Musical Mondays: Evita (1996)

     Evita was released on December 26th, 1996. Adapted from the 1976 concept album by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, it is directed by Alan Parker and written by Parker and Oliver Stone. It tells the true story of Eva Perón (Madonna), the first lady of Argentina from 1946 through 1952, chronicling her rise to fame and her political career.

     From a historical standpoint, Evita is somewhat flawed. Lloyd Webber based his original album on the book Evita: The Woman with the Whip by Mary Main. The historical value of this book has since been brought into question and much of it is sensationalist and unfairly unbalanced in its evaluation of her political career (the author was an staunch anti-Peronist). Because of this, the film paints a decidedly unflattering picture of Eva and her husband's leadership while, in reality, the Peron government achieved some significant reforms and moved the country toward a more democratic form of government. They were certainly not beyond criticism, Juan Peron could be ruthless toward his political enemies and was basically a dictator, albeit a duly elected one, but the Peron's were not the nakedly self-serving leaders the film paints them as.

   The film maps out the main points of Eva's life. The abandonment of her and her mother by her bourgeois father, her acting career in Buenos Ares and her meeting with Juan Peron (Jonathan Pryce), her rise to international fame as the first lady of Argentina, and her death. It subscribes to the popular myth that she was taken to Buenos Ares by a musician named Agustin Magaldi (Jimmy Nail), whose mistress she is. After arriving there, she begins having affairs with various influential men. Meanwhile, a military coup has supplanted the current Argentinian government and Juan Peron has begun rising to power. Eventually Eva meets Peron at a charity concert for victims of the 1944 San Juan earthquake and the two become lovers.

     Peron is arrested by the current administration who feel threatened by his increasing influence with the people but Eva rallies them together labor and they mount a massive protest for Peron's release. After his release elections are held and Peron, with Eva's help, becomes the new President of Argentina. Eva then embarks on the famous "Rainbow Tour" to boost Argentina's international image. Returning to Argentina, Eva establishes a foundation to help the poor. In the last act, she declines the position of vice President offered by her husband when she is diagnosed with cancer. When she dies, millions of people attend her funeral to mourn their departed idol.

     The film is basically about how politicians use their political platform as a stage, manipulating their supporters much in the same way as actors manipulate an audience. As a common poor girl from the streets who rose to the highest position imaginable, Evita gives the people of Argentina hope. They see her as one of them and she uses this trust to help get Juan elected. "He supports you, for he loves you; Understands you, is one of you; If not, how could he love me?" As the first lady, Eva continues to shape her public image and to win the favor of the people. There is a dual image of Evita in this film. The woman who grew up in poverty and tries to use her position of power to give the people some hope, in whatever limited way she can, and the manipulative, self-serving woman who will do or say whatever she feels is necessary top get ahead.

     The film is not so much interested in who Eva was as a person as it is with the public's perception of her, personified in Che (Antonio Banderas), the film's narrator. Throughout the film Che provides wry commentary on Evita's actions, typically characterizing her as a power hungry diva. "Instead of government we had a stage; Instead of ideas, a prima donna's rage." Yet Che sometimes betrays a level of sympathy and even a sneaking admiration for Evita. So the musical is very meta, examining the role of drama in shaping the viewers emotions. Because of this it is somewhat better suited to the stage, where the audience shares the same physical space as the actors in whose hands the audience's suspension of disbelief lies. Film, on the other hand, is a little more complicated, as the actor's performances are really secondary to the cinematography, editing,  and all the various visual storytelling devices a filmmaker may decides to utilize. Because the manipulation of the audience in a movie is more complicated and less direct then in a play, the metaphor of political performance does not come off as strongly here. That's not to say that Evita can't or doesn't work as a film, but the theatre is really the ideal medium for it.

     The music and the lyrics of Evita are just brilliant. This is probably the most sophisticated of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's collaborations together. Lloyd Webber's use of theme is particularly strong here, and the wide range of musical styles employed throughout the score from classical choral pieces ("Requiem for Evita") to rhythmic Latin music ("Buenos Aires") to the composer's signature rock tunes ("Oh What a Circus") to more traditional, Broadway-style, emotionally charged ballads ("Another Suitcase in Another Hall"). Rice's layered, at times overlapping lyrics provide the story with its meta-textual overtones. A new song called "You Must Love Me" was written for the film by Rice and Lloyd Webber, the first new song they'd worked on together in nine years. It's a nice addition, helping to humanize both Eva and Juan to a greater extent. The film also makes a different use of "Another Suitcase in Another Hall", having Eva sing it when Magaldi leaves her behind. This helps to tie the song more closely to Eva's character, so it makes more sense when a passage from it shows up later in "Your Little Body's Slowly Breaking Down".

     The cast is quite strong. Madonna, Pryce and Banderas can all sing quite well (particularly Madonna) and all three are well suited to there roles. Madonna finds the right balance between craftiness and genuine pathos. She's no Patty LuPone but, for a recording artist she does an admirable job. Price is perfectly cast as Juan Peron. The actor has this enigmatic quality to him, combining a slimy unscrupulous disposition with a certain quiet, inner dignity. Banderas is his usual energetic self as Che and puts a lot of passion and sardonic charm into his musical numbers. Alan Parker's direction is a little MTV for my taste, using dutch angles, quick cutting and a minimum use of wides, but it fits the material (this was originally a concept album after all) and the costume and set design is quite impressive.

     Evita is a musical that is, in my opinion, better suited to the stage. Never-the-less, the inherent strength's of Webber and Rice's score still come through on film and, with a strong cast and impressive production value this is probably as good as an adaptation of this material can be.

Score: 8/10

Saturday Evening Cartoons: Mary and the Witch's Flower (2017)

SPOILER WARNING!

     Mary and the Witch's Flower was released on July 8th, 2017. Based on the book The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart it is directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi (The Secret World of Arrietty) and written by Yonebayashi and Riko Sakaguchi. In it Mary Smith (voiced by Ruby Barnhill in the English dub), a young and clumsy young girl from England, has her life turned upside down when she discovers the strange fly-by-night flower, which grants her magical powers, and she is transported to the magical world of Endor College, a school for aspiring witches. There, she becomes embroiled in the evil machinations of the headmistress of the college, Madame (Kate Winslet) and her cohort Doctor Dee (Jim Broadbent).

     Mary and the Witch's Flower is the first feature film released by Studio Ponoc, a new Japanese animation studio formed by former members of Studio Ghilbi. Going in, I was afraid it might just Studio Ghibli-like film, but of lesser quality, much like many of the more recent Pixar films. I'm happy to report that my fears were, at least somewhat, allayed. That's not to say that the film greatly diverges from the general tone and style of a Studio Ghibli film, both visually and story-wise it owes a lot to Hayao Miyazaki, Ghibli's foremost director, but is does stand up as a solid piece of animation in its own right.

     Outside of Miyazaki, this film's biggest source of inspiration is clearly J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. Like Harry, Mary escapes from her boring everyday life to find a wonderful, but dangerous, magical one. Also like Harry, Mary discovers that she has greater heritage then she realized and she goes through a bit of a hero's journey before discovery this. This is where the film falters a little for me, as Mary never really has any personal weaknesses to overcome or lessons to learn.

     The real problem is that, when she is whisked away to Endor College on her broom, Mary is basically forced into a situation where she feels compelled to hide the truth, and she is somewhat justified for doing so. On returning to her own world, she shows no real interest in ever going back to Endor college. She has no heroic motivations or aspirations. Through no real fault of her own, Mary reveals the address of  her neighbor Peter to Madame, who then kidnaps him in order to force Mary to give the witch's flower back. Mary does this only to be betrayed by Madame who imprison both her and Peter until she and Doctor Dee can conduct a dangerous experiment on them using the flower. Mary feels guilty for causing Peter to be captured but, since she did so by accident, it's not a very compelling emotional conflict for her.

     Still relying on on outside sources of power, Mary uses the spell-book she accidentally took from Madame to help her and Peter escape. At this point it is revealed that Aunt Charlotte was once a witch who stole the fly-by-night from Madame and Doctor Dee to put an end to the wicked experiments they did with it. When Peter is captured once again Mary is faced with a choice: abandon him and return home before the power of the fly-by-night fades or attempt to save him and risk never returning. She decides to try and save him only to have her broom broken. This is a low point for her character. Up to now she has relied on magic to get by. Without it she comes close to giving up only to take courage and attempt to save Peter on her own. This is beautifully symbolized by the broom, which picks itself up and tries to hop around, though broken in two.

     Though the film has struggled to give Mary much of an internal struggle up to this point I think this works pretty well. At the beginning of the film she is accident prone and can't seem to do anything right. Because of this, when she first discovers the "fly-by-night" and the magical world of Endor College she relies on the power granted her by the flower to try and impress Madame and Doctor Dee and, later, to escape from them. By placing her in a situation where she can no longer rely on this power, the writers allow Mary to gain a greater sense of self confidence and become a little more assertive.

     The villains could also use a little more fleshing out. Madame and Doctor Dee, we learn, were once good and kind but, when they found the fly-by-night, they were corrupted by the allure of its power. This could potentially be an interesting backstory for them, but we never really understand what exactly the pair hope to accomplish through their experiments. We know that they hope to transform all humans into witches but why exactly? Do they believe that this would benefit humanity in some way? Do they hope to attain fame and power for themselves? It might help if we had a better understanding of how this world worked. Why, exactly, does Endor College exist in a hidden world apart from normal humans? Are there other schools for witches that compete with it? Is there some sort of government or authority to oversee the witches? Do all witches live apart from humanity? Is there any non-magical folk in the normal world who are aware of their existence? The film doesn't tell us any of this.

