Date: Fri 07-Feb-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: DONNAM

Illustration: C

Location: A10

Quick Words:

Evita-Madonna-Playing-Banderas

Full Text:

(rev "Evita" for Now Playing, 2/7/97)

Now Playing-

A Few Surprises, Some Rewarding Sequences, Help `Evita' Succeed

By Trey Paul Alexander III

Is the musical making a comeback? Woody Allen's latest film, Everybody Says I

Love You , marks the director's perilous foray into the genre. Radio

listeners, hopping from one station to the next, are bound to happen upon the

"Grease Megamix," a medley of tunes taken from the 1978 film's soundtrack.

More than just a passing curiosity, the "Megamix" has become a top 20 hit. But

the object most focused upon when discussion ensues about a movie musical

resurgence is Evita , the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice production that finally

made it to the big screen after years of development. Under the direction of

Alan Parker ( Fame , Pink Floyd: The Wall , The Commitments ), this cinematic

version, currently playing at the Crown Cine, plays to the strengths of star

Madonna, who tackles the titular role.

Over the last decade and a half, Madonna arguably has been the most

controversial yet popular celebrity in global popular culture. It would take

quite a list to record all the taboos broken and all the ire rankled in her

rise to stardom and super-success. But the one aspect of her career that she

has never quite convincingly conquered is that of screen actress. Though she

has gained minor triumphs ( Desperately Seeking Susan , Dick Tracy , A League

of Our Own ), Madonna has consistently fallen short when given top billing (

Shanghai Surprise , Who's That Girl? , Body of Evidence ). So, what better way

to break her bad string than by giving her the lead in what amounts to be a

handsomely mounted, 2¬-hour music video?

Evita chronicles the rise of Eva Duarte, a downtrodden teen in Argentina who

uses her wiles to rise from a working class girl to the country's most beloved

figure as the rich wife of President Juan Person (Jonathan Pryce, a talented

actor whose appearances in those infernal Infiniti commercials have nearly

turned me off to him). Her course is charted by the film's roving narrator,

Che (Antonio Banderas), in a clever bit of storytelling. Banderas, known to

legions of fans for his searing good looks and intense glares, also surprises

here with his soaring voice and commanding presence.

The story is conveyed all in song (save for a very sparse amount of dialogue),

and this is right up Madonna's alley, she being the reigning queen of the

music video form. She is quite effective as Eva, but one still wonders about

the level of her acting talent since this motion picture essentially taps her

already acknowledged, formidable strengths as a musical chameleon.

Let's face it: Eva Peron's rags-to-riches tale isn't exactly a Meryl

Streep-like stretch for the ever-morphing outer facade of Madonna. Her ability

to change her appearance is unquestioned but her knack for conveying inner

change, to become a bona fide actress, is still in doubt (though she

definitely makes some strides towards respectability).

Director Parker dishes out a lush, beautifully photographed film that has just

as many dazzling treats for the eye as the soundtrack contains for the ear.

However, the elevation of the production's visuals and musical numbers over

dramatic content and dialogue may have aided Madonna and paralleled her gifts,

but it gives an annoying ambiguity to the film that makes it difficult to

follow not only the specifics of Eva's story, but also the characters' (and

for that matter, the movie's) stance on all that occurs.

Yet Evita , rated PG for sexual allusions and mild profanity, emerges as an

intriguing, occasionally riveting curiosity. It takes a while for audience

equilibrium to set in (just as our ears take a while to get attuned to the

rhythms of Shakespearean dialogue, so does Evita demand some patience as

viewers will need to get accustomed to a cinematic form in which all lines are

sung), but Evita does offer several rewarding sequences that make it worth the

price of admission.