Starring: Angelina Jolie, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher and Kodie Smit-McPhee
Distributor: StudioCanal
Runtime: 123 mins. Reviewed in Jan 2025
Reviewer: Peter W Sheehan
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This film vividly tells the story of the last days of famous operatic diva, Maria Callas, who died in 1977, aged 53.
In the film, Angelina Jolie delivers a dramatically insightful portrait of the life of famous Greek soprano and opera singer, Maria Callas. The film blends skilful writing with a subtle interpretation of the joys and suffering of Callas, who was famous for being able to sustain the special demands of lyric and coloratura operatic roles. Callas is acknowledged as one of opera’s finest singers.
Maria is a psychological drama that follows closely the life of Callas before her death in Paris, and is an international co-production from Italy, Germany and the US. Jolie’s clothing in the film was based on Callas’ garments, and Jolie was trained to lip-sync the songs.
The film concludes Pablo Lorrain’s trilogy of important 20th-century women (Jacqueline Kennedy (Jackie, 2016), and Diana Spencer (Spencer, 2021)). Spencer and Maria were written by Steven Knight.
History has shown that significant tragedy and joy accompanied Maria Callas through her life. She led the life of a beloved diva, but knew when her penetrating voice was fading so that she could resist the pressure on her to sing. The film shows Callas pacing her Paris apartment together with her pet poodles. Callas agreed to a valedictory television interview by a journalist called Mandrax, who was named by her to acknowledge her favourite drug-medication, which becomes a focus in the movie. The film highlights Callas’ performances in the concert halls of Europe and the US.
Jolie plays Callas as a legend to remember, and the film shows an actress who has been trained extraordinary well to blend her voice with the voice of Callas.
Larrain directs Jolie poignantly and movingly to reflect the loss of what Callas treasured in her life with Aristotle Onassis leaving Callas to marry Jacqueline Kennedy, despite remaining in love with her. The film shows a famous diva who conquered the world of opera and who took great pride in remaining in control of herself but departed life a lonely woman.
This is an impressive and involving film, inventively staged and directed, that will be of particular interest to viewers familiar with dramatic opera.
Jolie delivers a remarkable performance, living and breathing the life of Callas. For opera-enthusiasts, the movie is filled with exceptional singing by Maria Callas.
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