     While the film's story is lacking in certain aspects, the animation is simply amazing. From the quaint idyllic village where Mary and her Aunt live to the reality bending realm of Endor College, the world of Mary and the Witch's Flower feels fully realized, at least from a visual standpoint. The character work is equal impressive, with some really expressive facial work and dynamic movement, especially during the flying scenes. The score by Takatsugu Muramatsu is emotionally stirring and evocative. There's a really elemental feel to much of it which befits the magical world the film presents.

     While far from perfect, Mary and the Witch's Flower marks a fairly strong start for Studio Ponoc. I look forward to seeing what's in store for the studio in the future.

Score: 8/10

Western Wednesdays: Adios, Sabata (1970)

     The Spaghetti Western genre always contained elements of camp and burlesque. There is a heavy dose of black comedy that pervades Sergio Leone's famed dollars trilogy, particularly in the second installment, For a Few Dollars More. There also tends to be a somewhat rehearsed feeling to much of the action. Lee Van Cleef's Douglas Mortimer dispatches his bounty with a Bond-like coolness and proficiency, going so far as to carry a virtual armory in his saddlebag. As the genre progressed into the late 1960's these elements would become more common and more pronounced. Many Italian directors moved toward outright parody while others would pursue a more tone more in line with late Connery era Bond films, where the reality is heightened to an absurd degree yet everyone in the film takes it completely seriously. The master of this new breed of spaghetti westerns is certainly Gianfranco Parolini, whose earlier film, If You Meet Sartana, Pray for Your Death (1968) helped to establish a new and often imitated approach to the genre.

Lee Van Cleef in Sabata (1969)

     Adios, Sabata followed closely on the heels of Parolini's Sabata (1970), which featured Lee Van Cleef as a more larger-then-life version of his character from For a Few Dollars More. Originally it was intended as a stand-alone piece called Indio Black, but the film was redubbed for international audiences (that is, audiences outside of Italy) after the success of Sabata despite the fact that it starred Yul Brynner instead of Van Cleef. Ironically, Van Cleef turned down the main role instead opting to play Chris in The Magnificent Seven Ride, a role originally played by Brynner.

     The film is set in Mexico at the during the reign of Maximilian I, the brother of Austrian Emperor Joseph I, who took charge of the Mexican monarchy started by Napoleon III of France as part of his attempt to establish an ally in North America. If this sounds complicated, don't worry, the film doesn't attempt to explore the complicated politics of the period in any way, nor should it. The characters and their moralities in Parolini's films are pretty paper thin. You know that Sabata is the good guy because he gives money to monks and poor orphans but, at the same time, he's a loner who has no loyalty to political causes, including that of the revolutionaries who hire him. The villain, and you know he's the villain because he enjoys shooting unarmed prisoners in the back, an Austrian colonel named Skimmel, is played by Gérard Herter. Skimmel attempts to cover up his theft of the emperor's gold by blaming in on Mexican revolutionaries. To do this he has a fake shipment stolen by his own men, dressed up as Mexican bandits. Unbeknownst to Skimmel however, the real Mexican revolutionaries have hired Sabata to help them steal the shipment for themselves.

     The film's action centers around Sabata and his companions, including the  double-dealing, piano playing Ballantine (Dean Reed), the patriotic Escudo (Ignazio Spalla), and the tap dancing Septembre (Sal Borgese), who catapults lead balls with his feet. After seizing the gold shipment from Skimmel's men they spend most of the film running away from hired goons who want the gold for themselves (it is a little unclear who hired them and for what purpose). They eventually discover that the bags they think are filled with gold are actually filled with sand. The climax of the film focuses on their attempt to steal the gold back from Skimmel before he flees over the border with it. Along the way there are many twists, turns and double-crosses. The film ends with a scene reminiscent of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, but punctuated by a moment that could have been pulled from Adam West Batman.

     Parolini's three Sabata films are often referred to as 'circus westerns, as the director delights in presenting over-the-top, comic-book like set-pieces. Adios, Sabata is no slouch in this area. From Sabata's harmonica lever-action rifle (a creation of the film) to Septembre's shoes with built in slingshots, to the Skimmel's model ship with canon's that fire bullets, this film is filled with Bond-like gadgetry and over-the-top acrobatics. The various shootouts usually end (or are escalated) by a character showing up with superior weaponry. Parolini handles these scenes with finesse, though there is some sloppy editing here and there, and Bruno Nicolai's rousing score perfectly captures the lively, tongue-in-the-cheek tone of the film.

