

The hit musical based on the life of Evita Duarte, an Argentinian actress who eventually became the wife of Argentinian president Juan Perón, and the most beloved and hated woman in Argentina.
Costume
35,000 costumes and Madonna's wig budget alone could fund a small nation.
Cinematography
That Buenos Aires balcony scene—iconic, even if the real Eva never looked this good.
Score
Webber and Rice at their most earworm-y, for better and cursed.

Director
Alan Parker
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Madonna lobbied for the role for over a decade, sending Parker a four-page letter and her own documentary about Argentina. Meryl Streep was originally cast.
The film premiered in Buenos Aires to protests—Perónists hated the prostitution backstory, while anti-Perónists hated the glamorization. Argentina banned it from theatres for months.