Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Really Surprised!

Masterful Movie

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I first saw Evita on stage locally in my town and I was absolutely blown away. I didn't know musicals could be like that. Absolutely powerful are the words that come to mind when I think of Evita. I was very lucky, because a woman who had actually played Evita on Broadway was doing a production of it in my town and I loved her. Evita is my favorite musical for so many reasons I could write a dissertation on it. But that's not what this is for.One of the main themes of Evita is power in all forms: political power, social power, sexual power. With these themes, you need to have the music and acting to back it up, meaning you need instrumental power, rhetorical power (for the speeches on the balcony), and (most importantly) vocal power.Madonna does not have that vocal power. She does fine, but that's just it. She does fine. The vocal power of the role of Evita isn't just fine. It's jarring, it shakes your very soul (at least for me). Madonna, god she's trying, but she just wasn't the right pick. You need your leading lady to be imposing and her vocals to be incredibly skillful and expert in nature. I kind of have a soft spot for Antonio Banderas because I felt like he brought enough cynicism and biting critique to Ché that it worked even though his voice isn't the best. I'm a firm believe that as long as your acting and character is solid, your singing doesn't have to be the best. I don't really have any strong opinions on Jonathan Pryce as Peròn. He was a bit mediocre but not awful. Like I said, Evita is my favorite musical of all time. Everyone should have some impossible dream (haha Walz for Eva and Ché) and mine is someday playing Eva Perón. I am absolutely obsessed with this musical. This movie just took out so much emotional depth and detail. That's where it's downfall lies.Many will be quite harsh on it because it's pretty much all music (it's an opera, that's to be expected) or because it's boring. And to that I think it comes down to taste. Of course if you don't like musicals or you don't like more historical movies, you're probably not going to like this movie. It's not a complete waste of time. If you have the chance to see Evita on stage I would say definitely go for that over the movie, but if you want to get a bit of a mediocre version, than you can watch it and then listen to the broadway soundtrack and see which one you prefer. Me, I prefer the Broadway revival version with Elena Roger, and Patti LuPone's version is also phenomenal.In short, Evita (1996) simply could have been better.

I had seen the film poster and had known the three leading stars for years, and I knew one of the songs featuring, I was hoping it would be good, based on the hit Broadway musical by Lord Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sir Tim Rice, directed by Golden Globe nominated Alan Parker (Bugsy Malone). Basically the film tells the story of Eva "Evita" Duarte de Perón (Golden Globe winning Madonna), as told by storyteller Ché (Golden Globe nominated Antonio Banderas) (named after Ché Guevara), who acts as the view for both the people of the rural community and high society. Young Eva (María Luján Hidalgo) started life in poverty as the daughter of a farmer, but as a teenager she got attached to Latin singer Agustín Magaldi ("Ain't No Doubt" singer Jimmy Nail) and accompanied him to the big city, Buenos Aires, there she rose from being a poor rural girl to being an aspiring actress. Eva becomes more famous through film and radio, eventually moving moving into influential circles within Buenos Aires society, her name soon becomes linked to rising politician Juan Perón (Jonathan Pryce), this quickly creates interest, and soon after marrying Perón is elected President, with the inspirational Eva by his side. As First Lady and Spiritual Leader of the Nation of Argentina, Eva attracts attention like no other woman before or since, hypnotising eighteen million people for seven years with her huge political influence and constant charity work, gaining adoration and love from workers and (Spanish) liberals, but disdain and fear from the military and upper classes. This public and political interest, both positive and negative, being the most hated and the most beloved woman of Argentina, continued until the untimely death of Eva, passing away from cancer at the age of 33, nearly three million people attended the funeral in the streets of Buenos Aires. Also starring Victoria Sus as Doña Juana, Julian Littman as Brother Juan, Olga Merediz as Blanca, Laura Pallas as Elisa Duarte, Julia Worsley as Erminda, Andrea Corr as Perón's Mistress and Peter Polycarpou as Domingo Mercante. With Desparetely Seeking Susan (perhaps Dick Tracy and A League of Their Own also), this is the only enjoyable performance by the "Queen of Pop", the less said about Body of Evidence, Die Another Day (apart from her song) and Swept Away the better, Madonna is very good as she goes through all the triumphs and traumas of the First Lady of Argentina. Pryce as the up and coming President and Banderas as the everyman revolutionary get their moments, but Madonna and most of the songs are the big hook to the film, the best song for me being "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", it does get slightly tedious with hardly any dialogue and mostly all singing, the story of a girl going from nothing to something is alright, and the political stuff didn't grab me, overall it's not a bad musical biography. It won the Oscar for Best Song for "You Must Love Me" (it also won the Golden Globe), and it was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Sound and Best Film Editing, and it was nominated the BAFTAs for the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music for Lloyd Webber and Rice, Best Adapted Screenplay for Alan Parker and Oliver Stone, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Sound and Best Make Up/Hair. Worth watching!

Well, if I'm not mistaken this was the movie that was supposed to convince all of us sneering sceptics that Madonna could, in fact, really sing.And, Yeah, OK - I admit that it did convince me that Madonna could, indeed, sing. It did. But, it was like I had always suspected - Madonna couldn't sing very well - At least, not without all of the technical, voice-enhancing gadgetry around to back her up.When it comes to Madonna's singing I can only take it in very-very small doses, anyways. 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. They angrily claimed that Madonna was not fit to play their saintly heroine - That Madonna was an utter disgrace to the memory of this woman.Isn't that just too hilarious? If anyone's at all interested in this sort of thing - Here's a little bit of movie-trivia regarding Evita - Entered into the Guinness Book of World Records - Most costume changes made by an actress in the course of a film - 85 costume changes by Madonna - Beating out 65 costume changes by Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra.Fascinating stuff, eh? You know, with Evita's running time of 134 minutes, Madonna was literally changing her costumes about every minute and a half. Phew!! It makes my head spin.You know, I can really see why Madonna would want so badly to play the part of Eva Peron. In so many ways these 2 women's lives run along parallel lines. It's true.OK. Let's see - Both women came from fairly modest backgrounds. Both women could easily be considered B-Grade when it came to being singers/actresses. Both women married men of influence who helped boost their own careers. Both women were so fanatically ambitious that when it came to the pursuit of their careers, they made their rise up the ladder to fame and fortune by lying on their backs with their legs spread wide and up in the air.It's true.

I've seen a lot of reviews complain due to the lack of actual dialogue in this film. I want to start there... If you don't want to hear singing don't watch a musical! As musicals go this is one of the best and it's in my personal top 3. Where do I start with a film this good. Let's start with the lead actors. I'm not usually a fan of Madonna but she is brilliant. Let's remember that this role demands a change of acting style as the evita gets older. This is pulled off by Madonna in epic style. Her singing can be a little screechy in places, but she is a pop singer not a west end star and she has a good enough voice. But the star of the show, by a country mile, is banderas. When I heard he was was in this I was expecting a spoken style like Rex Harrison. What I didn't realise just what a voice banderas has. Every song is done perfectly. And , even more amazingly, whether he is singing a soft ballad, or belting out a rock note, his acting performance as che is consistent and is THE best acting performance I have ever seen in a musical. BAR NONE.If you like musicals you must see this film. That is a no brainier