EMB Entertainment

EVITA
DIALOGUE LIST

screenplay by
Eduardo Montes-Bradley
in collaboration with Nelson Montes-Bradley consultant Ismael Viñas
edited by Emiliano Serra produced by Soledad Liendo
directed by Eduardo Montes-Bradley

Property of Eduardo Montes-Bradley
1835 Hallandale Beach Blvd. Suite 328, Hallandale Beach, FL 33009. USA

Esc. 1   NARRATOR: It was here, at La Unión, two hundred miles west of Buenos Aires, that JUAN DUARTE spent six months of every year away from home. During these long months, Duarte grew close to one of his employees: Juana Ibarguren. Although never legally married, Juana bore Duarte five children. The youngest was bo on May 7th 1919, with the help of midwife Juana Guaiquil, a Native American from the Mapuche Nation, former owners of these lands before the arrival of the white settlers from Buenos Aires.

Esc. 2   NARRATOR: The newbo would live a brief but stormy life. She would rise from poverty to power and lead Argentina into the second half of the Twentieth Century. She would divide public opinion and accomplish what no other woman in Argentina had ever done. They named her Maria Eva, but the world would come to know her as EVITA.

Esc. 3   NARRATOR: The Great War proved to be good for Argentine exports. In Europe, grain and meat were in high demand. Duarte, like most of his rural neighbours, profited from the conflict. After Germany’s capitulation, the tides tued, inteational prices dropped, and the Argentine economy lost momentum. Good times were coming to an end and - to make things worse, Hipólito YRIGOYEN, representing the interests of the sons and daughters of immigrant workers, had been elected president of Argentina.

Esc. 4   NARRATOR: Evita was just a year old when her father was forced to leave La Union and relocate with Juana and their five children. Duarte was offered a job in neighbouring Quiroga, a dot on the map in the middle of the Pampas. The experience was short-lived, and twelve months later, Duarte declared bankruptcy, his assets were sold at public auction and the adventure was over. Juana and the children moved to a small two-room-brick-house in Los Toldos and Duarte retued to CHIVILCOY where his legitimate wife Adela and their three children waited for his retu.

Esc. 5   NARRATOR: Los Toldos, Juana Ibarguren’s hometown, was a quiet, rural town of 3,000 - with a local theatre and a rail station that linked the village to the rest of the country. In Spanish, Los Toldos means “the tents”. It was the name given to the settlement near the reservation of chief COLIQUEO.

Esc. 6   NARRATOR: The house in Los Toldos is today a museum to the memory of Evita. In the 1920’s, it was located near the rail station - not far from the main square. Bedroom and living quarters were one and the same. A separate room served as the kitchen. It remains a mystery whether Juan Duarte ever came to visit; although it is reasonable to believe he did helped financially.

Esc. 7   NARRATOR: Despite hardships, things were going well in Los Toldos for “The Small Tribe” – as Juana often referred to herself and her five children. Working as a freelance seamstress helped Juana pay the rent and send the children to school. Religion played an important roll in The family’s life. A picture of Evita - taken the day of her first Communion at the local church - is probably the only proof left of her early devotion, although it was common knowledge among the neighbours that the littlest one was obsessed with the supeatural, God and particularly with the Virgin Mary. On January 8th 1926, Juana leaed that her former boss - and the father of her children - had died in a car accident – only the day before. Again, life was changing, and the future was now more uncertain than ever.

Esc. 8   NARRATOR: The following moing “The Small Tribe” boarded the train to Chivilcoy. The families knew of each other’s existence and yet the rules were strict: The “illegitimate” were not to cross the line – and that is exactly what Juana was about to do. Rumour has it that when the unwelcome reached Duarte’s gates they were insulted and humiliated. Finally, after negotiating terms, they were allowed in - while the rest of the mouers waited – indignant - in a separate room. Evita, then just seven years old, took a last and unique glance at her father, a man she hardly knew.

Esc. 9   NARRATOR: Word of the tragedy in Chivilcoy spread quickly spread and life in Los Toldos became unbearable. Becoming socially accepted was a full time job - and Juana was not succeeding. Evita had fallen behind at school and her sisters - along with her brother, Juan - became the family breadwinners. The world around “The Small Tribe” was falling apart - just as the big picture was showing signs of distress: Argentina - and the world - were now heading towards a major recession.

Esc. 10   NARRATOR: In October of 1929, the US Stock Market crash triggered a worldwide economic collapse. The news spread across Europe and South America with devastating effect. The shockwaves of the Great Depression battered the Stock Exchange in Buenos Aires – and it was worse in the rural areas. Argentina was badly hurt as crop prices plunged by fifty percent. High unemployment forced many nations in Europe and South America to set up public relief programs - and the political scenario quickly polarized. Capitalism and Democracy were widely perceived as the source of all evils. Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini were proposing a new agenda, a New World Order. Once again, the world stood at the brink of war.

Esc. 11   NARRATOR: Argentina was closely following developments across the Atlantic. The working class felt close to the struggle of the Soviet Union, while the middle and upper classes were divided over their sympathies for the Allies and the axis of Nazi-Fascism. The Argentine Armed Forces, clearly influenced by their German and Italian counterparts, found inspiration in the stand-off of the latter against the threat of Liberals, Jews and Capitalism-at-large. In September of 1930, a pro-fascist coup lead by General URIBURU inaugurated an era of military intolerance, pseudo-democratic govements and puppet regimes that would last almost half a century. Argentina was now marching to the drums of Fascist Rome and Nazi Berlin.

Esc. 12   NARRATOR: By September 1930, Juana and her children had moved from Los Toldos. Following the railroad on a straight path to the North, “The Small Tribe” relocated to the city of Junín, where Juana opened a boarding house popular among salesmen, army officers and federal bureaucrats away from home.

Esc. 13   ELSA SABELLA: In Spanish. Dubbed: Evita’s family came from Los Toldos and settled here, in Junin. The family group consisted of Juana Ibarguren de Duarte, Evita’s brother Juan, Evita and her sisters Elisa, Blanca and Erminda - also known as “Yiya”.

Esc. 14   NARRATOR: The following year, Evita was enrolled in the third grade at the local school, a magnificent neoclassic building on the main square, facing the church and the City Hall. Miss. Palmyra Repetti, Evita’s sixth grade teacher recalled many years later that unique, intelligent and beautiful young girl.

Esc. 15   PALMYRA REPETTI: In Spanish. Dubbed: She was tall, slim and brunette; a little-lady, vivacious and intelligent. She lived nearby, on the south edge of town. In her own way, Evita was unique and free-spirited. She would often sneak-out of class, and if I wanted to know where she had gone, the answer often was: “She has left, Miss Palmira. She has left”

Esc. 16   NARRATOR: Junín was a (significant) cultural centre in the middle of the Pampas. Major figures of the Buenos Aires Music Hall routinely passed through Junin on tour -performing live in front of the microphones of the local RADIO PRIETO. Evita spent endless hours listening to Argentina’s favourite musicals and melodramas - daydreaming to the sound of foxtrots and tango of the Nineteen Thirties. On weekends, dance floors were packed and Caival at the Crystal Palace was a main attraction.

Esc. 17   NARRATOR: Eventually, the ghosts from Los Toldos caught up with the family. Some of Evita’s classmates would admit, years later, to what everyone else knew: Illegitimate children were cursed and sinful - a bad example in good Catholic society. Despite the glamour and the extravagance of the Thirties, the secrets of the past were back to haunt Juana and the children.

Esc. 18   ELSA SABELLA: In Spanish. Dubbed: The kids at school didn’t care for Evita. Given the circumstances, it made sense. Back then, in the provinces, to be conceived out of wedlock meant to be cursed. Evita had reasons to feel hurt and resentful. Although Evita never said a word to me, I know she suffered as a consequence of the relationship between her mother and Juan Duarte.

Esc. 19   NARRATOR: By the age of 15, Evita had dropped out of school and was obsessed with the idea of some day becoming a “star”. She would sit in the dark at the local cinema – memorizing the lines of her favourite stars.

Esc. 20   ELSA SABELLA: In Spanish. Dubbed: We were good “confidants”. One time she mentioned that she wanted to go to Buenos Aires to become a radio or movie star.

Esc. 21   PALMYRA REPETTI: In Spanish. Dubbed: Oh, Yes! She wanted to be an “artiste”. She joined all the school plays and the other teachers would call me when they needed talent for their plays. “Palmyra, why don’t you send us la Duarte? They called her “La Duarte”.

Esc. 22   NARRATOR: The magazines and the silver screen offered choices not commonly available in Junin. It was unfair competition. Opportunities at hand were limited to a small part in local play, making announcements on RADIO PRIETO - or a quiet life next to husband and children. That was not what Evita had in mind -- and if she was ever going to make it, she had to escape before it was too late. Goodbye Junin, Hello Buenos Aires.

Esc. 23   NARRATOR: Evita arrived in the capital of Argentina in the summer of 1935. The financial crisis of the early Thirties was almost over and Buenos Aires, an inteational metropolis of two million, was undergoing a major facelift. City blocks were being demolished to open the way for major avenues, and traffic was becoming a permanent fixture. The Graf-Zeppelin paid a visit just a year earlier - and Tango had become a major hit on Broadway and the Champs-Élysées - placing Argentina firmly on the entertainment map of the World. A two hundred and twenty foot obelisk was erected to celebrate the coming of a New Era. The scenario was ideal for a newcomer fresh-of-the-Pampas looking to make it in the big city. Evita was only sixteen, she was beautiful, and she was determined to make a name for herself.

Esc. 24   NARRATOR: In March of 1935, Eva Duarte got her first break, a small role in a vaudeville show. The following year she played another supporting role in the local version of Lillian Hellman’s play “Little Foxes”. Evita was finally working in the theatre, but the pay did not cover the high cost of living in Buenos Aires. Like so many other girls trying to make it in show business, she often resorted to dating those who could afford a good meal. Evita carefully choose her occasional dates. In a short time, she managed to meet some influential men who recognized her potential and were willing to help.

Esc. 25   NARRATOR: SAMUEL YANKELEVICH, owner of a major broadcast station, was among the first and most powerful. YANKELEVICH gave Evita her first opportunity in front of a live audience. It was a major break. EMILIO KARTULOWICZ, publisher of Sintonía magazine, boosted her image with the publication of a few articles - and Evita’s picture appeared on the cover of the magazine she regarded as the bible for success. Each new acquaintance became a step in the right direction. Soon she was answering calls for modeling jobs, publicity and advertising. The photos taken during this period prove that the sixteen year-old was now tuing into a beautiful young woman. In 1937 Evita appeared briefly in the motion picture “Seconds Out” a film directed by CHAS DE CRUZ, a local celebrity. Then, more theatre and radio - and more secondary roles in “B” movies. Five years after landing in Buenos Aires, Evita was steadily climbing a ladder that would lead to the greatest accumulation of influence and power ever accomplished by any woman in the history of Argentina.

Esc. 26   NARRATOR: On September 1st, 1939, Germany invaded Poland triggering the onset of World War II. Argentina, populated mainly by European immigrants, followed the developments in every newspaper headline and radio broadcast. News from the front lines came with frightening reports from the BBC, Radio Moscow and the Voice of America. Radios had become a must in every household - and the conflict, so deeply affecting the local population - wasn’t the only thing striking the heart of the Argentine family. Radio melodramas were increasingly popular and Evita’s voice was starting to fill the airwaves. Her semi-celebrity status brought her close to the Minister of Radio and Communications, Colonel ANIBAL IMBERT - and the two of them began a somewhat serious romance. With Colonel IMBERT by her side, Evita won a salary increase and a string of new contacts with high-ranking officers - in a country where uniforms were not only fashionable but also extremely helpful.

Esc. 27   NARRATOR: On June 4th, 1943 a military putsch lead by General ARTURO RAWSON ousted President RAMON CASTILLO. General Rawson resigned after two days when his anti-conservative views and his support of the United Nations won no military backing. Argentina was now heading towards Fascism with the cadence of a military goose-step. General PEDRO RAMÍREZ replaced Rawson as president. Ramírez maintained neutrality in the war but faced increasing opposition from all political groups except the nationalist right wing. He outlawed political parties, silenced the press, and vertically organized labor unions in a Mussolini-styled labor front - arresting without warrant and imprisoning without trial. Among the top-ranking officers of the new regime was a handsome, tall and charismatic officer who would climb swiftly through the ranks to become, in less than three years, the most popular political figure of Argentina. His name: JUAN DOMINGO PERÓN. Colonel PERÓN.

Esc. 28   NEWSREEL: (subtitles). The Hope is back in every home; The sun shines with renewed strength, And the beautiful flag of the Argentine people flies proud and majestic, over land and sea.

Esc. 29   NEWSREEL: (subtitles). Argentina mous after the devastating earthquake that shook the city of San Juan last January 15th.

Esc. 30   NARRATOR: In January of 1944, an earthquake devastated the weste city of San Juan. The military was quick to tu the tragedy into an opportunity for govement propaganda and Colonel Perón was appointed head of relief operations. Perón organized a festival to benefit the victims – held at Luna Park arena in downtown Buenos Aires.

Esc. 31   ARNALDO MANCIONE: In Spanish. Dubbed: The arena was packed. It was a full house. We were there with the rest of the newsreel crews getting interviews. Suddenly I run into Rita Molina and Eva Duarte. They asked if I could help them bypass security. It was almost impossible. Then I saw my cousin Homero Manzi and asked him if there was anything he could do. Eva Duarte and Rita Molina were almost immediately in. Once inside and seeing how crowded it was, Eva asked Homero where could they sit. He pointed out two seats next to Imbert and Perón. I have no idea how they got through the crowd but they did. It was that night that Eva meet Perón.

Esc. 32   NARRATOR: Perón was a new challenge. It would tu out to be a match made in Heaven: Cinderella and Prince Charming. Colonel Perón was much more than Evita had hoped for. He was handsome, twice her age, in charge of the rising regime and a father figure, not only to Evita, but to the entire Nation as well.

