world-renowned opera singer Maria Callas
Story
Maria Callas, the world’s greatest opera singer, lives out her final days in 1970s Paris as she grapples with her identity and her life. Angelina Jolie and director Pablo Larraín discuss how they connected to the film’s heartbreaking true story. The third and final film in Pablo Larraín’s so-called “Lady in High Heels” trilogy of female-led biopics, following Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021). Maria Callas: Book me a table at a café where the waiters know who I am.
I’m in the mood for adulation
Featured in Close-Up: Why Do We Need the Venice Film Festival? (2024). Otello Act 4: “Ave Maria” (Desdemona)Performed by Maria Callas, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du ConservatoireConductor: Nicola RescignoWritten by Giuseppe Verdi, Arrigo BoitoA Warner Classics Release, (p) 1964 Parlophone Records LimitedRemastered 2014 Parlophone Records LimitedCourtesy Warner Music Group Germany Holding GmbH, a Warner Music Group company. We just saw the film at a film festival.
Our entire group was disappointed by what we watched
The story was very thin for us, focused on the latter part of her life, with major parts of the story tied together by how events tied together. We would move from one scene to the next with no clear connection between the sequences. The focus seemed to be on Jolie posing for us, rather removed from the charm of the real Maria. I get it – Angelina is gorgeous, but where was the spark?
Gorgeous costume designs, but that was all for me
I never felt like I connected with the characters and I didn’t feel drawn into the film. There was a void in this version of Maria Callas. At the end of the film, as the end credits roll, there are scenes of the real Maria Callas – full of personality and charisma – which unfortunately was not portrayed in Jolie’s performance. "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is one of the biggest TV and streaming premieres this month.