- Title: HUNGARY: MADONNA CONTINUES FILMING OF 'EVITA' IN BUDAPEST
- Date: 27th March 1996
- Summary: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (MARCH 27, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV/PAN: EXTERIOR OF ST STEPHEN'S BASILICA/ GARDENERS PLANTING FLOWERS TO SPELL "EVITA" FOR THE SCENE 0.10 2. LV: EXTERIOR OF BASILICA WITH FILM VANS PARKING OUTSIDE 0.17 3. GV: STATUE BEING LIFTED ONTO MAKESHIFT COLUMN FOR SCENE 0.36 4. MV: EVITA PRODUCER ANDREW VAJNA ON 'EVITA' CONTROVERSY (ENGLISH) 1.05 (NIGHT SHOTS) 5. TV/PAN: MADONNA PLAYING EVITA STEPS OUT OF CAR AND ENTERS BASILICA FOR "AUDIENCE WITH POPE" 1.42 6. TV/PAN: MADONNA WALKS DOWN STEPS TALKING TO FILM DIRECTOR ALAN PARKER 2.10 7. GV: EXTRAS ACTING AS EVITA FANS WAVE HANDKERCHIEFS 2.14 8. TV: MADONNA WALKS PAST EXTRAS AND LEAVES FILM SET WITH BODYGUARD 2.24 9. LV: ST STEPHEN'S BASILICA FILM SET 2.30 TRANSCRIPT SEQUENCE 4: VAJNA: "EVITA SEEMS TO BE SURROUNDED BY CONTROVERSY - WE HAVE HAD IT IN ARGENTINA AND HERE WE ARE HAVING IT IN HUNGARY. WE ARE SORT OF BEFUDDLED BY...WHY THAT? I MEAN EVITA IN HER CAREER HAD AN AUDIENCE WITH THE POPE AND THAT IS THE SCENE WE WANTED TO FILM HERE IN HUNGARY." Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 11th April 1996 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
- City:
- Country: EUROPE Hungary
- Reuters ID: LVAC2C93VFQ1HBQAWSLTM2S0ANTW
- Story Text: INTRO: Pop personality Madonna, in Hungary to film part of the film version of Evita, has been involved in more controversy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- American pop idol Madonna, whose casting as Eva Peron in the film version of "Evita" caused a furore in Argentina, is involved in a new controversy in Hungary where filming is continuing.
The Roman Catholic archbishopric confirmed on Wednesday (March 27) that it is standing by a decision announced in February barring filming of the musical inside Budapest's main basilica.
No reason was officially given for banning the film crew from shooting inside the century-old St. Istvan Basilica, but a church official said that as a compromise filming was allowed on the basilica's steps.
The production crew set up to film in the square around the imposing church and producer Andrew Vajna said he hoped that eventually permission would be granted to film inside.
"Evita in her career was received by the Pope in Rome. That is the specific scene that we wanted to film here in Hungary which would have been very positive and very helpful for us and for religion as a whole," Vajna told Reuters in an interview.
Madonna, along with Spain's Antonio Banderos and Britain's Jonathan Pryce, is starring in the 60-million U.S. dollar film version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on the life of Eva Peron, wife of Juan Peron, Argentina's late right-wing populist ruler.
In Argentina her casting touched off protests among Peronists and for a time the government banned filming at the presidential palace, Casa Rosada, but later relented.
Vajna said Budapest, where palm trees were installed in a central square to make it look tropical, had been chosen because it provides more of the look of a 1940s city than Buenos Aires.
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