I am not a Madonna fan, although I have always thought Antonio Banderas was an underrated actor. I am not high on musicals, yet the film version of Evita is probably the best musical ever filmed (or, at least tied with Moulin Rouge).
Why?
Simple. It totally throws itself into the artifice of a musical. There is not a single spoken word (I believe) in the whole film. The big problem with musicals is the faux idea that people in normal lives will all of a sudden break out into song.
No, does not work.
Evita does not even try, and that's a good thing. It's a non-stop roller coaster- more so than any action flick ever made.
Here's the trailer:
