DVD : Evita [1997]

Rating: - Some Musicals Just Don't Translate Very Well Into Films
I've never seen Evita on stage, but from watching this film it becomes very obvious that that is where this story belongs, and although certain musicals have translated very well into films ('the Phantom of the Opera' and 'Hairspray' being two that spring immediatley to mind), this is one of those that I feel should have been left on stage. Saying that however, watching this film has made me very keen to see the musical in it's original format one day, and it is just a shame that it is no longer being shown in the West End.

Whenever Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice get togther for a musical, you know you're going to be in for a treat, and no matter what other reservations I have about this film, there is no doubting that musically, it is a masterpiece. There are many, very, very good songs, ('Oh, What a Circus' and 'I'd be Surprisingly Good for You', being two examples), which are only improved by casting Madonna as Eva (no matter what anyone may say about her acting, you cannot deny that her voice is sublime). On the topic of acting, although I feel that Madonna did look much too old for the role, her acting did vastly imprive as the film went on, and if it wasn't for her age I would have said she made the perfect Eva Peron for her acting near the end was very powerful and conveyed a lot of emotion. I also really loved Antonio Banderas' casting as Che, but I have never seen a single performance by Banderas which I have disaproved of.

I think the major issue with this film is that, being based off the musical, it's story is therefore somewhat limited (especially seeing as the musical was based off a real life event), and, rather than a climactic ending most movie-goers are used to seeing, the film never reaches a huge peak, but rather, fizzles out slowly. Although this is often acceptable whilst watching a musical in theatre, it doesn't translate very well on film.

I did like this film, and am glad I watched it purely because it has now convinced me that I have to go see the musical on theatre next time it is close to me, but it wasn't a piece of filming masterpiece, even if it was genious on stage. I enjoyed i t while watching, but it's not one that I will watch again in a hurry.

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Rating: - Brilliant!
I had never seen Evita before I watched this DVD - and what an introduction! The songs were sung brilliantly, although I was expecting them not to be, and the storyline made me laugh and cry at alternate intervals. Viva Evita!

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Rating: - Absolutely first class
I much enjoyed this excellent film when I first saw it in the cinema some years ago. Seeing it again on DVD brings all that enjoyment back. While I realise that many critics disagree, in my view the film is beautifully done, and the DVD does it full justice.

Madonna acts and sings the part of Evita perfectly, and the supporting cast and the direction are also very good. The film really scores in the atmosphere it subtly creates around Evita, showing her emotional appeal to the masses clearly. The large-scale scenes of the marches in her support, the sporadic violence in the streets, and her funeral procession, are very powerful. Above all she comes over as a real person, faults and all, in the more intimate scenes. Her husband is sensitively played by Jonathan Pryce, while Antonio Banderas is great in his changing moods as the narrator. Andrew Lloyd Webber's fine music is enduringly evocative (and not overdone in the film, as some reviewers felt).

This is one of the very best films of recent years, and I am pleased to have the DVD, which I shall undoubtedly watch again in future.

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Rating: - beautiful film, terrible dvd
The big screen version of Evita has everything one expects from a film musical - great singing, great orchestra, a huge sense of scale... However, this DVD was released at the start of the DVD era, and lacks a Dolby Digital 5.1 track or an anamorphic transfer, so the image is soft and lacking in detail and the sound only in Dolby Pro-Logic. Your best bet is to purchase the French or Australian versions of the DVD, both of which have anamorphic transfers with excellent image quality and the full Dolby Digital 5.1 track, aswell as interviews, trailers and featurettes from the electronic press kit made at the time.

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Rating: - la la la this is my review la la
I liked this film. I liked Madonna, her acting fitted in with the style of the film nicely. I liked Jimmy Nail, his character and the way he delivered it was good. I liked Antonio Banderas, playing a kind of narrator that keeps popping up and letting you know what's going on - who knew he could sing? I liked the songs, the way the themes repeated themselves and intertwined. I liked the story, I felt a little educated along the way. The only thing I didn't like was the fact they sang EVERY line - it wierded me out. Yes I know it's a musical but they didn't do it in Oliver or Moulin Rouge, just seemed really silly at times.