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Summary: A compelling visual history of a fascinating woman
Review: "Evita: An Intimate Portrait of Eva Peron," edited by Tomas de Elia and Juan Pablo Quieroz, brings together a wealth of black-and-white photographs of Eva Peron, the legendary first lady of Argentina. The editors note in their preface that with the 1955 overthrow of Eva's husband, President Juan Peron, much visual material related to this controversial woman was destroyed. Thus, this book has significant historical and sociological value.We see the full span of the woman's extraordinary life: Eva as a child, aspiring actress, wife, and triumphant first lady. There are "glamour shot" portraits, candid photos, magazine covers, stills from film productions, and more. We see Eva and her husband, as well as her interaction with adoring crowds. Eva is a consistently fascinating subject: whether fiery, starry-eyed, thoughtful, amused, determined, or serene, you can see why she continues to captivate so many imaginations. The text portions of the book are very positive towards Eva. If you have been intrigued by the Broadway musical and motion picture about her life, or by other media about her, I definitely recommend this book.
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Summary: A MUST for every Evita devotee!!
Review: A book as special and outstanding as Eva Person herself. If you are a fan of this lady, this is the right choice for you. Rare photographs, intelligent commentaries, excellent printing quality. The two authors surely did a fine job with this book.
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Summary: Can pictures of the controversial Argentinian Madonna lie?
Review: As a photographic biography of an individual who died about a decade before bographies were featured on mass television, this book is magnificent. The Argentinian publishers painstakingly compiled nearly 200 pages of many elusive photos of this controversial Argentinian icon - all in black and white, and of surprisingly impeccable quality. One of the auhtors is an academic who provides much of the narrative, and fills an important gap in the literature on Eva Peron. Their treatment shows a clear sympathetic bias which should be recognized by any unwitting reader who may be unaware of the deeply split views of Eva Peron which still previal in Argentina and of the political movement that she and her husband created. You may, like myself, have enjoyed the brilliant Lloyd and Weber musical about Evita's musical life one or more times. If so, you will find these photos will provide some complementary historical insight to the dramatic performance and parallels the performance - although they two are unrealted, as far as I know. Like the musical, this book captures photos from Eva's childhood in a remote provincial pueblo in the pampas through her meteoric rise to stardom in Buenos Aires and ultimately to Argentina's First Lady. Perhaps most remarkable are the photos of her final months where, despite her cancer-ridden state and growing frailty, she continues public appearances and political campaigns. If you are interested in this book, I would recommend you avoid the expense of a new copy by looking for one of the many high-quality second-hand copies available. I found my copy by accident ...for [money amount]!
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Summary: A Latin Beauty with Brains & Power- The Perfect woman.
Review: Before Princess Diana, before Jackie O, even before Princess Grace, Eva "Evita" Peron made a name for herself in the international spotlight as a symbol of elegance, ambition and power. Although not always favourable to her character, the world press was intrigued by her obvious glamour. While the Peronist Argentine media labelled her with saintly nicknames such as "The Lady of Hope" and "Mother of the Poor", international correspondents used terms that were less meaningful and more shallow. She became known as "The Dashing Blonde" in the US while the french press labelled her as "La Belle Blonde D'Argentina". Argentina's first cover girl- Eva Peron's lovely face has graced more magazine covers around the globe than any other female Latin American political leader in history. She's also the only Latin American First Lady to have had the honour of gracing the coveted cover of TIME magazine- in June of 1947 and with her husband in 1951. This may not seem like a big deal NOW but at the time, it was a honour indeed and it should be noted that throughout the 30's & 40's not many woman made the cover of TIME magazine. In 1947 for instance, only a handful of women (6 - according to a source) made the cover that year - If I'm not mistaken Eva Peron was the third. Flipping through the thick pages of this book, it's not hard to see why so many were fascinated by this striking but controversial woman who wore expensive clothes, decorated herself with diamonds and wrapped her femininity in elaborate fur coats. But solely praising her for her looks is missing the point since it was her larger than life persona, her numerous works with Argentina's poor and her meteoric rise from obscurity to power that has kept her name and legacy alive. This visually informative book is one of the BEST books there is on Maria Eva Duarte de Peron. It offer's an in-depth look into her life using high quality glossy prints. Many of the images presented inside the book are striking photographs of Eva's handsome face with her golden blonde hair and it's metallic sheen either swept up into elaborate coils & curls or pulled back into it's trademark chignon or (in a couple of images) let loose to cascade over her shoulders. Her intoxicating beauty is evident and is the main showcase here but while most of these pictures show her at her most beautiful, others show us her lamentable decline as well. The once delectable body and face gave way to an extremely thin and frail woman with sad eyes and colourless skin. Her swift rise and rapid descent are all displayed infront of our curious eyes. For those of you who love Evita, it will definately arouse some type of emotion seeing her during her final struggles. For those of you who despise her, it might give you a sense of relief that this powerful & vulgar woman was finally silenced in death. Stikingly original and visually rousing, this book is highly recommended to anyone who is interested in learning more about the life and times of this remarkable but controversial figure (altough the book itself maybe a little TOO expensive for the casual curiosity seeker, in that case I recommend buying a good used copy). It's also one of the rare PRO EVITA books (in English) that offers such clear, good quality photos of the subject. It offers a brief intro and briography but the main attraction are the photographs. You will see Eva's life from the earliest childhood photos to the last Cancer Stricken photos. Her incredible matamorphesis, her incredible acheivements and her awesome gowns and jewels are all displayed within the pages of this interesting book. My only problem with it though is that despite the amazing amount of photographs, I was still left unsatisfied. The reason being is that there are HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of beautiful photo's from Eva's artistic career but the ones they chose to display are the ones we have already seen. The same goes with the photo's taken of her in Europe and of her candid moments. The book claims that many of the photographs have never been seen before but that is true only of her childhood photos, all of the other ones have been published before in several magazines and books. That said, it's still THE BEST photographic Book ever released in North America. The only other ones that come close are ALL visciously one-sided ANTI PERONIST accounts- Lloyd Weber's and Tim Rice's EVITA: THE LEGEND OF EVA PERON & W.A Harbinson's awful EVITA: A LEGEND FOR THE SEVENTIES- the latter remains the WORST biography ever written on the subject and was re-released as EVITA SAINT OR SINNER in 1996 however only the original 70's version contains an amazing collection of photos which is the only reason it's recomended. And for closing, I am quoting my Chilean Aunts mother (who lived in Argentina during the first Peronist Period): "I saw her from the distance and to this day I have never seen a woman more beautiful. She was and is a Goddess. Everything about her was larger than life. She looked my way and her dark eyes pierced my soul. I will never forget her look." This book offers a glimpse of the awesome power this remarkable woman had in life and still holds 50 years after her tragic demise.
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Summary: UNFORGETTABLE! IRRESISTABLE! A visual feast!
Review: Eva Peron was at a time, one of the most photographed woman in the world (to date, she remains the only Latin American First Lady to appear on the cover of TIME magazine). Looking at this book, it's not hard to see why. A strikingly attractive and elegant woman- she possessed a rare, fragile beauty that is clearly evident in these glossy black and white photographs. Those looking for an in depth biography of this influential woman may be disapointed in the lack of information (the book does include a brief biography and each photograph contain notes and factual information pertaining to that particular photo) but considering the numerous in depth biographies out there, a book like this is a refreshing change. Respectful, accurate and a visual delight, this book is sure to please her legion of admirers- old and new. Highly recommended.
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Summary: The best photographic biography about Evita
Review: EVITA: AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF EVA PERON is the best photographic record available of Eva Peron, First Lady of Argentina from 1946 to 1952. ("Evita," meaning "Little Eva," was her nickname.) Evita lived in a time before television was widely used, and since she was a politician she did not have many spreads in glossy magazines (once she became First Lady, her "cheesecake" portraits - taken while she was an actress - were supressed, though some are reprinted here). Therefore, most of her pictures were used in newspapers, giving them a grainy feel. Often, the quality of pictures you find of Evita seem to be much poorer quality than what you would expect from something taken merely 50 years ago. EVITA: AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF EVA PERON is an exception, perhaps the best exception I have ever found. Most of these pictures are clear and crisp, though they are all black-and-white. One thing this collection of pictures reveals is that Evita truly was not what would be considered a conventionally beautiful woman. She was certainly beautiful in her publicity photos and propaganda portraits (some of which are reproduced here). But in a day-to-day setting - such as the enclosed pictures that depict her having lunch, leaning against her dresser, yelling at a policeman for obstructing a youth's access to her - she was a somewhat awkward, even at times homely, woman. But she was a master of image. As Nicholas Fraser and Marysa Navarro point out in EVITA: THE REAL LIFE OF EVA PERON, she had an astonishing instinct, almost a sixth sense, for knowing how image affected people. This talent of hers is demonstrated when one constrasts the behind-the-scenes pictures of her as an awkward woman, with those gorgeous photos of Peronist propaganda. She wasn't a conventionally beautiful woman, but she knew how to make it seem as though she were. She has all the glamour of Marilyn Monroe and Lady Di. The portions of EVITA: AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF EVA PERON that I found most interesting, and most haunting, were of Eva as a young girl in her hometown of Junin, and the pictures taken of her shortly before her death. There is one particularly chilling scene of Evita, reduced to a mere 77 pounds by the cancer that had invaded her body, standing on the balcony of the government house to greet the tens of thousands gathered below. She spoke, yelled, actually, about taking justice into her own hands, warning her political enemies of the day that she would "go forth with the poor of the country and leave no brick standing that is not standing for Peron!" The rise from poverty, the contrasts, the extremes ... it's all palpable in these pictures. This woman was a genius.
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Summary: Stunning. A Glossy tribute to the late, great Eva Peron!
Review: Extraordinary and hauntingly beautiful! These words which can easily describe Eva Peron herself can also be used to describe this book. The full page photographs are stunning and show every aspect of Eva Peron's life. Her physical transformation and her larger than life story are cleary displayed within it's pages. The book offers a brief biography but who wants to read when you can look at excellent, never before seen photographs of the former Argentine First Lady in all the slendour of her beauty. It is a shame that books like this are hard to come by and I was unable to find a copy here in Canada. The handsome black and white photographs more than make up for the high cost of the book. Fascinating and visually stimulating!
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Summary: The Best of All The Evita Books
Review: I have every Evita book on the market, and this tops them all. Full of beautiful pictures and information that has never been released. A must for every Evita fan.
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Summary: A gorgeous book !
Review: I have looked over the book many times now and each time I am more impressed. The authors have done a fabulous job. BRAVO !
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Summary: Beautiful photos but not much of a biography
Review: If you are looking for new pictures of Evita, look no farther. On the other hand, if you want to learn about the woman there are other books more deserving. The photos in this book are wonderful, most not published elsewhere. All are accompanied by a brief caption. They are the only part of this book worthy of my time. Out of nearly 200 pages in this book, there are a scant 7 pages devoted to a biography. The biography itself should appeal to ardent fans of Evita but not to her detractors. The most insulting part of the biographical material was when the authors wrote of her parents relationship in such a manner that if one did not know otherwise, one would assume her parents were married. There is no need for such obviously spin doctoring in writng this book and it undermines the authors credibility. In Evita's day, the illegitimacy issue was a scandalous matter, today that is hardly the case, besides, the truth is well known. On the whole, I found little if any new information about Evita in this book. But then again, in a mere 7 pages how much could one expect to find. This book is the only experience I've had where if I had first seen the book before buying it I would have elected not to make the purchase, yet I did truly enjoy the pictures.
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