EVITA (PG)
Director: Alan Parker
Stars: Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce, Jimmy Nail
Running Time: 134 minutes.
This early Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical may seem dated on the stage now, but writer/director Alan Parker's
ambitious, highly anticipated, big budget film version of Evita ultimately leaves the stage show for dead! Parker (Fame, Bugsy
Malone and The Commitments, etc) is never one to play it safe with his choice of films, and this troubled on-again/off-again
screen adaptation of the hit '70's musical was certainly not without its problems during its long and painful genesis. Parker
brings a bold and sweeping vision to the material, and he brilliantly opens the play up beyond its theatrical limitations, giving it a
truly epic quality.
The film version also gives more depth to the character of Eva Duarte, the illegitimate country girl who rose from her poverty
stricken origins to eventually become Argentina's first lady and the power behind Juan Peron, the country's strong right wing
president. Parker and co-writer Oliver Stone, collaborating together for the first time since the Oscar winning Midnight
Express, explore in some detail her early childhood of neglect as the unwanted illegitimate daughter of a wealthy landowner.
Stone has obviously given the material a much harder edge, as Evita incisively explores the volatile nature of power, politics,
corruption, fame, and the seductive cult of personality.
Driven by a life long hatred of the privileged upper class this determined actress and singer began a rapid, almost predatory
climb to the top of Argentinean society, culminating when she eventually became the mistress of Peron, an ambitious former
army colonel and aspiring politician. When Peron gains popular support from the workers he runs for president, and Evita
provides the soft and human face for his totalitarian government. Loved and adored by the masses, she embarks on a
relentless program of reform, making life more bearable for the working class, which sets her at odds with the upper class and
the military as she drives the country to the brink of bankruptcy.
There are some surprising choices in the stars, but there is little doubt that Madonna is perfect for the role of Eva Peron. This is
easily her finest screen work to date, which doesn't say all that much since her film career has been littered with some absolute
stinkers! Her surprisingly rich performance sustains the intensity of emotions throughout the film, and there is not one false note
in her complex and stunning portrayal of the legendary first lady who captured the hearts and minds of Argentina during her
brief life. Even her rendition of the famous show stopping Don't Cry For Me Argentina is an absolute winner.
Antonio Banderas plays Che, the film's enigmatic narrator, conscience and all-purpose rebel, and his fine singing voice is also
something of a revelation (although he did sing in Desperado!), while Jonathan Pryce actually has little to say or do as Peron,
but he imprints the role with undeniable charm and an understated sense of authority. Jimmy Nail (from the cult tv series
Spender) brings a touch of humour and class to his smaller role as Agustin Magaldi, the night-club singer who first introduces
Eva to the bright lights of Beunos Aires.
Initially one was a little dubious about the viability of film in which nearly every word is sung, especially in this day when screen
musicals are no longer in vogue, but Parker pulls it off beautifully, even reworking the score to make it more impressive. The
arrangements and orchestrations are superb, adding new life to the music and the songs, which are marvellously staged, and
Webber and Rice have even written a new song, You Must Love Me, especially for the film. However, there are several
moments throughout the film when one suspects that the trite sounding dialogue should have been spoken rather than sung.