Evita

While it lacks the pure cinematic MTV-style genius of his earlier Pink Floyd's The Wall, director Alan Parker's adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Weber's brilliant musical, based on the life of the Argentinean "first lady" Eva Peron, still soars for a couple of reasons. First, as he aptly demonstrated in earlier Weber musicals--such as Jesus Christ Superstar--lyricist Tim Rice is a brilliant storyteller (compare the narrative oomph of Weber's later Rice-less Aspects of Love and Sunset Boulevard). Second, Parker knows how to fill a screen. Madonna is restrained and utterly credible as the poor illegitimate country girl who hooks up with a tango singer and travels to the Big Apple (Buenos Aires), where she sleeps her way to the top of the political chain, ultimately ending up as the wife of General Juan Peron (Jonathan Pryce). And Antonio Banderas adds surprisingly good vocals to his easy-on-the-eyes star power as a one-man Greek chorus delivering the commentary and play-by-play coverage of Evita's rise and fall. Available in widescreen and pan and scan formats, this is recommended, and although I prefer the American recording, I really must point out--for tax reasons--that the sound coming through my JBL Home Cinema system was excellent. Recommended. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—July 3, 2012—Hollywood, 135 min., PG, $26.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1996's Evita sports a beautiful transfer and features a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras include a “making-of” featurette (42 min.), the music video “You Must Love Me” by Madonna, and trailers. Bottom line: this adaptation of Weber's contemporary classic musical looks and sounds great in high-def.]