Evita

Plot synopsis:
In a cinema in Buenos Aires on July 26, 1952, a film is interrupted when news breaks of the death of Eva Perón, Argentina's First Lady, at the age of 33. As the nation goes into public mourning, Ché, a member of the public, marvels at the spectacle and promises to show how Eva did "nothing, for years". The rest of the film follows Eva (born Eva Duarte) from her beginnings as an illegitimate child of a lower-class family to her rise to become First Lady and Spiritual Leader of the Nation of Argentina; Ché assumes many different guises throughout Eva's story.
At the age of 15, Eva lives in the provincial town of Junín, and longs for a better life in Buenos Aires. She persuades a tango singer, Agustín Magaldi, with whom she is having an affair, to take her to the city. After Magaldi leaves her, she goes through several relationships with increasingly influential men, becoming a model, actress and radio personality. She meets Colonel Juan Perón at a fundraiser following the 1944 San Juan earthquake. Perón's connection with Eva adds to his populist image, since they are both from the working class. Eva has a radio show during Perón's rise and uses all of her skills to promote him, even when the controlling administration has him jailed in an attempt to stunt his political momentum. The groundswell of support that Eva generates forces the government to release Perón, and he finds the people enamored of him and Eva. Perón wins election to the presidency and marries Eva, who promises that the new government will serve the descamisados.
At the start of the Perón government, Eva dresses glamorously, enjoying the privileges of being the First Lady. Soon after, she embarks on what is called her "Rainbow Tour" to Europe. While there, she receives a mixed reception. The people of Spain adore her, the people of Italy call her a whore and throw things at her, and Pope Pius XII gives her a small, meager gift. Upon returning to Argentina, Eva establishes a foundation and distributes aid. The film suggests the Perónists otherwise plunder the public treasury.
Eva is hospitalized and learns that she has cancer. She declines the position of Vice President due to her failing health, and makes one final broadcast to the people of Argentina. She understands that her life was short because she shone like the "brightest fire", and helps Perón prepare to go on without her. A large crowd surrounds the Casa Rosada in a candlelight vigil praying for her recovery when the light of her room goes out, signifying her death. At Eva's funeral, Ché is seen at her coffin, marveling at the influence of her brief life. He walks up to her glass coffin, kisses it, and joins the crowd of passing mourners.

Tags: avant garde, boring, murder, dramatic, cult, historical

Review:
Not only did she do a wonderful job with the script as given, she also went so far as to watch footage of Eva Peron and got the hand gestures and facial expressions down.I also heard that she is credited in obtaining permission from the Argentine government to film at the Casa Rosada.
Madonna proved to them (and then followed through on film) that she was going to give the role dignity...to show Eva Peron in a balanced way as a person with flaws, not an evil woman bent on destroying Argentina.She actually made the movie for me to the point where I couldn't envision anyone else in the role.Antonio Banderas was also a bit of a surprise for me.
Madonna shines as Evita and proves her vocal talent on 'Don't Cry For Me' and 'Buenos Aires.' Another pleasant surprise was Antonio Banderas playing Che. I had no idea he could sing!
I have never seen anyone act and sing and dance their heart out the way Madonna does in this movie, and she deserved an Oscar as much as anyone EVER has.
Madonna is in real life much like Evita so this part was like home for her, but Antonio's stretch to become Che was right on key, and you just love him.And Jonathan Price!
With excellent songs and pretty good singing Evita becomes on of the best musical movies ever made.
Madonna was good in the title role but Antonio Banderas's performance as Ché was great, both dramatically and musically.
Evita, the long awaited musical is Madonna at the top of her game, and in all her splendor she nails the role of the First Lady of Argentina, Eva Duarte de Peron!!!
The movie was great with its re-enactments of the 1940s-1950s Argentine elections, however, having personally performed in the stage version (playing a descamisado, a waiter, a policeman and one of Eva's lovers), I cannot but point out the several drawbacks it had.
Some critics said that this movie would set the way for future film versions of musicals - I hope they were right!.
