Maria Callas: Book me a table at a café where the waiters know who I am
Chronology
Maria Callas, the world’s greatest opera singer, lives the final days of her life in 1970s Paris, coming to terms with her identity and her life. Angelina Jolie and director Pablo Larrain discuss how they connected to the heartbreaking true story of world-renowned opera singer Maria Callas.. The third and final film in Pablo Larrain’s so-called “Lady with Heels” trilogy of female-led biographical films following Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021).
I’m in the mood for praise
Close-up reference: Why do we need a Venice Film Festival? (2024). Othello Act 4: ‘Ave Maria’ (Desdemona) Performed by Maria Callas, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire Conductor: Nicola Rescigno Written by Giuseppe Verdi, Arrigo Boito A Warner Classics Release, (p) 1964 Parlophone Records Limited0Remas4C Parlophone Records Limited Warner Music Group Germany Holding GmbH, a Warner Music Group company.
(2016) and Diana in "Spencer" (2021)
I have to say that director Pablo Larraín’s 2024 entry into his iconic trilogy of 20th-century women was disappointing. It starts with the casting, as Angelina Jolie herself is perhaps too iconic to play the ultimate diva Maria Callas, who was the least memorable of the trio, the other two being Jackie. Jolie displays the necessary self-control to maintain the regal image of the world’s greatest opera singer, but physically she looks too skeletal to convincingly resemble the more robust Callas figure.
There’s an ambiguous role as an interviewer (played inscrutably by Kodi Smit-McPhee) with the same name as her prescription medication, who forces her to confront her legacy
Written by Stephen Knight, the eerie, long film covers the last week of Callas’s life in 1977 Paris, a fictional story with inevitable flashbacks that cumulatively play out like a ghost story. All the production elements, like the polished cinematography and set details, are impressively handled, but Larraín’s creative choices are more controversial, like the hallucinogenic imagery of people singing to her in public. Some of the flashbacks hint at more intriguing elements of her story, such as her rather suspicious relationship with Aristotle Onassis, her traumatic encounters with Nazis as a child, and an intriguing conversation with JFK (played by Kaspars Filipssons in the same, somewhat minor role in "Jackie").
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Her monastic existence is witnessed only by two loyal servants, touchingly played by Pierfrancesco Favina and Alba Rohrwacher. Still, Jolie’s star power has been demonstrated by her special talents, who can almost simultaneously convey arrogance and vulnerability. “One Hundred Years of Solitude” is one of the biggest TV and streaming premieres this month.