A gorgeous production (special kudos to cinematographer Darius Khondji), Evita will appeal to those able to get past their own feelings toward the Peróns and appreciate the sly manner in which the piece addresses the cult of personality and how it often feeds the spiritual needs of the less fortunate. Based on the Broadway smash whose on-again, off-again journey to the screen went through numerous players (including Oliver Stone as director and, most tantalizingly, Meryl Streep as star), Parker's version finds Madonna cast as Eva Duarte, the controversial Argentinian who rose from humble beginnings to become the wife of dictator Juan Perón - and, for many, the true leader of the nation - before dying of cancer at the age of 33. At a time when songs showcased in movies were being shot as MTV music videos, leave it to director Alan Parker ( The Commitments, Fame) to offer a full-blooded musical with epic elegance on its mind.
Antonio Banderas and Madonna in Evita (Photo: Disney)ĮVITA (1996).