Esc. 33   NARRATOR: Evita wasted no time. That same night, after the festival, the young actress and the handsome Colonel drove 20 miles to the river resort of Tigre, in the muddy Delta waterways. The following moing Evita arrived for work in a limousine reserved for the War Ministry.

Esc. 34   NARRATOR: On January 26th, 1944, President RAMIREZ broke off diplomatic relations with Germany and Japan. The move was a direct
response to diplomatic pressure from the Allies and seriously affected Ramirez’s credibility among the high-ranking officers still clearly in favour of the Fascist regimes. Ramirez was soon removed by a coup and the presidency was tued over to General EDELMIRO FARRELL - a candidate less-inclined to confront Berlin. Next to Farrell, Perón would accumulate unprecedented power. In a short period, he was appointed Secretary of War, Secretary of Work and Social Welfare and Vice-president. Perón would ultimately hold all three titles –simultaneously.

Esc. 35   NARRATOR: Perón and Eva Duarte soon became an item. The affaire made it impossible to ignore her at castings and auditions. After all, she was now the girlfriend of the most powerful man in Argentina. Evita was soon hired for a co-leading role in a new motion picture starring the well-known LIBERTAD LAMARQUE. Margarita BRONDOLO, then Assistant Editor at the Studios San Miguel, recalls Evita’s first day on the set:

Esc. 36   MARGARITA BRONDOLO: In Spanish. Dubbed: It happened very early one day. Eva Duarte came in for makeup and hair before Libertad Lamarque. Noticing she was there first, Evita (occupied) took the dressing room reserved for Lamarque - who was indeed the film’s leading lady and a major star. The next thing I know, Lamarque shows up and all Hell broke loose. I can’t even begin to tell you. Some say they pulled each other by their hair - but I can assure you - they screamed very loud at each other.

Esc. 37   NARRATOR: On March 27th 1945, Argentina finally declared war on Germany and Japan. Six weeks later Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allied Forces. The defeat of the Third Reich forced Farrell and Perón to implement concessions. Most ultra-nationalist elements were replaced immediately - to appease growing criticism coming from the United States and Great Britain.

Esc. 38   NARRATOR: With Perón’s support, Evita managed to recommend a handful of loyal friends to high-ranking govement positions. OSCAR NICOLINI, Juana Ibarguren’s boyfriend, became Director of the National Post Office - controlling all major communications. Nicolini would eventually play a key role in the nationalization of radio stations - providing Perón and Evita with the tools to seduce the Nation. OSCAR LOMUTO, another friend, was appointed Under-secretary of Information; playwright JOSE MUÑOZ ASPIRI was designated Head of Propaganda and JUAN DUARTE, Evita’s brother, became Peron’s Private Secretary - and the man in charge of all of the Colonel’s transactions, both public and private. Evita was beginning to make her influence felt in the creation of an articulate and extremely powerful State.

Esc. 39   NARRATOR: Five years earlier Evita had written to her mother in Junin that she was not going to come back until she had conquered the big city. Now - she had, and there was no going back. Juan, was already in Buenos Aires and rest of her siblings soon joined her. The saga that began at the hacienda La Union twenty-six years earlier, had reached the end of the tracks. The Small Tribe was reunited at last.

Esc. 40   NARRATOR: By 1945, Universities across the country were brought under direct control of the Federal Govement. Right wing elements - close to the Catholic Church - were appointed by Perón to most Faculties. In response, campuses became a focus for resistance. Students and professors were beaten and incarcerated. The Socialist Party rallied in celebration of the liberation of Paris, calling for “Freedom and Liberty” - and an end to the dictatorship. The war in Europe was over; but the developments in Argentina were perceived as a continuation of the conflict overseas.

Esc. 41   NARRATOR: Misled into believing that Perón was going out of style like most European Fascists, a group of liberal officers hatched a plot to oust Perón. There was little support President Farrell could lend Peron to avoid the outcome if he was to remain in charge. On October 9th, 1945, Perón was forced to resign. Two days later, the Colonel and Evita once again, took refuge in the Tigre where they had spent their first night together. The escape was short-lived - and the following moing Perón was apprehended and spent the next days under house arrest in Martin Garcia, a mosquito-infested island off the coast of Buenos Aires. Immediately after Peron’s arrest, Evita was fired from her job at the radio. Her quest for glory was virtually over. Her last film, “The Prodigy”, was not even released. It was time for Eva Duarte to write, direct and star in her own film - in the role of a lifetime, as Evita.

