Evita Movie
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The Most Anticipated Motion Picture Event of The Year
Based on the incredible true story, Eva (Evita) Peron, starts out life as a poor girl who goes on to become an actress and then become the wife of the president of Argentina, Juan Peron. The musical is a story of love and politics, showing all the battles and triumphs Evita has in her short, but amazing life.
| Madonna | Eva Perón |
| Antonio Banderas | Che |
| Jonathan Pryce | Juan Perón |
| Jimmy Nail | Agustín Magaldi |
| Victoria Sus | Doña Juana |
| Julian Littman | Brother Juan |
| Olga Merediz | Blanca |
| Laura Pallas | Elisa |
| Julia Worsley | Erminda |
| María Luján Hidalgo | Young Eva |
| Servando Villamil | Cipriano Reyes |
| Andrea Corr | Perón's Mistress |
| Peter Polycarpou | Domingo Mercante |
| Gary Brooker | Juan Bramuglia |
| Maite Yerro | Julieta |
| Alan Parker |
6.10 out of 10 (12437 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Hopelessly In Love
posted on 16 Jun 2009I am hopelessly in love with this film. When it came out in 1996, my mother took me and my sister to see it. I was 7 at the time and liked it. Later, my mom bought the soundtrack. On car trips, my sister would get tired of me always wanting to listen to the soundtrack. Last year in Spanish class, we watched Evita. My love for this movie was revived. Since then I have seen it roughly 15 times and listened to the soundtrack more times than I can count. This movie wasn't perfect. After Peron is elected President, and he goes to her room and the door is locked, there is no explanation why. That part has always confused me, and I did not figure out until 2 nights ago, the last time I watched it. The maindraw back of this movie is the INTENSITY. There is no place where you can stop to take a break. After I watch it, I am always worn out. You will either love this movie and watch it over and over or hate it and never watch it again. You can't really be in between. The film itself as in the costumes and music, is superb. And Madonna has to be congratulated. They were going to write the songs to fit her voice, but she insisted on taking voice lessons. In fact, she used the same voice teacher as the Evita on Broadway. And Antonio Banderas did a nice performance. One of the most annoying things about this movie, is the hairstyles. THe males hairs are all perfect, never one hair out of place. The upper class females hair is often ridicuously fancy. Lastly, you should see this movie. It is a wonderful movie but is very underappreciated.
A Brilliant Musical
posted on 20 Apr 2009All right, I just have to say that this movie is one of the most brilliant I have ever seen. The songs, of course, are gorgeous, seeing as they're written by Andrew Lloyd Webber (a genius, in my opinion). And, anyway, who knew Madonna could act? Heck, who knew Antonio Banderas could SING? (And well, I might add.) The whole cast, in fact, did a marvelous job of pulling this off. I was very afraid before I saw this movie for various reasons. But I must say that seeing the film dispelled all those fears. I don't think I could improve the film in any way. Oh, yes, and as for the movie's, uh, discreditors, I really have no idea whatsoever what the heck they are talking about. A really long music video? Please, who came up with that one? Some people just have no appreciation for good musical theatre. In the words of Eva Duarte de Peron: "It doesn't matter what those morons say..." -Moondust_Hermione
Don't cry for me because it took me so long too see it!
posted on 03 Mar 2009Evita is the wonderful musical by Andrew Llyod Webber which has been adapted into a fantastic film. It stars Madonna, Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Pryce. It's based on the live of Evita Peron, the simple actress who became the wife of Argentina president Juan Peron. Antonio Banderas is the narrator and commentator in the film called Che, he takes us throughout the film and explains what's going on in through song. The movie starts with Evita trying to get into her father's funeral, then goes to when she went to Buenos Aires to become an actress and radio star, to when she met Juan Peron, to when he won the election, to when she went on tour round Europe to her death. Be warned: Evita's death is very dramatic, so get ready to cry buckets.I got into it when i was watching Saturday night at the musicals on Magic a few weeks ago. It showed videos from musicals like grease, moulin rouge, phantom of the opera and of course Evita. I saw the video for Don't cry for me Argentina and i loved it! I begged my mum to buy the film for me. I only got it today and it really touched me. Madonna was stunning as Evita and Antonio Banderas (who knew that he could sing?) was great as Che. Out of all the musicals i've seen, Evita is the one that really touches my heart. I was speechless when it ended. Anyone who hasn't seen it is missing out big time! If you ever get to see it bring a box of tissues with you. It's a really beautiful masterpiece. It's ending will make you feel the way you felt when you finished watching Phantom of the Opera only you'll probably cry more because it's based on a true story.
