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 18 wins & 43 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Antonio Banderas got the role of Che by submitting a self-made audition tape and performing all the musical numbers in front of Alan Parker at a dinner meet in Miami.

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Goofs

During the second shot of the soldiers in the shower during the song "Peron's Latest Flame", the lip movements do not match the words spoken.

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Quotes

Ché: Oh, what a circus, oh, what a show! Argentina has gone to town over the death of an actress called Eva Peron. We've all gone crazy, mourning all day and mourning all night, falling over ourselves to get all of the misery right. Oh, what an exit! That's how to go. When they're ringing your curtain down, demand to be buried like Eva Peron. It's quite a sunset, and good for the country in a roundabout way. We've made the front page of all the world's papers today.

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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 Mystery Science Theater 3000: Revenge of the Creature (1997)

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Soundtracks

I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You
(uncredited)
Written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Performed by Madonna and Jonathan Pryce
Produced by Nigel Wright, Alan Parker, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and David Caddick

User Reviews

Beautiful to See and Hear

"Evita" is an opera, albeit a rock opera, in the true sense of the word -- there can't be fifty words of spoken dialogue in the entire movie. Music drama is a highly stylized form, which admittedly is not everyone's cup of tea. Perhaps that is why the overall rating given the film by IMDb voters, 6.3 out of 10, is as low as it is. To those of us who like the operatic form, though, this is an outstanding film, beautiful to look at, well acted, and most importantly well sung. The only weakness I found was the one that inheres in every Andrew Lloyd Webber piece: too much recycling of too few musical themes over two-plus hours. Nevertheless, Tim Rice's lyrics are wonderful, they are consistently inventive and drive the story. Madonna was good in the title role but Antonio Banderas's performance as Ché was great, both dramatically and musically. "Evita" is highly recommended, 8 out of 10.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 January 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Evita

Filming Locations:

Gellért Baths, Budapest, Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$195,085, 29 December 1996

Gross USA:

$50,047,179

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$141,047,179

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