After seeing Alan Parker's 1996 musical "Evita" however, starring Madonna and featuring the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, I have had to amend those two statements slightly."Evita" tells the true story of Eva Peron, the wife of Argentina's former president (and dictator) Juan Peron.
Jonathan Pryce, who was curiously cast as Peron also did a good job, though his part was fairly minor, and even at that he was relegated to giving Evita a lot of loving looks.
All in all, however, the slick production, some catchy music (I cannot believe I am actually saying that I actually really like a film featuring the music of the insipid, mainstream, gnome-like Webber) that is good enough to listen to extra-curricularly and performances that weren't bad made for a pretty good and very entertaining viewing.Don't get me wrong  there are more than a few eye-rolling moments in "Evita", but the good definitely outweighs the bad, exponentially.
One of the century's most widely admired and successful modern operas; a reunion of the composer and lyricist to personally adapt the material for the screen; a huge budget; and the very problematic Madonna at last cast in a role seemingly made for her: the manipulative, power-hungry, blonde bombshell role of Eva Peron.How could it go wrong?
When I had seen Andrew Lloyd Webber and Allan Parker (I think) complain during the Oscar ceremony about how many awards English Patient  was winning, just judging from their attitude and confidence I figured they are real proud of their work, and it  may be worth to rent it.I was wrong.When some of the critics thrashed this movie, and called Lloyd Webber's music ordinary, they were right.The direction is equally horrible.
Nevertheless, some scenes (I'd Be Good For You, Rainbow High, You Must Love Me) I did like immensely, and her duets with Antonio I simply enjoyed (Goodnight And Thank You is very amusing, Waltz For Eva And Che is so spirited, it's a masterpiece).
By the end, one gets the sense that Eva was loved by many and hated by some, but the reasons why are never clear with the music/songs always at the forefront; it is not clear either how Eva ticked as an individual and how her mind worked, and Madonna is hardly spectacular, vocals aside.
As a person who is not a big fan of movie musicals, I was thoroughly impressed by the magnificent performance of Madonna playing the title role and singing the immortal hit "Don't cry for me Argentina." Jonathan Pryce and Antonio Banderas were also spectacular in their respective roles.(p)Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical genius is captured in this touching and historic portrayal of the life of Argentine First Lady Eva Peron.
A peasant girl who used her charms and elegance as an aspiring entertainer and rises to become the wife of Argentina's most powerful politician is sequentially presented with song and dance that only a masterful musical producer such as Weber could create.(p)I highly recommend this movie to anyone interested in learning about the life of an important poltical figure of the twentieth century and being delightfully entertained at the same..
And it turns out that the first "opera" many of us ever saw was the film version of "Evita." It was the first time we ever saw characters talk to one another exclusively in song, the first time we ever shared the unrelenting intimacy that addressing each other in song evokes.And so we hear "I would be good for you" and "You must love me" rather than the oblique prose that people substitute in conversation.How is this different from a standard musical?
Instead, Evita draws you into an operatic setting, where events unfold to a rhythmic cadence, where the characters move always to the music, where prose reality is saved for the final stark revelation: "Eva, you are dying." Rather than a musical, Evita is a story told in music.Why the film, not the stage play?
The movie Evita, starring Madonna, Antonio Banderas and Johnathan Pryce is a musical account of the life of Eva Peron.
An adaptation of the original rock opera by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, the film is told as a flash back with the narrator, Antonio Banderas as Che, recounting the events that have lead to the opening scene: the announcement of Evita's death.Evita, played by Madonna, was born into poverty in rural Argentina.
Therefore I was apprehensive about this musical and, when I heard they had cast Madonna, they were taking a great risk as her movie career is not of a high standard to say the least Thankfully for them, the risk paid off.
Like the theater production, the movie takes some liberties with historical fact and accuracy and there's more than a little bias in the way that Eva Peron is portrayed (it doesn't to mention the fact, for instance, that Eva Peron's brother played a big role in smuggling Nazi war criminals into Argentina and that Eva and Gen Peron probably knew about and allowed it).
It is certainly probably her best musical performance to date and she absolutely shines in this role, both in her singing and her acting.