OK, but a bit overlong!
posted on 25 Feb 2009Evita is one of those films that you may push to one side and not really think of watching, and i can see why. There are too many songs in it and even though it is a musical i was hoping for some dialog to be introduced amongst it. The film also proves a bit too long for my liking and the same Argentian backdrop proves to be a little daunting and doesn't really grab you're attention as films should. However there is one thing that does stand out and that is Madonna's performance as Evita. She single handedly carried this film out of the incinerator and gave it some credibility. The scene with the infamous don't cry for me Argentina performance was the highlight of the entire film and is genuinely a moving moment. Antonio Banderas is OK but proves forgettable and there is a nice cameo appearance from Andrea corr as Peron's mistress. Overall this film is probably worth about 6/10, for nothing other than a knockout performance by Madonna
This was a great movie
posted on 14 Jan 2009I watched again for the 4th time. I think this was a most unappreciated movie. I am appalled at some of the movies that do well at the box office and yet great movies are often overlooked, don't make any money at the box office and are criticized unjustly. I just hope that people that try to make quality movies with good stories, actors and have something to impart don't fall by the wayside because of the lack of taste of the American people. There are some of us that still know good movie making and judge the movie based on that. And for the critics out there that keep slashing at new ideas--go away!!!
A lavish operatic adaptation of the musical
posted on 30 Dec 2008Surely Madonna was made for this role, that of Eva Duarte de Peron, a young girl from the country who rises to the top with a combination of brains, wits, political savvy and sexuality. Sure she used men to attain her dreams, but what was a girl to do in 1930s-40s Argentina? Antonio Banderas is superb as Che, the "narrator" critic, perhaps the soul of the Argentinian peasants. Banderas' background is stage musicals, and he matches Madonna in every way. Jonathan Pryce is also excellent in his role as the dictator who rises to power only with the talents of Eva. This is not your ordinary musical. Almost every word is sung, as in opera, and the whole thing works. Andrew Lloyd Webber proves himself again a master tunesmith. Besides "Don't cry for me Argentina," all the other songs (if you can call them that) are beautiful, ranging from sweet ballads to waltz and rock. The film is lavish in breadth and depth, with thousands of extras just like the old Hollywood spectaculars. No f/x here, but real people. The cinematography is also superb. This is truly a triumph, a glorious experience, totally unique in film. Highly recommended. *****
Evita
posted on 24 Dec 2008The movie Evita tells the story of Eva Peron and her rise to fame in Argentina. The movie starts when Eva was a young girl and follows her story until her death. Surrounding Eva's story is the turbulent times of her native Argentina. The story primarily occurs in the 1940s and early 1950s. This time period is one of great social upheaval, military and political fighting, and worker rebellions. Through it all, Eva became Evita, arguably the most prolific and infamous individual Argentina has ever produced. This movie is historically accurate but is biased towards Eva. This movie only touches the issues surrounding Evita's rise to infamy. The plot shows Eva and her ambitious rise to the top. The movie showed her using men to get to where she wanted to be and finally falling deeply in love with Juan Peron, future husband and president of Argentina. The director left out a lot of truth, but did not lie in the movie. The director also showed the perspective of both the well-to-do, who opposed Peron, and the poor workers, who supported Peron. The director left out much of the seriousness of the infighting surrounding Eva's position in government; the infighting was much more intense. Many hated Evita. The movie, as a story, was very enjoyable, especially if you like musicals. The music is very dramatic, as is most of Andrew Lloyd Weber's music. Viewers should also remember that this is a musical; there is very little un-sung dialogue in the movie. Since this is a musical, viewers must listen to the music and its lyrics to understand what is going on. The performances were great and very entertaining. The movie was also educational, because it portrays the significance of Eva and Juan Peron and the impact they had on society in Argentina. Overall, the movie was easy to understand with little or no knowledge of Argentina's history (everyone can generally understand what is going on). The movie sparked my interest (and could possibly spark other's interests) in the subject and encouraged me to research the Perons more in depth. On a scale of 1-10, I would rate this movie an 8. I give it an 8, because historically, the movie is biased and leaves out a lot of information. But, I and the viewers must remember that this movie is largely a love story. The movie is very fun, informative, and a great story. The actors did a fantastic job and the music was great. People who like musicals will love this movie.
