"Evita" is the ambitious film version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical, based on the life of Eva Peron, First Lady of Argentina. "Evita" is an Opera, a sardonic character study, a history lesson, a tear jerker, and a Madonna vehicle, all at once. And it is a little better than the decidedly mixed reviews that it has received.
Eva's life is shown from its humble beginnings as a poor, illegitimate peasant girl living in the countryside. She latches onto traveling musician Agustin Magaldi (Jimmy Nail), who takes her to Buenos Aires, and promptly dumps her to return to his wife. Eva has better luck with a series of lovers, each of whom plays a role towards making her a radio and film celebrity, and each is discarded as his usefulness to her is eclipsed.
Eva finally settles for Juan Peron, a colonel
close to power. As the wife of a dictator, she is
able to pursue her social agenda: a transfer of
wealth from the snob elite to the "shirtless"
masses whose worship she craves. But as her
political power and fame increase, her health
begins to fail...
With "Evita", Madonna finally found a female lead
role that suits her talents. She can only hope
that future Rice/Weber projects will involve
Princess Diana and Hillary Clinton. Madonna does
not have a great voice, but she has a screen
presence and is able to put a lot of emotion into
her vocals.
Perhaps the real star of "Evita", however, is
Antonio Banderas. He shows up in most of the
scenes, alternately commiserating with and
condemning the actions of Eva. Part narrator and
part audience, his character is curious but
necessary to explain the plot to Americans
oblivious to Argentine history.
As a history lesson, "Evita" seems credible. Eva
and Juan are neither glorified nor vilified. The
real power seems to be held by the right-wing
military, who will tolerate the Eva Peron show
only as long as it serves their purposes of
political stability. I suppose someone
knowledgeable with Eva Peron could pick the film
apart, but a quick fact check on the web seemed
to verify the film's integrity.
Musicals haven't been a major force in cinema
since the 1960s, and are now mostly relegated to
children's fare: animated films and Muppet
movies. An ambitious, big budget musical is risky
for a studio, and it is good to see that the
genre has not been forgotten. Perhaps "Evita"
becomes overly funereal in the final third of the
film, but it is interesting and has surprising
content for a Lloyd Webber/Rice musical. (71/100)
Madonna tackles the title role in Alan Parker's ambitious recounting of the brief amazing life of former Argentine first lady Eva Pern. Presented almo...More at Family Video
Few times in the history of Hollywood has a film been released with the scope and daring of Evita! Now, experience this landmark achievement as entert...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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