"Oh, what a circus, what a show.  Argentina has gone to town..."      

EVITA (PG) 

Andrew Lloyd Webber's smash hit Broadway musical comes to the silver screen!  

Evita, which has wowed theater audiences since the seventies, gets a nineties update with this film starring Madonna as Eva Peron, Antonio Banderas as Che, and Jonathan Pryce as Juan Peron. For those unfamiliar with the story, Evita tells the tale of Eva Duarte, an Argentinian girl who starts her life in poverty and illegitimacy, sets her sights on the bright lights of Buenos Aires, and climbs (sleeps?) her way to the top of the social ladder, eventually becoming the First Lady and much-beloved "spiritual leader" of Argentina, before succumbing to cancer at the early age of 33.

Eva Duarte's life in itself is drama enough, but Andrew Lloyd Webber's score is what truly makes Evita (the play) the classic that it is.  Music is what drives this show, and those of us who've heard the original London or Broadway cast recordings of Evita (available on tape or CD) will no doubt make comparisons.  Does Madonna compare to Patti LuPone as Eva, does Antonio Banderas even come close to Mandy Patinkin's Che?  I'll let everyone have their favorites on those, but will say that under Alan Parker's direction, Evita (the film) comes across surprisingly well.  I was particularly surprised and impressed by Madonna's performance, which in this case relied as much on her singing talent as her acting talent.  The cinematography in this film is excellent as well, with some gorgeous shots of both crowd scenes and landscapes.  I still haven't settled on an opinion over Banderas' singing performance, which was at times unbalanced and somewhat muffled (perhaps because of the heavy accent), but in general did the job.  

See Evita for yourself and tell us what you think.

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing, folks!!

kxdd@aol.com gives this movie  stars: "Evita was the best movie I have seen in my life (although I'm only 16). Madonna was so good I was able to clear my mind of the cone-bra images and only think of her as Evita. Antonio Banderas was fantastic. He is a Renaissance man - he acts wonderfully, he sings tremendously, and he dances amazingly. Johnathan Pryce put in a rock-solid performance for the script (although I would have preferred to see a bit more of the dictator in him). It was very well-made and well-put together. Congratulations to anyone involved in this extraordinary feature." (7/12/97)

kullhadd@keyworld.net gives this movie  stars: "I really loved it. For days I could not get Madonna, (Evita) out of my eyes, I could see her face everywhere. I've never seen Madonna acting this good, and in such a part. She did great!" (6/22/97)

Cindy Hedden gives this movie  stars: "I do not feel that Madonna should have been picked to star in the movie, although she has great acting skills, people do not find her style appealing, and therefore, the movie did not have as many veiwers as it could have with another actress. No offense, I think she is a wonderful actress, and I have disputed it many times with many different people, it just does not seem like her type of movie. Best luck to Madonna and her new addition. Peace..." (3/28/97)

Sonja@bnet.co.at gives this movie  stars: "The film EVITA is a really perfect made movie. The actors are excellent, even Madonna from whom I wouldn´t have expected such perfection surprises me a lot. Also the very British Jonathan Pryce plays the argentinian president Juan Perón perfectly. All in all: a really perfect movie just must watch." (3/17/97)

ruhland@uwplatt.edu gives this movie  stars: "I did not know what to expect from Madonna in this portrayal of Eva Peron. She shocked me and won my heart. Antonio Banderas has a hell of a voice and should be singing in more of his movies. He is no Bing Crosby, but with his solid acting ability and the excitement he brings to the screen, it would be the icing on the cake. One more thing... Everyone that I have thinks that it did not live up to the hype. I totally disagree. I am not the kind of guy who writes in comments on the computer, but for the sake of this excellent movie, it is worth the while. BRAVO!!" (3/5/97)

aquinto@mailhost.jorsm.com gives this movie  stars: "I love Andrew Lloyd Webber and even though I don't care for Madonna, I thought she did an excellent job in this film. I took my mother with me who didn't understand the story, couldn't understand the music and didn't really have a clue what the whole film was about. I guess you have to love musicals to really appreciate this movie, which I do!" (2/8/97)

brian.green@virgin.net gives this movie  stars: "An extrememly well-made movie with spectacular crowd scenes and a sparkling performance from Madonna. It was, however, a trifle too long and somewhat repetitive in places." (1/24/97)