MADONNA'S TRIUMPH!!!!!
posted on 28 Oct 2008Evita, 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!!! Madonna's portrayal of Eva Peron not only resurrected the story of Eva's life, but breathed new life into her as well! Madonna finally surpasses the cardboard reading, she's given us in past films, and generously gives of herself to this role, something warm, alive and tangible. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's music and lyrics were just that, until Madonna made them her own! Precise enunciation and pitch sent me into the stratosphere, Madonna was no longer a singer, but now an accomplished voice to be reckoned with! The meticulous attention to detail on the sets, costuming, and shooting helped propel the grandeur of the film and it's believability. Madonna finally leaps beyond her persona and truly BECOMES the First Lady of Argentina, Eva Duarte de Peron!!!
The movie that revived movie-musicals
posted on 19 Oct 2008Pretty much all through the eighties (and for a big part, the seventies as well) movie musicals were considered a relict from the past. When Menken and Ashman wrote the score for "The little Mermaid", they made movie musicals acceptable again, at least for as long as they were animated. This proved to become a curse as well, since after a while, this became a formula not only for Disney but for pretty much any animated movie in production.But then came Evita.I remember reading about the fight over the casting of the title role back then. Every year or so some magazine would bring an update and say that now, at last, the movie would be produced. I never thought it would really happen. And then, suddenly, it actually was in production. And Madonna was in the title role. And suddenly this movie became the talk of the town. Argentinians were going berserk because Madonna (who of all celebrities had lived a life that probably resembled that of Evita's closer than the biography of any other Hollywood actress) was not virtuous enough for them to play the part. Reports of Madonna's pregnancy messing up the schedule appeared everywhere. Andrew Lloyd Webber had produced a new song for the movie (in order for it to have a chance at the Oscar's, smart guy) and next years fashion line was pretty much inspired by Evita's (in real life) and Madonna's (in the movie) look.With all this going on about the movie I was really surprised how quickly it has become almost forgotten.I really like the movie a lot, in fact, I think that the faults it has come from the source material. The songs in the first half, with a few exceptions, are forgettable and thus the first half drags a bit, a lot of things going on are not easily understandable for people who are not familiar with Argentinia in the fifties. While Peron's rise to power is explained in a song most of the stuff that goes on while the couple rules the country seems sketched and one REALLY needs to keep up not to lose track of what's actually going on there. Also, the musical supports the urban legend that Eva started the riots to get Peron out of prison. Devotees of Evita cried out that the movie portrayed her too negatively, critics of Evita dismissed the movie for showing her in a too positive light. Frankly, I believe if you upset both sides, I think you are probably not too far away from the truth. In fact, the libretto is wonderfully ambiguous with its admiration for the way Evita handled her own image and her good intention and its criticism for the recklessness she used to acquire her goals and the glamour that covers up everything. Rice does something wonderful here: He gives listeners both sides and lets them decide which to choose.I think all the singers are great. Banderas should have become a rock star, Pryce with the sonority in his voice takes some getting used to but is actually marvelous and Madonna... well she owns the film. You hear people everywhere shouting "Ohhhhh Patty Lu Pone had a much stronger voice!" and stuff like that. Yes, true, Lu Pone has a stronger voice but you also have to keep in mind that her performance was created for the stage so it had to be a lot broader. Also, the singing is always just one aspect of the performance and an actor has to create a wholesome character. I think Madonna turned her softer voice, what some people might call a weakness, into a strength and shaped a character that befitted this voice. Her Evita is softer, more emotional and also more cunning this way. I am by no means a great fan of Madonna but one really has to acknowledge what she has done here and how great she was.Even though the movie's popularity has sunk in the last decade it's legacy still lives on. It was the first serious big budget, non-animated musical in a long time and it approached the subjects of musicals in a new way, making it look less staged by having it shot mostly on location. Also, it is a lot more about characters than about choreography and it has formed musicals in the way that today in musicals there is actually a lot more singing than talking, which also used to be different. I am absolutely certain that without Evita, none of the recent musicals would have been possible and maybe even "Moulin Rouge" and most certainly "Chicago" would never have been made.
the amazing story of Eva Peron
posted on 28 Sep 2008I went into this movie thinking it would be alright. actually i only saw it because i love Antonio Banderas but it turned out to be one of my favorite movies. I have never liked Madonna but I was pleasantly surprised by her performance as her acting was good and her voice with these songs was wonderful. Madonna-surprisingly good. Antonio Banderas-Outstanging as always. Antonio Banderas has a wonderful voice and after seeing this movie i went and bought the soundtrack. the waltz for Eva and Che always brings tears to my eyes. i rarely cry in movies and only have around twice(this makes three) but this is an exceptionally sad movie and is a must see for everyone.
Very Good Acting, Watered-Down Impact.
posted on 22 Sep 2008Ah, Evita. An interesting film, if nothing else. To shoot it in Buenos Aires, much of the material of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's original musical had to be toned down considerably, and it's understandable if one mistakes it for a heroine's story.Evita is a dark, cynical musical about Eva Peron, with emphasis on how she slept her way to the top and then proceeded to keep all of the Argentine people charmed. The negativity is not muted, but certainly made less vicious.The musical is narrated by a character named Che, who in the original London production was dressed masterfully so he looked precisely like Che Guevarra. In this version, though, Che is played by Antonio Banderas. And believe me when I say that Banderas's performance is worth seeing the movie for. It's the best work I have ever seen him do, and he nails the bitterness and sarcasm of Rice's commentary right on the head--his version of "Oh What a Circus!" is still the one that sticks with me. He also does the character perfectly in "High Flying, Adored" and in the final waltz.Madonna looks hauntingly like Eva Peron did, in the later scenes at least. In the earlier scenes, she's made to look absurdly younger than she is, and it really shows. She's not nearly the best Eva I've heard, though; whereas Banderas's Che is sung on a level like unto the concept album and original London cast, Madonna's Eva is far too sympathetic. You get the impression that she liked Eva, yet the musical's point is to show that she was a manipulative actress. I found that highly disturbing.Jonathan Pryce is very good as Juan Peron, and he also nails the role visually. Not incredible singing, but good. The rest of the cast is well-chosen.The movie is filmed well, if too sympathetic to the Peron regime. (This was done entirely to film in Buenos Aires.) At the end, an argument between Eva and Juan is turned into, more or less, a tender little scene. It is replaced by "You Must Love Me," a song that is entirely non-sequitur in a musical about two people who mutually use one another. Also, the big number of the original ("Don't Cry For Me, Argentina") is...well...the song's lyrics are a lot less sincere than it comes off as being. It's a masterful work that manipulates the audience as well as Eva's crowd, and just gives me chills, even though I know it's one of the funniest songs in the movie, in an ironic way.The film is good, and more than worth seeing for Antonio Banderas's work as Che alone. The visuals are spectacular. However, be sure to get a listen to the original concept album or the London cast recording--Evita the movie likes the lead character too much, and it's worthwhile to hear the original work. Avoid the American cast recording, which has in the role of Che a singer whose lines are delivered without any meaningful passion whatsoever.
Jimmy Nail In Bed With Madonna????!!!!!
posted on 10 Sep 2008I didn't see this in the cinema despite being a long time fan of her Madgesty and all, however I got it for Xmas one year. I didn't feel like watching at first as it looked like a bit of a trek of a movie and I feared that Mrs Ritchie and that Banderas bloke may have massacred the fabulous musical. I was very much wrong. The film itself is stunning, beautifully shot and directed. The casting of the roles were equally as eye catching. Casting Madonna in the title role of Eva Peron was a great little side joke, (Both were working class, Catholics and bottle blonds). Both rose from poverty to become huge icons plus they more or less had the same careers. Whilst M was captivating in the role I can't help think that her desperation to gain approval from the audience that she was right for the role came across obviously in her performance. I don't know if she really was genuinely playing a character or just going through the motions of her past experience. Mind you I don't think Mads is a Method actor. That woman's a myth.As for Antonio Banderas, I think a bit of trophy casting went on there. Sure he's gorgeous and has a great voice but he just looked constipated through out. He cannot control those eyebrows either. He did sing well and his duets with Madonna were VERY spicy. Jimmy Nail - No comment. The Musical/story here is very biased. No one really knows whether Eva herself was a selfless or a selfish person. Madonna does display Eva tenderly at times and the ending was moving. This movie is gloriously filmed. But to be honest you'll either just like it or just hate it. I like it.
Boring
posted on 17 Aug 2008This is movie is stupid. I don't call it a movie it's more a long videoclip. only songs and more songs and no talking. And Madonna looks to old in the early scenes. Nobody would believe that she is playing a young girl and I don't see why she got an Golden-Globe for it the only thing she is doing is singing songs and some songs are so stupid. And what is Antonio Banderas doing in this movie?
Nothing compared to Hal Prince's stage version
posted on 30 Jul 2008Director-producer Harold Prince changed the face of Broadway as its preeminent showman of the second half of the 20th Century by pioneering the so-called "concept musical", a show built around an idea that incorporated fluid, cinematic staging, a strong score and utilitarian scenery. His creative powers culminated in "Evita" in which the true life story of Eva Peron "on stage" is accurately enhanced by the projection of historical cinematic snapshots. The song "The Art of the Possible," in which a game of musical chairs is used to represent the power struggle and eventual rise of Juan Peron in the Argentine military, is pure directorial brilliance. The staging and choreography for "Peron's Latest Flame" is likewise splendid. There are several other great moments provided by Prince and Fuller that also produce theatrical magic. The only drawback to their continued involvement is that today the production doesn't feel fresh anymore. The "Bus-and-Truck-version" that brought the "Evita tour" to Europe in 1989-1990 featured a dazzling Florence Lacey as Evita, an imposing Robert Alton as Juan Perón and a charismatic James Sbano as Ché, but was already then somewhat compromised by the reduction in size and orchestra. Still, "Evita" was a box office hit in Germany and the Benelux countries and made Flo Lacey the uncrowned queen of all Evitas. In this respect, the film adaptation is a treat: big orchestra, huge choirs, lavish costumes and scenery, with "Don't cry for me Argentina" for the first time delivered by Madonna on the balcony of the Casa Rosada. All true and worthy of respect, only... the core competence and poignance of "Evita" is lost: Jonathan Price is a sleepwalking Peron, morose and lethargic throughout the movie, Antonio Banderas is a plain Argentine student who bears little resemblance to the political Ernesto Ché Guevara. The complex psychological insights into the main characters drown into the opulence, the lushness, the screaming colours, the noise. In conclusion: better see the "concept musical" with Hal Prince's utilitarian scenery which really puts the finger on it.