Having the parentage of many performances on the world's greatest stages, and a proved record of thralling audiences with the story and the music, one would expect this to be wonderful film.
We see, and feel more deeply how she affected others, and it is this depth that is necessary for it to be not only a filmed musical.Others have commented here how good Antonio Banderas is in his role of singing narrator, a modern adaptation of the Greek chorus who is both part of the drama, and detached commenting observer at the same time.
she can emote, she is polished and trained as a dancer so she moves well on screen, but she lacks some ill defined depth of character and all her supporting actors and actresses in 'Evita' help to shore up this missing ingredient in her performance.Perhaps it isn't that Madonna lacks depth for this role, so much that she is visibly 'playing' Eva Peron instead of becoming Evita, of takingon her persona.
The fine performances (even from Madonna), the extraordinary work of Rice and Webber, the deep emotional impact achieved with no dialogue...The story of Eva Perón is still meaningful in Argentina and Latin-America, and yes, some will still contend that the film is not altogether faithful to the historical figure.
Then the movie is so well done, the cinematography is so beautiful, scenography takes your breathe away and costumes are simply wonderful!And the music: is so moving, it expresses exactly the feelings of the charachters and lyrics are really incredible in the way they can give a complete introspection to the charachters.
Evita is full of motions and good songs, which Madonna performs in a beautiful way.
After seeing the film the first time, all I could think of was how much I just wanted to be like Madonna in this role.
I can understand the fact that people will either love or hate a movie that is entirely singing, but I for one, think that music has the ability at times to convey feelings that simple words could not.
A musical based on the true story of Eva "Evita" Duarte de Peron, the actress who married Juan Peron and became the first lady of Argentina.Considering I generally dislike musicals on sight, the fact that I liked this says a lot.
The film is a beautiful and moving tribute to a truly remarkable woman who rose above her scandalous and poor past to become one of the most beloved people in Argentina- because she never forgot where she came from.Madonna sparkles on screen as Evita, and her performance is marvelous.
I also have to admit that I can't stand Madonna and didn't want to watch her on screen for over two hours.But I finally saw the film and have to confess that I was caught up and blown away by the intensity of the visuals, the re-recorded music, and most of the cast.
(Remember her awful live Oscar performance with the song from "Dick Tracy"?) Jimmy Nail was also a disappointment; although he looked great as Magaldi, his voice is strictly for rock-and-roll, not for tangos.The standouts were: 1) Jonathan Pryce, who looked much heavier and looming in this role than in other films, and who sang admirably; and 2) Antonio Banderas, who IMHO should have received the award nominations instead of his blonde co-star.
By the way this musical witnesses Madonna's talent as an actress but it shows also that the quality of the movie depends mostly on the script: with a great script ( in this case Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ) you can do a good movie, and what is more, it's a director's job to show the best of his actors, remember this!.
I've been a fan of this musical for years and I've been a fan of Madonna's for years (although I've been pretty critical of her acting and choice of film roles), so I was ecstatic when she finally got the part she's been fighting for for many years.
I think this movie was extremely well-done, and well-sung (although other fans of the stage version criticized the way the music was re-written to accommodate Madonna's voice, but I found her voice to sound more natural than say, Patti LuPone's high-pitched shouting of every line being said/sung <I love Patti's Evita, but what worked for the stage, wouldn't work on film>).
The balcony scenes were either shot from so far that the cast looked like little ants in the background, or so close that you can't tell if it's really the real Casa Rosada's balcony (Madonna actually did sing on the same balcony Eva Peron made several speeches from) or just a set on a sound stage.
And before you say, "but I don't like Madonna", well her acting is really pretty good here, but you'll find the real scene-stealer is Antonio Banderas.
The music is amazing, all the way from the catchy can't-get-out-of-your-head, "Buenos Aires" all the way to the emotional, "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina." Madonna does a fantastic job portraying Eva Peron, showing that she not only has great vocal talent, but also exceptional acting skills.
He's also one of the most good-looking actors on the face of the Earth, so...*Again, I'm a being a little biased.* And we can't forget Jonathan Pryce, whom I had never heard of before seeing this movie, and just ended up falling in love with because of his believable acting.
