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The passionately crafted Maria extols the significance of celebrated opera singer Maria Callas in an intriguing introspective way.
Director Pablo Larrain’s unconventional biographical drama takes place during the last days of Callas’ life in Paris, when she was 53. She died on Sept. 16, 1977, from a heart attack.
This is the Chilean director’s third complex portrait of iconic 20th century women, following Jackie on First Lady Jackie Kennedy after her husband’s shocking assassination, and Spencer, about Princess Diana before she decided to leave her troubled royal marriage.
In all three, he reimagined their glamorous life in public and their turbulent life in private, all through a lens that blurred reality. Perhaps Callas is the least known of the three, but this film feels the most complete.
For a woman who adored fame and glory, Callas wound up isolated and weakened. But oh, what power she possessed at the height of her prestige. She called her own shots and never suffered fools.
In a bravura performance, Angelina Jolie dazzles as the colorful coloratura who endured tabloid-headline celebrity. She masterfully conveyed Callas’ prickly temperament and artistic demands.
As the diva reflects on her 30-year career to a journalist (Kodi Smit- McPhee, in a rather flat role), Lorrain dove into her glory days through surreal musical sequences that soar.
Jolie’s rigorous vocal training has paid off in authentic delivery of Callas’ acclaimed solos. Her poise and posture are regal, and she’s at home on the great opera house stages – La Scala, The Met and Covent Garden among them.
This global tour of her triumphs features a glorious interpretation of Ave Maria, when Callas was Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello.
For impressive audio-visual immersion, Jolie’s voice has been blended with Callas for a synthesized hybrid sound that is lush in its prime (more Callas) and strained in later years (less Callas).
For a refresher course, Callas aka “The Divine One,” was a soprano renowned for her lyrical wide-ranging vocals, bel canto technique (emotional emphasis), and riveting dramatic interpretations.
She revolutionized opera not only through her vocal prowess, but because of her acting ability, moving the artform forward from what professionals referred to as “park and bark” – where an opera singer would enter, hit their mark, sing an aria, and then leave the stage.
Heralded as the supreme interpreter of Floria Tosca in Puccini’s political thriller opera, mainly for her 1964 performance at the Royal Opera House, she also made her professional debut in the role in 1942.
For a woman who lived for art and love, it’s fitting that Lorrain uses her Vissi d’Arte from Tosca here. The parallels between her tragic roles and her swan song do not go unnoticed in Steven Knight’s screenplay.
The sumptuous qualities in Massimo Cantini Parrini’s splendid costume design, Guy Hendrix Dyas’ luxurious production design and the outstanding sound editing and mixing teamwork are among the finest artisan examples this year.
American-born of Greek heritage in 1923, Maria’s pushy mother (Lydia Koniordou) and her favored, yet supportive, older sister Yakinthi (Valeria Golino) provide the unhappy childhood backstory.
Her scandalous romances included a 10-year marriage to Giovanni Battista Meneghini (Alessandro Bressanello), a wealthy brick manufacturer 20 years her senior, and a widely publicized affair with even richer Aristotle Onassis (Haluk Bilginer), whom she left her husband for in 1959. That ended when he married Jackie Kennedy in 1968 (or maybe it didn’t). Onassis died in 1975.
Pierfrancesco Favino as Ferruccio and Alba Rohrwacher as Bruna are endearing as her fiercely loyal house staff. They watch helplessly as her health declines and her dependence grows on the sedative Mandrax. The many times they must move the grand piano is amusing.
Despite her doctor’s warning, as her heart and liver are failing, Callas attempts a comeback four years after she last sang. The rehearsal pianist (Stephen Ashfield) is kind, but others, not so much.
The movie’s look is a standout. By using multiple formats – 35mm, 16 mm, and Super 8, cinematographer Edward Lachman’s technique is exquisite as he alternates color for the present and black-and-white for memories.
Lachman, Oscar-nominated for his chiaroscuro work in Larraín’s dark comedy El Conde last year and for Todd Haynes’ Carol and Far from Heaven, developed a striking visual concept.
One of the most impressive scenes takes place in the rain, on the steps of a historic building, as costumed geishas perform the Humming Chorus from Puccini’s Madame Butterfly while a full orchestra plays.
Jolie, Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress for playing sociopathic Lisa in Girl, Interrupted in 1999, hasn’t been nominated since 2008’s Changeling, but she’s likely in line for this fully realized portrayal.
Callas isn’t exactly a woman you identify with but can admire for her talent and how unapologetically she lived her life. This beautifully rendered film is an opportunity to see why.
Rated R for some language including a sexual reference, “Maria” opens in select theaters Nov. 27 and will stream on Netflix Dec. 11. Its runtime is 2 hours, 4 minutes.
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