Eva Duarte Peron, that mythical figure larger than life, was a controversial woman during her lifetime. According to who one listens to, she was either a saint, adored by the humble classes, or a devil that manipulated her way to the top, taking millions away from the same people she was trying to help.
"Eva Peron", the biopic about her life, presents her in a good light. The screen play by Jose Pablo Feinmann treats her as though she was a misunderstood person who was at odds with the oligarchy of Argentina, who hated her because they saw in her a wild opportunist who was ruthless with the enemies she made along her way to the top. In fact, nothing is made out of the many people that Eva was instrumental in driving them out of the country, as was the case with many legitimate artists that couldn't work after the Perons came to power.
Basically, Eva Peron was a determined woman. She saw what illegitimacy did to her mother and family. She escaped to Buenos Aires because she saw herself as an actress, something that never happened because she had no talent. Instead, she attracted a military man who proved to be the best thing that happened to her. By joining forces with Juan Peron, she was elevated to the role she tried to play all her life, but no one would cast her in it: the first lady of the nation!
Eva, if we are to believe what Mr. Feinmann wrote about her, totally dominated the relationship as she "wore the trousers" in the Casa Rosada, for all practical purposes. Eva Peron understood the power of reinvention. She went from an obscure third rate radio and film actress into the model of generosity as she had the final word in everything that mattered in the country. By creating her foundation to help the "shirtless", as she called the poor, she became her own best creation.
One thing comes clear in the film: Eva Peron hated the rich classes. She was a bastard in a land where illegitimacy was a sin. It is clear that by pretending to be with the poor she was perceived as a saint. At the same time, she lived in luxury that dazzled the same classes she advocated to be the leader. By dying Eva became an even larger mythical figure and became immortal.
Juan Carlos Desanzo directed well paying attention to a visual style of the times when Eva lived. The best thing is Esther Goris, who as Eva Peron, makes this legend come alive in front of our eyes. Ms. Goris bears an uncanny resemblance to her character, and her mannerisms, evoking a bygone era with tremendous panache. Ms. Goris' Eva is full of 'earthy' talk, as befitting a woman of her background. Victor Laplace is also good as Juan Peron.
The only thing that doesn't come across in the film is the love Juan felt for his wife, as the movie only concentrates on how Eva was instrumental for the success of Peron and his followers in Argentina.
"Eva Peron", the biopic about her life, presents her in a good light. The screen play by Jose Pablo Feinmann treats her as though she was a misunderstood person who was at odds with the oligarchy of Argentina, who hated her because they saw in her a wild opportunist who was ruthless with the enemies she made along her way to the top. In fact, nothing is made out of the many people that Eva was instrumental in driving them out of the country, as was the case with many legitimate artists that couldn't work after the Perons came to power.
Basically, Eva Peron was a determined woman. She saw what illegitimacy did to her mother and family. She escaped to Buenos Aires because she saw herself as an actress, something that never happened because she had no talent. Instead, she attracted a military man who proved to be the best thing that happened to her. By joining forces with Juan Peron, she was elevated to the role she tried to play all her life, but no one would cast her in it: the first lady of the nation!
Eva, if we are to believe what Mr. Feinmann wrote about her, totally dominated the relationship as she "wore the trousers" in the Casa Rosada, for all practical purposes. Eva Peron understood the power of reinvention. She went from an obscure third rate radio and film actress into the model of generosity as she had the final word in everything that mattered in the country. By creating her foundation to help the "shirtless", as she called the poor, she became her own best creation.
One thing comes clear in the film: Eva Peron hated the rich classes. She was a bastard in a land where illegitimacy was a sin. It is clear that by pretending to be with the poor she was perceived as a saint. At the same time, she lived in luxury that dazzled the same classes she advocated to be the leader. By dying Eva became an even larger mythical figure and became immortal.
Juan Carlos Desanzo directed well paying attention to a visual style of the times when Eva lived. The best thing is Esther Goris, who as Eva Peron, makes this legend come alive in front of our eyes. Ms. Goris bears an uncanny resemblance to her character, and her mannerisms, evoking a bygone era with tremendous panache. Ms. Goris' Eva is full of 'earthy' talk, as befitting a woman of her background. Victor Laplace is also good as Juan Peron.
The only thing that doesn't come across in the film is the love Juan felt for his wife, as the movie only concentrates on how Eva was instrumental for the success of Peron and his followers in Argentina.