"Evita" is my favorite Lloyd-Weber/Rice collaboration, a great rags-to-riches story filled with many memorable songs and scenes. I remember my anticipation when I heard of plans a decade ago to film the musical with Alan Parker, an accomplished director, at the helm. I was intrigued with the casting of Madonna as Eva Peron, in some ways a real-life analogue. Despite my interest at that time, I only recently saw the film for the first time.
This review is written from the above standpoint. For those not familiar with the show, this movie may offer a better experience. But, while not dreadful, the film is quite a disappointment to me. Production values are very high, with wonderful cinematography, great ensemble scenes, and polished direction. However, the proceedings are brought down by the weakness of the three leads and the musical arrangement changes and cuts that result from the inability of the leads to drive the material into the stratosphere where it belongs.
Madonna's performance integrally weakens the film. Despite her pre-eminence as a pop diva, she just can't sing and act well. She is particularly out of her element here, lacking the emotional depth and vocal prowess to fill the role of Eva Peron. The subtlety and canniness in phrasing and voice required to pull off a torch song like "Good For You" and an anthem like "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" are replaced by a blandness that decapitates the songs - at the high point of "Don't Cry", Madonna, lacking the vocal power to carry it, starts to "belt" the lyrics like Ethel Merman! Visually, she's adequate and maintains interest, but this is more Parker's doing than through her own charisma.
Antonio Banderas flounders in the role of Che, the guardian spirit of the people. While possessing a great physical presence, his countenance is almost always of repressed anger, and he is unable to provide the wittily sarcastic counterpoint required to follow and comment on Eva's rise and downfall. The chemistry between Eva and Che is lackluster, with the exception of their final dance number, which is dynamite. Like the others, he simply can't sing, and certain sections are cut or are spoken to maintain the integrity of the script. In the process, a number of songs are brought down, particularly "Let's Hear It For the Rainbow Tour".
Jonathan Pryce is unable to provide the physicality and oily menace of Juan Peron. He doesn't command the speech scenes and his chemistry with Eva is as weak as that of Che. Singing is not as important in this role, but Pryce, an excellent actor, is simply miscast in a role that doesn't justice to his silky, erudite qualities as a villain.
The trouble with the leads seems to carry down to the chorus scenes, which almost resemble sprechstimme, and in the arrangements, which tend to be over the top (with loud rock guitar) as if to compensate for what is lacking. The cutting of "What Happens Now?" is a great disappointment, the song being a sensitive examination of a character tossed aside by Evita in her upward climb. The humor is drained from "Let's Hear It..." without Che's mocking commentary and impersonations of foreign dignitaries.
Aside from the dynamite dance number near the end (referred to above) which provides self-examination for Che and Evita, this movie is best left on the shelf for lovers of this musical. I'd be generous to give it a 4.
This review is written from the above standpoint. For those not familiar with the show, this movie may offer a better experience. But, while not dreadful, the film is quite a disappointment to me. Production values are very high, with wonderful cinematography, great ensemble scenes, and polished direction. However, the proceedings are brought down by the weakness of the three leads and the musical arrangement changes and cuts that result from the inability of the leads to drive the material into the stratosphere where it belongs.
Madonna's performance integrally weakens the film. Despite her pre-eminence as a pop diva, she just can't sing and act well. She is particularly out of her element here, lacking the emotional depth and vocal prowess to fill the role of Eva Peron. The subtlety and canniness in phrasing and voice required to pull off a torch song like "Good For You" and an anthem like "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" are replaced by a blandness that decapitates the songs - at the high point of "Don't Cry", Madonna, lacking the vocal power to carry it, starts to "belt" the lyrics like Ethel Merman! Visually, she's adequate and maintains interest, but this is more Parker's doing than through her own charisma.
Antonio Banderas flounders in the role of Che, the guardian spirit of the people. While possessing a great physical presence, his countenance is almost always of repressed anger, and he is unable to provide the wittily sarcastic counterpoint required to follow and comment on Eva's rise and downfall. The chemistry between Eva and Che is lackluster, with the exception of their final dance number, which is dynamite. Like the others, he simply can't sing, and certain sections are cut or are spoken to maintain the integrity of the script. In the process, a number of songs are brought down, particularly "Let's Hear It For the Rainbow Tour".
Jonathan Pryce is unable to provide the physicality and oily menace of Juan Peron. He doesn't command the speech scenes and his chemistry with Eva is as weak as that of Che. Singing is not as important in this role, but Pryce, an excellent actor, is simply miscast in a role that doesn't justice to his silky, erudite qualities as a villain.
The trouble with the leads seems to carry down to the chorus scenes, which almost resemble sprechstimme, and in the arrangements, which tend to be over the top (with loud rock guitar) as if to compensate for what is lacking. The cutting of "What Happens Now?" is a great disappointment, the song being a sensitive examination of a character tossed aside by Evita in her upward climb. The humor is drained from "Let's Hear It..." without Che's mocking commentary and impersonations of foreign dignitaries.
Aside from the dynamite dance number near the end (referred to above) which provides self-examination for Che and Evita, this movie is best left on the shelf for lovers of this musical. I'd be generous to give it a 4.