Evita(1996)-Review #4

I am excited to review Evita. This film, directed by Alan Parker (Parker also adapted it to screen) took Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical about the legendary First Lady of Argentina to another level. First, the casting was brilliant. Madonna couldn't have done better. Her skills of voice and dance were put to full use of their powers, and all this done while She was expecting her first child. She really looked the part as well, thanks to the amazing make-up crew. The make-up was fantastic! And as far as the costume design goes, Penny Rose outdid herself. Madonna did more costume changes than any other actress in film history, and all of the costumes were based on outfits worn by Eva Peron herself (check out the cool imdb site page http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116250/trivia for more interesting trivia). Madonna was convincing in all of the stages of Eva's growth that she played. Yes. Not just singing or dancing was nailed, but the actual acting was magnificent. And then there is Antonio. *sigh* Antonio Banderas was a dream as Che. Antonio didn't go all out with the beard and beret-thing that Che Guevara is iconic for, but his voice is wonderful-(it is kind of the same phenomenon that happened with Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge-a voice is discovered)! He is SO fun to watch and listen to in this film. His energy and irony-an irony and sarcasm played with seeming ease shows that Banderas is the well-rounded kind of actor that is rare indeed. He conveyed the torn feelings of the love-hate relationship Che supposedly had with Evita to the tee. The entire cast fit their roles well. Jonathan Pryce was excellent as the leary Juan Peron, and from him down to the lowliest extra was given great supporting performances.

As far as the Cinematography goes, this film is visually stunning-in fact one of the most beautiful films that I have watched. Also, when I saw this in theatre, I was overwhelmed with the detail that was paid attention to. The set design crew pulled no punches. This was a major contributor to the beauty of the film.

The film has such a sense of history and loftiness and destiny that one almost forgets about the seamier sides of Eva Peron's storied life-for a minute at least. Yeah. She looks good. Never mind the cut corners, This is about Eva's blaze of glory that still has Argentina firmly in its grip-She is the Machiavellian Madre extrordinaire. From opportunistic young model/actress to vice-presidential hopeful of her beloved Argentina, Eva knows how to get what she wants without ever letting her goals slip from her sight or ever relaxing her grip on them. It is ironic then, that the only thing that puts a damper on everything is her "own weak body".

Yep. You have to hand it to Parker for saving a project and subject that could have been manhandled by Oliver Stone, (Stone was first to show an interest in directing an Evita Peron biopic) but Stone gets a token mention in the credits without really having done anything with the film. Parker did a fabulous job. I give this film 4 out of 4 stars! Rated PG.