Evita (1996)

The hit musical based on the life of Evita Duarte, a B-picture Argentinian actress who eventually became the wife of Argentinian president Juan Perón, and the most beloved and hated woman in Argentina.

Director:

Alan Parker

Writers:

Tim Rice (book), Alan Parker (screenplay)

Stars:

Madonna, Jonathan Pryce, Antonio Banderas

Won 1 Oscar. Another 17 wins & 41 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Madonna	...	Eva Perón
Antonio Banderas	...	Ché
Jonathan Pryce	...	Juan Perón
Jimmy Nail	...	Agustín Magaldi
Victoria Sus	...	Doña Juana
Julian Littman	...	Brother Juan
Olga Merediz	...	Blanca
Laura Pallas	...	Elisa Duarte
Julia Worsley	...	Erminda
María Luján Hidalgo	...	Young Eva (as Maria Lujan Hidalgo)
Servando Villamil	...	Cipriano Reyes
Andrea Corr	...	Perón's Mistress
Peter Polycarpou	...	Domingo Mercante
Gary Brooker	...	Juan Bramuglia
Maite Yerro	...	Julieta (as Mayte Yerro)

Storyline

High-flying, adored! The film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical depicting the infamous real-life story of Eva "Evita" Duarte de Peron, the wife of President Juan Peron, who rose from poverty to become the most famous Argentine woman in history. Her huge political influence and constant charity works earned her scorn and fear from the military and upper classes but adoration and love from the workers and descamisados. Evita's legendary life is displayed before your eyes as the most hated and most beloved woman in Argentina.

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Plot Keywords:

argentina | actress | politics | military | singer | 

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Taglines:

The Most Anticipated Motion Picture Event of The Year

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements, images of violence and some mild language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 January 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ebîta

Filming Locations:

Argentina

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$195,085, 29 December 1996, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$50,047,179, 8 May 1997

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$91,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hollywood Pictures,Cinergi Pictures Entertainment,Dirty Hands Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Blue Harley Davidson WLA motorcycle that is seen in the funeral scene was restored by Mark Evans on the British television series A Bike Is Born (2002).

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Goofs

When receiving Holy Communion Evita partakes of wine, a practice not permitted until the Second Vatican Council (1962-1964).

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Quotes

Eva Perón: And as for fortune, and as for fame... I never invited them in, though it seemed to the world they were all I desired.

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Crazy Credits

In the closing credits: "This story is fictional. Any similarity to the names, characters or history of any person, living or dead, or any actual events is entirely coincidental and unintentional."

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Christine Baranski/The Cure (1996)

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Soundtracks

On the Balcony of the Casa Rosada 1
(uncredited)
Written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Performed by Nick Holder, Jonathan Pryce, and Chorus
Produced by Nigel Wright, Alan Parker, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and David Caddick

User Reviews

Superb realization of the Broadway musical

This was a simply stupendous movie. The visuals and costumes were stunning, the new realization of the musical score excellent. Madonna deserves more credit than she has gotten for this. Although her voice is perhaps a bit thin for the role, she really stretched herself for this, and did a fine job. Banderas was simply fantastic. Most of the naysayers (and there are many), clearly don't care for Weber, or for musicals in general. Of course it isn't "deep", it's a musical! The question is how well was the original play transformed to the screen, and I would be hard pressed to imagine anything more successful than this.