Esc. 42   NARRATOR: Perón wrote a handful of letters from house arrest in Martin Garcia. At least two of the letters show Perón’s devotion: Today” –he wrote, “I have written to Farrell, asking to accelerate my retirement. As soon as I get out, we'll get married and go someplace to live in peace.” This idea scared the living daylights out of the young actress - who hadn’t come this far only to settle for a good marriage and a quiet life in the countryside. If Evita was to get her show on the road, Perón had to be free. Under the false pretext that he needed medical attention, President Farrell arranged for the release of his friend, who was quickly taken to the Veteran’s Hospital in Buenos Aires.

Esc. 43   NARRATOR: On October 17th, 1945, thousands marched demanding the immediate release of Perón. The Armed Forces, fearing a blood bath, stood still. The Police, unable to restrain the crowd, watched as they poured into the city. The ruling elite felt as if the Bastille was about to be torched and the Winter Palace stormed by a mob determined to change the course of History. Argentina - as it was known - would never be the same.

Esc. 44   NARRATOR: After much deliberation, Farrell called upon Perón. If anyone was going to tell the crowds outside the Presidential Palace to disperse and go home, it was him. Perón agreed. In exchange, Farrell would call for presidential elections within four months. The arrangement satisfied the liberal wing of the armed forces, which had greatly underestimated Perón’s ability to survive. The Colonel was no longer contemplating retirement.

Esc. 45   NARRATOR: The road to the presidency was now clear. However, Evita had no plans to be the mistress of the next President. Before the wedding. Evita managed to have her birth certificate destroyed, along with any evidence that would have prevented an army officer from marrying an “illegitimate” child. The new documents would show Evita to be three years younger. This was not a matter of vanity; rather, it legitimized Evita’s birth - since by 1922, her father; Juan Duarte, had become a widower rendering his relationship with Juana Ibarguren - legitimate. This was the first, but not the last time that Evita would use her power to change the Official Story. She and Perón were married in Junín on October 22nd, 1945 and, a few weeks later, exchanged vows in a semi-secret religious ceremony at Saint Francis Church in the city of La Plata

Esc. 46   NARRATOR: On March 24th, 1946 Farrell’s promise of a presidential election materialized. Perón and his newly-created Labour Party campaigned on a platform of fervent patriotism. Capitalism and Communism were portrayed as two sides of the same coin - and Perón was offering himself as an alteative to both. Spruille BRADEN, the American ambassador, openly spoke against Perón, ultimately adding to the argument that imperialist forces were behind the opposition. Braden o Perón” became the Labour Party’s campaign slogan. Argentina finally went to the polls and Perón prevailed. He was now the new President and Evita, the most powerful woman in Argentina.

Esc. 47   NARRATOR: The day Perón took office, the vaults at the Central Bank were loaded - after years of gold bullion, contraband and Nazi refugee deposits. The cast and budget were now in place. Evita, standing next to Perón, addressed the crowd from the balcony of Casa Rosada -the presidential palace. That day marked Evita’s debut, Scene ONE, take ONE of the most fascinating and yet frightening show ever made in Argentina.

Esc. 48   NARRATOR: As First Lady, Evita spent hours debating and listening to Union delegates from all over the country. She was witty and streetwise - and felt she knew the hearts and minds of the workers. Evita’s lack of formal education played in her favour – helping to build and consolidate a close relationship with the Union bosses, who associated levels of literacy with the wrong-doings of the ruling-class. Everything Evita said and did was recorded on film - and the newsreels were delivered to theatres all over the country. She not only was a star in the leading role of a lifetime, she was also getting more publicity than AVA GARDNER or GINGER ROGERS; all courtesy of the State propaganda machine.

Esc. 49   NEWSREEL: (subtitle) Evita lived through a tireless routine. She was always first to answer a call in distress and was a worthy patron of the Arts.

Esc. 50   NARRATOR: Two years had passed since the end of WWII and Argentina needed to make amends within the European community. Something had to be done, and Evita seemed the perfect ambassador. The role called for a new look. Beautiful and blonde were fashionable. Jewellery, furs, designer clothes and expensive cars would make up for all Evita had missed before - and the people loved it. An illegitimate child of a failed relationship between a middle class businessman and his servant had made it to the top and she looked like a million dollars.

Esc. 51   NARRATOR: In June of 1947 Eva Duarte embarked on what she called The Rainbow Tour. The first stop was Madrid, capital of Franco’s post-war Spain. Franco welcomed the First Lady with all the honours. Thousands of cheering Spaniards poured onto the streets of Madrid. Italy was next. For the first time a woman was greeted at the Roman City Hall with the honours of a foreign dignitary. The Italian press labelled Evita “La Signora Presidentessa”. While at the Vatican, the Holy Father requested the First Lady to provide sanctuary for a handful of Croatian war criminals who, later joined the former-Nazis already in Argentina training Federal and State Secret Police. Lisbon was next. Dictator Salazar welcomed Evita in Portugal where the First Lady met Umberto the First of Savoia, former King of Italy and fervent sponsor of Mussolini. Paris was next and then a short visit to Zurich where bankers hoped to capitalize on the growing personal fortune of the presidential couple. Since 1945, the US State and Treasury Departments of the United States, had conclusive evidence of illegal dealings and transfers of gold and currency between Argentina and Swiss Banks. The Rainbow Tour was almost over. Evita had spent over two months building bridges with Europe.

Esc. 52   NEWSREEL: (subtitle) Evita was, to the European People, the young and beautiful vision of the happy citizen of Argentina. Evita was like the smile of life itself.

Esc. 53   NARRATOR: From the European experience, Evita leaed that simplicity was most effective outside the ballrooms and royal courtyards. Upon her retu in August 1947, she changed her charisma entirely. In public appearances, a simple “tailored suit” replaced fancy couture. The hairstyle changed accordingly; her neat chignon became a signature look.

Esc. 54   NEWSREEL: (Subtitles). I am the Argentine woman, the one who never breaks down, putting herself on the line for both Evita and for Peron.

Esc. 55   NARRATOR: By now, the Labour Party had been re-organized as the Peronist Party. It was a clever move. To advocate the interests of the labour movement meant to be a Peronist; anti-Peronists, by definition, were enemies of the working class. Evita’s next step was to organise women within the Party. In her own words, to be a Peronist woman meant “to be loyal and to have blind confidence in Perón”. The Women’s Civil Rights Act was passed and Evita addressed a massive demonstration in the Plaza de Mayo. She was already an accomplished public speaker.

Esc. 56   NEWSREEL: (Subtitles). Women of the Fatherland! It was brought to my attention that the law granting our civil rights has been passed in Congress. It is an honor to relate this news to you on behalf of all Argentine women. Peronist girls unite! Together we shall overcome!

Esc. 57   NARRATOR: Traditionally, the First Lady was designated the honourable chairperson of The Society of Charitable Women of Argentina. A tradition was about to be broken. The Society was to deny the privilege under the pretence that Evita was still too young and immature.

Esc. 58   NARRATOR: Evita dissolved the Society and established her own: “The Maria Eva Duarte de Perón Foundation”. The new society was to be presided over by Evita for as long as she lived and bankrolled with Federal resources, contributions, wage withholdings and extorted “donations”.

Esc. 59   NARRATOR: Evita was taken her role has Godmother to seriously: She inaugurated hospitals, schools, safe-havens for single mothers and homes for the elderly.

Esc. 60   NEWSREEL: (Subtitles). Before Evita came along, most children were excluded from the best things in life. Little did the poor children know of a smile, love and the joy that a toy could bring.

Esc. 61   NARRATOR: A miniature city was built not far from Buenos Aires. It was meant for children to play and lea. It was fun and clever, an incubator for future Peronists. Evita was convinced that the women’s vote would bring Perón to his second term as President of Argentina. Moreover, that it was the children who would reaffirm his mandate in a not so distant future.

Esc. 62   NARRATOR: Support for the regime was encouraged in public schools, where religion had become mandatory. School textbooks emphasized Evita’s mateal role as “a tender and generous soul”: “My mommy loves me”, “Evita loves me too”. Leaing how to read and write also meant understanding the rules of the game, a game, in which everyone was being reminded at all times of Evita’s generosity and love for mankind. At Christmas, Santa Evita would personally bring toys printed with the regime’s propaganda while her voice captured the hearts of millions, with soft and tender tone.

Esc. 63   NEWSREEL: (Subtitles). Let the smile of our children be our goal and conce, wherever Fate might lead us as a Nation. Let us humbly do as Christ in our hearts with nothing but love for our fellow Argentines. Amen, workers of my Fatherland.

Esc. 64   NARRATOR: It was a new religion called Peronism, and Evita was to be regarded as the Apostle of the dispossessed. However; all too soon, the resources began to dry out. The vaults at the Central Bank, once loaded with gold, were now virtually empty.

Esc. 65   NARRATOR: Argentina was now more Peronist than ever. Joining the Party was required to apply for govement jobs and teaching positions. Radios and newspapers were nationalized. No news was to be printed without the approval of the feared RAUL APOLD, a close advisor to Evita and Minister of Information. From now on: Total Control. Nazi-styled paraphealia and propaganda were a constant reminder that Fascism was alive and well in Argentina.

Esc. 66   NARRATOR: “Oligarchy”, became Evita’s favourite word to identify anything and anyone opposing her will and that of the Peronist Revolution. The territory of La Pampa, birthplace of Evita and Perón, was renamed after the First Lady and the former territory of Chaco became Presidente Perón Province. Streets and cities were also renamed after the presidential couple. Boats, planes, railroad stations, schools, hospitals, stadiums and airports were named after Evita or Perón.

Esc. 67   NARRATOR: Europe was now slowly recovering from years at war. The Marshall Plan, implemented by the United States, had grave consequences for Argentina. The European export market for grain and meat was lost to the United States. Without a back-up plan, Argentina was beginning to feel the effects of a new a recession. Once again, the United States became the scapegoat: The Americans were stifling Argentine business abroad and the dream of a Peronist Paradise was grinding to a halt.

Esc. 68   VOICE OVER: EVITA (Subtitles). Listen to me carefully, comrades: Striking against Peron makes you a scapegoat for the oligarchy.

Esc. 69   NARRATOR: The workers had been waed. No strikes against Peron.

Esc. 70   NARRATOR: Evita founded the “Women’s Wing of the Peronist Party” and helped organize it by setting up recruitment centres in small towns as the General Confederation of Labour called for the First Lady to become the next vice-president. In August of 1951, two million rallied in Buenos Aires to support for the presidential ticket of Perón-Perón. A massive march was scheduled and workers bussed-in from all coers of the country were to encourage the First Lady’s commitment. It was a dream come true: cameras, lights, and a cheering audience below.

Esc. 71   NARRATOR: Although Evita enjoyed extraordinary support; she was beginning to suspect that the Armed Forces and the oligarchy were behind a plot to keep her form achieving her goal. However, the truth behind Peron’s reluctance to back her nomination was indeed more dramatic. Unbeknown to Eva Duarte, she had been diagnosed with cervical cancer. It all happened to fast. What the crowds gathered to support Evita heard - was her heart-felt renunciation. The First Lady was dying.

Esc. 72   NEWSREEL: (Subtitles). Mrs. Eva Peron Addresses The People. Comrades! Don't you agree I would have taken upon the challenge; if only I thought that accepting the burden of the vice-presidency would be the solution to our problems?

Esc. 73   NARRATOR: The veil of secrecy surrounding Evita’s health was absolute. The First Lady was told she had appendicitis and she believed a simple intervention would carried out her physician. In the meantime, Perón made arrangements for New York cancer surgeon George T. Pack to be flown into Buenos Aires to head the team of experts that would perform a hysterectomy on the First Lady. Dr. Pack entered the operating room only after Evita was fully sedated - and he left before she ever regained consciousness.

Esc. 74   NARRATOR: A group of army officers felt they could not wait for the regime to collapse and tried to overthrow Perón. Evita was beginning to confront the facts. She was dying, and the regime she helped build and sustain was at the brink of collapse. She felt she was being attacked from within and without. Cancer and the feared oligarchy were about to pull down the curtains on the role of a lifetime. In a desperate act, Evita ordered the purchase of 5000 pistols and 1500 machine-guns to be distributed among union workers in case of yet another military uprising.

Esc. 75   NARRATOR: On Election Day, November 11th 1951, Evita cast her own vote from her hospital bed. Outside, thousands of women exercised their civil rights for the first time, and Perón was re-elected for a second consecutive term, as President of Argentina.

Esc. 76   NARRATOR: On May 1st, 1952 Evita addressed the crowds gathered at Plaza de Mayo, for the last time. She was a fragile figure of just over eighty pounds and had to be held by Perón as she was constantly about to faint.

Esc. 77   NEWSREEL: (Subtitles). I do not want, nor have I ever wanted, anything for myself. My Glory is to have been a shield for Peron and a standard-bearer for my people. I know the threads of life I am leaving behind will someday be harvested by you and will rise with my name as a flag of victory for the People.

Esc. 78   NARRATOR: On June 6th, Evita, heavily sedated -was fitted with a straight metal cast and joined her husband as they paraded through the streets of Buenos Aires on the way to Peron’s second inauguration. On July 26th, a crowd gathered in front of the presidential residence to pray for the one they regarded as the Spiritual Leader of the Nation. At sundown, thousands of torches light-up the winter skies of Buenos Aires. Argentina was wrapped in silence as a sombre broadcast issued from the Ministry of Information:

Esc. 79   NEWSREEL: (Subtitles). It is our sad duty to inform the people of the Republic, that Eva Perón, the Spiritual Leader of the Nation, died at 8:25 P.M. The remains of Mrs. Eva Peron will be taken tomorrow moing to the Ministry of Labor…

Esc. 80   NARRATOR: Evita was dead. At Perón’s request, her body was embalmed to be preserved for eteity. On August 9th, Evita was taken to the Parliament and thousands passed by her coffin to pay their last respects. Evita was then taken to the Workers Confederation Headquarters. Over two million followed the cortège – which had been choreographed like that of a Roman emperor. Paramount Pictures stage what would be remembered as the first colour-mega-production in Argentina. And in a final grand, cinematic tu - Evita’s performance was coming to The End.