     Adios, Sabata may not be a particularly deep film but it is a ton of fun. Featuring strong direction from Parolini, spectacular action scenes, solid performances, and a memorable score I would definitely recommend this film to any fan of the spaghetti western genre, though western purists may be better advised to steer clear.

Score: 8/10

Musical Mondays: Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

     Meet Me in St. Louis was released on February 28th, 1944. It is directed by Vincente Minnelli and stars Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Tom Drake, Leon Ames, Mary Astor, and Lucille Bremer.  In it Esther Smith (Garland), a young lady living with her family in St. Louis, Missouri, falls in love with John Truett (Drake), the boy next door. She and her family are shocked when they find out that their father has been offered a better position in his firm and is planning to uproot the family and move to New York.

     Meet Me in St. Louis is told in a somewhat episodic fashion, split into three seasonal vignettes. The first, taking place in the summer of 1903, introduces the Smiths, a middle class St. Louis family consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Ames and Astor, respectively) their four daughters, Rose (Bremer), Esther, Agnes (Joan Carroll) and Tootie (O'Brien), their son Alonzo Jr. (Henry Daniels) their grandfather (Henry Davenport) and their maid, Katie (Marjorie Main). Esther has a crush on John Truett, the boy next door, who she meets at her family's neighborhood house party. Alonzo, the father and breadwinner of the family, is often kept out of the loop as to the goings on within his home. Much of this first act deals with Esther and John falling in love and with the family's efforts to help Rose receive a long distance call from her beau Warren Sheffield in private. An act which is thwarted by Mr. Smith, who is unaware that his daughter is expecting a call from a suitor.

     The next act, taking place on Halloween of 1903, introduces some conflict into the story as Mr. Smith, arriving home after a rather hectic Halloween, announces his plans to move the family to New York so that he can take advantage of a business opportunity there. Much to his surprise this greatly upsets his family, who have their roots in St. Louis and are loath to leave the city, especially so close the the World's Fair, which will open the following Spring. Ultimately though, the family support their fathers decision to leave.

     The final act, taking place over Christmas, serves as the films climax. Preparing to leave their beloved city for New York after the holiday, the Smith's remain somewhat tense. Rose's boyfriend, Warren, has decided to go to the Christmas Eve ball with Lucile Ballard, the girl her brother Lon wanted to go with. This causes some animosity between the siblings but Esther convinces them to go to the ball together. Esther herself is devastated when John reveals that he won't be able to take her to the ball as his tuxedo's locked up at the tailor's. Hoping to cheer her up Esther's Grandpa offers to take her to the ball himself, an offer she accepts. In the end Lucille Ballard decides to dance with Lon and Warren with Rose, leaving only Esther without her desired partner but John shows up, surprising her, and he proposes to her outside of the ballroom. Esther returns home worried about whether her relationship with John can survive their separation when her family moves away. She comforts Tootie, who is greatly upset about the upcoming move and Mr. Smith, witnessing this, realizes how much leaving the city will affect his family and decides not to take the job in New York. That same night, Warren Sheffield hastily proposes to Rose. The film ends the following Spring, at the opening of the St. Louis World Fair, as the Smiths attend the event together as a family.

     This film is filled to the brim with memorable tunes, some of them being period songs from the time of the St. Louis Exposition and others original songs written, mostly, by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane. From the longing sighs of "The Boy Next Door" to the energetic whimsy of "The Trolley Song" to the warm sentimental tones of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" many of Martin and Blane's songs would go on to become popular standards. Producer Arthur Freed wrote "You and I" a song which serves, in many ways, as the heart of the film, with the mother and father and then the rest of the family uniting, in song in their living room despite their misgivings about moving to New York. The framing of this scene, from Minnelli, is absolutely brilliant, as the children and their grandpa gradually gather around their mother and father, symbolizing the unity of the family. Minnelli, along with cinematographer George J. Folsey give the film a picturesque look, with many shots resembling paintings by Currier and Ives.

     The film is also filled with lively performances. Judy Garland (who met and eventually married Vincente Minneli on the set of this film) is at her most luminous here, with no sign of her later neurotic tendencies. Her voice is, of course, absolutely beautiful and makes me long for the days before autotune, when Hollywood musicals cast actors who could act and sing. Tom Drake is perfect as the earnest boy-next-door John Truett. Leon Ames is surly but lovable as Mr. Smith and Mary Astor brings an air of motherly strength and authority to Mrs. Smith. Harry Davenport is simply wonderful as the sly but benevolent Grandpa. Finally, seven year old Margaret O'Brien nearly steals the show as the mischievous young delinquent, Tootie.

     Meet Me in St. Louis is simply a joy to watch. It paints an idyllic, almost dreamlike picture of turn-of-the-century life in an American town. It's a wonderful blend of music, humor, and drama held together by a touching story about family and community.

Score: 9/10