maybe madonna can act...
posted on 30 Jul 2008maybe this movie was just so perfect for madonna. it's certainly a great performance that won her a golden globe. maybe it's the fact that when combining acting with singing and dancing, no one can beat her. maybe it's because the story is so close to her own. when Eva arrives in Buenos Aires singing about how she wants to take it over, one can't help but think of the now fabled story of Madonna landing in New York with nothing, and asking the cab driver to take her to the center of everything (which was Times Square)
a lot of people say that it pains Evita as a saint, but it doesn't. it paints her as a complex person; a hypocrite, a heroine, a slut who sleeps her way to the top. in the end, she is someone who gave hope to a lot of people. however, the real scene-stealer is Antonio Banderas who plays the narrator, her critic, her fan, and her enemy. he represents everyone around her, while being the only one who sees both her good and bad traits. the songs have amazingly crafted lyrics, especially in Goodnight and Thank You, which is the best defense of sleeping your way to the top that i've ever heard, and the Waltz Between Eva and Che, which has Eva finally defend her goals, her politics, and her desires. 8/10.
Madonna really shone!
posted on 24 Jun 2008This is the movie that showed everyone Madonna could act as well as sing, and do them at the same time.She made me smile and cry in this movie. And she did it with grace and poise.Antonio was his usual charming self.This movie was excellently cast, acted and directed.
The most absurd excuse for a movie I've ever seen.
posted on 21 Jun 2008Just so you know, I only got through 20 minutes of this movie, so if it got better, forgive me. All I saw for a solid twenty minutes was people singing and dancing around, with vague descriptions of an actual story behind the words. This movie was beyond musical. It's nothing more than a big emotional production that attempted to depict some great woman's life through sappy verses and wonderful scenery. I couldn't watch another minute. Even if you like musicals, from what I saw, Evita goes so INCREDIBLY slowly that to make it to the end you would have to be extremely patient. I don't know why all the comments in IMDb are so great. I did notice that all they focus on is how splendid the acting was, or how good the cinematography was. What they fail to mention is that the great acting is performed on rather hollow content. Like I said, finding an interesting story behind all the crap is quite difficult. And good cinematography is meaningless. National Geographic can pull off the same thing, but it doesn't matter because it's BORING. Let me put it to you this way: If you want to see lots of big buildings and hear majestic choirs, if you want to be surrounded by dialog that is sung to the tune of "Don't cry for me Argentina", if you want to be in awe each time the orchestra strikes up a tune for a full minute after every scene, or if you want to cry just because everybody else is crying, then go see Evita!
A well-done film adaptation of the musical, the singing is all first-rate.
posted on 03 Jun 2008This is a comment on the home DVD version of Evita.The DVD picture is very sharp, colors very real. The surround soundtrack is also done very well.I had put off seeing this movie for a long time because I'm not highly interested in "historical" films which this one is. I am a musician, and I like good singing of all kinds. I was especially impressed with the signing and song interpretation of all the main characters. I was most pleasantly surprised how good Antonio Banderas is. I rate the movie 8 of 10 for a movie musical. However, when the film was over, I came away with no particular feeling - good or bad - about Eva Peron.
Worst film ever.....possibly
posted on 28 Jul 2009Where to start? I've been avoiding this film for some time - and now I know why. Musicals are always problematic but the their limitations can be overcome with the catchy tune and the memorable performance. Not here, however. The songs are toe-curlingly awful, the performances are eccentric in the extreme and the historical context section with rock track is staggeringly bad. Parker's star has been in the descendant for some time but this elongated belch of a movie should persuade anyone that he should go back to making commercials. Anyone involved should hang their head in shame and beat themselves with sticks. constantly. Having also recently seen Battlefield Earth & showgirls I hoped I'd seen the 2 worst films in recent years. How wrong you can be. Sooooooooooooooooo bad.