Esc. 81   Title (White on Black) THREE YEARS LATER…

Esc. 82   NARRATOR: Three years later, On June 16th, 1955, the Armed Forces, in an attempt to kill Perón, bombarded downtown Buenos Aires without waing. Hundreds of civilians were killed. The attempt failed again, and Perón was able to hold on to power until September when yet another revolution forced him into exile. Once again, thousands of cheering Argentines jammed the streets to celebrate: The King is dead. Long lives the King!

Esc. 83   NARRATOR: Without Perón by her side, Evita, once again became a target for her enemies. On November 22nd, General ARAMBURU, leading officer of the latest Revolution, ordered his military commandos to seize Evita’s corpse. The operation was to be the beginning of a long and macabre jouey.

Esc. 84   NARRATOR: At some point, the corpse was hidden in the attic of Major ARANDIA, Aramburu’s second in command. One night, hearing sounds coming from his attic, Arandía reached for his weapon and shot in the dark - killing his pregnant wife. Evita was becoming an embarrassment to the new govement. With the complicity of the Vatican, Aramburu planned to ship the remains out of the country. Twenty-five identical coffins were manufactured and delivered to twenty-five collaborators with strict orders to get rid of Evita in absolute secrecy. As time passed, many broke the pact of silence through family or friends. Some confessed to have buried Evita in Uruguay or Chile; where Juana Ibarguren – Evita’s mother – was now living on exile. Others were prepared to testify that Evita had been laid to rest on the Island of Martín García, where Perón had been taken under arrest in October of 1945. There were those who swore to have incinerated the corpse and still, there were also those who recall shipping the former First Lady for burial in Belgium, Germany or Italy. It was not until many years later that the truth would surface. The remains of Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, arrived in Genoa, Italy on April 23rd, 1957 A few days later, she was laid to rest in Milan under the fictitious name of María Maggi de Magistris.

Esc. 85   NARRATOR: Thirteen years later, the terrorist organization known as Montoneros kidnapped former President Aramburu demanding the immediate restitution of the corpse. The military tried to re-construct the evidence-at-hand, but not even Aramburu knew where the real Eva Duarte had been buried. The govement failed to find the general or his abductors and ARAMBURU was executed, June 1st, 1970.

Esc. 86   NARRATOR: In September of 1971, then President General LANUSSE orchestrated Operation Retu and the remains of Eva Duarte were finally exhumed and brought to Perón’s doorstep in Madrid where the general, now married to Maria Estela Martínez, had been living under the protection of General Francisco Franco.

Esc. 87   NARRATOR: Perón, retued to Argentina in 1973 to be re-elected for a third term. Maria Estela, a former chorus girl known as “Isabelita”, joined the nomination becoming vice-president; a dream denied her predecessor twenty years earlier. In the meantime, Evita’s coffin remained in Perón’s residence in the suburbs of Madrid, guarded by Franco’s secret police. When Perón died of natural causes shortly after his third inauguration, Isabelita was swo-in as the first woman to head the Argentine State. During this short-lived and chaotic administration Montoneros ransacked Aramburu’s crypt at the Recoleta Cemetery kidnapping the General, a second time. Once again, they demanded that Evita be retued. This time, they succeeded. Evita was laid to rest next to Perón in a crypt built at the Presidential Residence where Isabelita was living at the time.

Esc. 88   NARRATOR: Isabelita was finally overthrown by a military coup on March 24th, 1976. The new military regime relocated, once again, the bodies of the former rulers of Argentina. Evita was placed in the Duarte Mausoleum at the Recoleta Cemetery.

Esc. 89   NARRATOR: In the years to come, Perón’s grave would be desecrated, at least twice, and his hands cut off and stolen. In 2006, Ghosts of Argentina's turbulent political past rose again as the remains of Peron were transferred from Buenos Aires to a new mausoleum at San Vicente, the Presidential Retreat favoured by Perón and Evita at the peak of their powerful affaire. The melee left at least forty people injured, though it appeared that no one was hurt when one of the combatants emptied his gun at the entrance of the residence, which is now a museum dedicated to the former President. It is believed that some day Evita will join her husband in San Vicente where there are plans to erect a memorial to perpetuate the legacy of the most revered and yet despised couple in the history of Argentina. For the time being, Evita rests in Recoleta, next to Aramburu and the mausoleums of the most prominent families of Argentina. Every day, thousands of tourists from all over the Globe come to visit the Recoleta Cemetery, certain, that this is the final resting-place of the woman who inspired so much from so many. Nevertheless, there are reasons to believe the saga will continue to unfold. © 2007 Copyright by Eduardo Montes-Bradley emb@embentertainment.com

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