the theatre as they have

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