The Mystery Of Eva Peron (1987/First Run Features DVD)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C     Extras: C     Documentary: B-

 

 

The appeal and irony of Evita Peron continues to hold sway and beyond the famous Rock Opera that became a moderate hit film with singer Madonna in the title role.  Tulio Demicheli’s The Mystery Of Eva Peron (1987, his last film) tries to break down the life, history and motivations of the life of the lady who began as a movie star in Argentina before rising to power as the most famous, successful and uniting political figure in that country’s history.  Less discussed is the fact that she remains one of the most successful female political figures of all time.

 

With some great archival footage, interviews and decent research, the 112 minutes never fails to be informative, entertaining and often rich look at her life and the rise to power that had worldwide effects and repercussions.  We see how she was ahead of her time, knew her audience, had unbelievable timing and kept her husband in power.  Was he using her or vice versa?  Either way, this may not resolve all mysteries, but is worth a good look and makes for a great companion to the Musical as well as serving as a history lesson for which there is still much to learn.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image is soft throughout, as aliasing errors throughout and is a few generations down, no mater the age of the footage.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is barely stereo, harsh and you should be careful how loud your playback is.  Extras include a text director’s bio and a fair share of stills covering the woman’s life with captions.

 

For more on Demicheli, try this coverage of his B-movie Ricco – The Mean Machine:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6457/Ricco+The+Mean+Machine+(1973/Dark

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo