The average bitrate is 7.51Mb/s, occasionally peaking over 9Mb/s.
The sound also shares a problem with the other titles in that while being filmed
with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, it's merely represented in DD2.0 which
translates to Dolby Surround or ProLogic given the particular amplifier in use.
However, I have to ask why, since Surround/Prologic-only is nothing but a backward
step.
Extras :
Chapters :
There are 30 chapters during the 129-minute film, which covers most of the
main scenes, but there's no trailer, unlike the Region 1 release.
Languages & Lyrics :
Just one language: English - in Dolby Surround, not Dolby Digital. Also, the
disc has potential to allow you to follow the songs with lyrics...but there
are none.
Menu :
An animated, colourful menu highlights with excerpts from each song... is
what would be most welcomed. What we actually get is static and silent
menu with a picture of Maddie ghost-like in the sky.
On inserting the disc, you see the copyright info and the Entertainment In Video
logo and then the film begins without accessing the main menu first. Unlike
Boogie Nights and Wag the Dog, you can't fast-forward past them.
If you go to the menu, clicking on "Play Movie" brings up the EiV logo and then
the film starts. For some reason, whenever I see the EiV logo on this particular
DVD or I Know What You Did Last Summer,
it shimmers like crazy and gives you a headache if you look at it for its full duration.
While there's no doubting the talent when Webber and Rice get together, which
is there to see for everyone when each of Madonna's singles get an airing, plus
Antonio Banderas' rendition of "Oh What A Circus", the film doesn't make
for easy viewing in one sitting as only a small amount of spoken dialogue makes
the barrage of songs rather overpowering. Fans of Webber and Rice should also
note that a stage production of
Cats
is available on DVD too.
It's just a shame that this DVD release has wasted what could have been a
golden opportunity in telling us the story behind Evita, how it went from
stage to screen, perhaps in a separate commentary track from Webber, Rice and
Parker. But no, not even a trailer and in similar fashion to
I Know What You Did Last Summer,
I could build a better menu selection screen out of building blocks than that
presented here, so this disc cannot be recommended as it is such a missed
opportunity and why on earth is it £19.99 when the content is on a
par with the aforementioned slasher-flick?
Trivia fans: Not only does the then-up-and-coming Corrs lead singer, Andrea
Corr appear as Peron's mistress in this film, but she also features in
Parker's 1991 music-comedy The Commitments, where she had a cameo as
Jimmy's little sister at the tender age of 15.
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
