Two of the most influential and controversial First Ladies of the twentieth century were Argentina’s Eva Peron and the Philippines’ Imelda Marcos. While emerging from very different backgrounds — Evita from poverty and Imelda from great wealth — both women’s personal and political fortunes were almost identical. Both quite literally attempted to break onto the stage of national and international politics by showcasing their beauty, proffering mediocre entertainment skills, and, eventually, tying their stars to the fates of their respective husbands, who themselves rose to prominence by somewhat falsely representing themselves as military heroes. “Evita” and the “Steel Butterfly” both became invaluable assets to their husbands once these became supreme leaders by embracing a simple principle: the impoverished masses of both nations desperately craved glamorous, stunning, glittering, and star-like First Ladies who would furnish a “First-World” magnetism and gleam to indigent masses who desired beauty, fame, fortune, and luxury.
This paper will examine the lives of “Evita” and the “Steel Butterfly” as they are portrayed in the films Evita (1996) and A Dangerous Life (1988), which, although fictionalized, capture the essence of the interplay between sexuality, desire, power, and a megalomania that inevitably ends in self-destruction. As my paper will show, both films not only identify the truth of historical events in Argentina and the Philippines, they also make explicit the unspoken subtexts of desire that create and eventually explode the very mythical figures they have constructed. Finally, this paper will underscore the art of the script writers and film producers in capturing the eccentricities and psychological motivations behind the actions of these two celebrated yet intensely needy women.
About the presenterMark Thomas DeStephano
Mark DeStephano was awarded his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Spanish from Fordham University, four degrees in Theology from the University of Toronto, and his master’s and doctoral degrees in Romance Languages and Literatures from Harvard University. Dr. DeStephano is currently Chairman and Professor of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, and Director and Professor of the Asian Studies Program at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, New Jersey.