Magaldi annoys me, but there I go again, letting personal feelings getting in the way of things...This is truly an amazing true story of the life of Eva Peron, captured in beautiful, well-written music of great quality, performed with amazing talent, the scenery and costumes are amazing.
She deserved the Oscar, Hell the Movie deserved to win as many oscars as Gone With The Wind!!!Nevertheless, Madonna did win the Golden Globe, hence her acting talents didnt go unnoticed.Antonio and Johnathan Pryce played their parts spectacularly and laurells to Alan Parker for his direction , and cheers to Oliver Stone who co-wrote the screen play with Alan.No other Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice Collaboration can beat the onscreen spleandor that is ...
I also had originally been skeptical of Madonna playing this role but she really did great and became the character, Antonio Bandares was excellent too(I had heard he was being considered to play the Phantom in "Phantom of the Opera" but after looking it up on this site, I guess I had inaccurate information-to bad.)I still don't think it's as good as Chicago which is why I gave it a 9 and Chicago a 10 but then again-they are 2 totally different films.I do think though, that this is a movie musical worthy of admiration because of how many things did work.
It's certainly not easy to encapsulate the 33 years of Eva Peron's lifetime, but this film presents an excellent panoply of well shot scenes that bring us a movie of a musical that is right on.
The music is the thing--it's an operetta really--and the more you listen, the better it gets, and you will be quite rewarded if you watch this film many times, and/or, of course, listen to the original London recording on two wonderful CDs. Madonna shines brightly throughout the film, as well as all supporting male actors.
Jonathan Pryce while he may be English but he absorbs himself into the role of Juan Peron.Of course no review would be complete with out stating that the music is the magical component that gives the movie its emotional depth and powerful impact on the senses.Finally the sets, costumes, locations and the cinematography is exquisite, to say the very least.
Wait, forget the last thing I said.Having told you that, when I first heard that she was going to portray Eva Peron in the movie version of 'Evita', I thought somebody had really messed up.
Antonio gave an incredible performance and in my opinion, pushed himself up to a higher level of caliber as an actor.First note:  Madonna was pregnant throughout the movie and upon close viewing you can kind of tell which scenes were filmed at which time.
Jonathan Pryce, as Juan Peron, was very believable and the perfect actor for that role.If you don't like musicals, then you probably won't like this movie.
So, having to listen to her shrill, little voice almost constantly throughout Evita's 134 minute running time was really almost too much for my delicate ears to bear.I think it's totally hilarious that while Madonna was down on location in Buenos Aires for this film, the proud people of Argentina actually gathered (in large numbers, I hear) outside her hotel to protest against her playing the part of their national heroine, Eva Peron.
The rest of her filmography may not be that impressive, but she did very well in her role, and that's all I ask.So we knew that Madonna could sing, but what was really surprising to me was Antonio Banderas as the narrator Che (yes, in the play it was supposed to be Che Guevara, but they changed it for the film).
OK OK time for the truth, the movie is well filmed, it has a coherent historical story, and as for Madonna I think it is one of her best acting movies I have ever seen, she should have at least been nominated for her acting in addition to giving the film an Oscar for the music.
Each song is rich with context towards the story which is not really about two people but rather two archetypes of power (Peron) and the populace (Banderas' role that was originally Che Guevera in the stage musical) in a story that tells a political story that's very unique in that few narratives on film have as much political depth as this movie does.
The film was fairly good, the music great, Antonio Banderas brilliant as always.
The original material woman comes off looking very good in this role which requires more singing talent the way it is staged.Antonio Bandaras has the right look for this film.
I am not sure he is the perfect actor because the way the film is staged is based more upon music than on acting.
The cinematography is amazing, the movie is visually very beautiful, has some of the best shots of Madonna of her career, the music is cool.
evita tells us, in a form of musical, the story of eva peron, that is played by madonna, that gives her best performance thus far.
For me it is one of the best musical adaptations on the silver screen & perhaps Madonna's performance is really great.