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Pablo Larraín’s Maria Strives, and Fails, to Capture the Magic of La Diva Callas

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Pablo Larraín’s Maria Strives, and Fails, to Capture the Magic of La Diva Callas

As a cinema devotee with a penchant for biopics that truly capture the spirit of their subjects, I must confess that “Maria” left me yearning for more, much like Maria Callas herself yearned for love and acceptance.

You don’t have to love opera to love Maria Callas. She was bold but vulnerable, her life roiled by drama. Her voice reflected all the colors of paradise, as it was before Adam and Eve were kicked out. And her beauty was halfway between mythical and mischievous, as if she’d been drawn by the gods’ caricaturist-in-chief: her mismatched features—the take-charge nose, the almondine eyes—met in a kind of haphazard classical perfection.

If you have room in your life for only one opera singer, Callas is the one—she’s enough. No wonder Pablo Larraín wanted to add her to his gallery of great troubled ladies, which already includes Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (2016’s Jackie) and Princess Diana (2021’s Spencer). In Maria—playing in competition here at the 81st Venice Film Festival—Angelina Jolie plays La Diva Callas in the final days of her life, in 1977 Paris. Like a gothic ghost, she glides through her gilt-and-brocade apartment in fairytale dressing gowns, eating nothing but popping the sedative known as Mandrax in plentiful quantities. She has stopped performing and all but stopped singing, though she’s considering a comeback: she stands at the entrance to her kitchen and commands her loyal housekeeper Bruna (the reliably terrific Alba Rohrwacher) to listen and respond as she works her way through an aria: Bruna dutifully, and not unkindly, tells her boss what she wants to hear, even though the sound coming out of that mouth is shaky and pale, a shadow approximation of its former self. On a whim, Maria also orders her other loyal servant, Ferruccio (played by the wonderful Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino), to move her piano from one end of the apartment to the other; in the next breath she’ll inquire about his messed-up spine. It’s all in a day’s work for Bruna and Ferruccio. Maria is their very own lovable, troubled tyrant.

In numerous instances, Jolie’s character Maria often gazes off into the distance, lamenting the loss of the person, the artist she once was, referring to her former lover Aristotle Onassis as “ugly and deceased.” (In flashback scenes, he is portrayed by Turkish actor Haluk Bilginer, appearing as a cunning figure in formal attire.) Each movement Jolie makes is filled with sorrow and trembling; when she smiles, it’s a weak, generous one, suggesting an indifference. This acting style can be categorized as the “Don’t despise me because I’m beautiful” approach, where a great artist’s last days are depicted with a self-conscious polish that does not reflect the true grandeur or sadness of Callas’s life.

The blame does not lie with Jolie; instead, Maria is a film that showcases immense admiration, yet falls short in delivering genuine emotions. Despite Larraín’s apparent affection for his subjects, particularly his portrayal of suffering women, he struggles to translate those feelings into anything beyond tasteful and overly mannered kitsch.

I agree that indeed, this is the crux of the matter. These exercises are deliberately designed to be innovative and extreme, yet their intricacy can become overwhelming. The narrative of Maria revolves around a prolonged visit from a TV interviewer named Mandrax, who may be real or imaginary; either way, it’s not crucial. This character, portrayed by Kodi Smit-McPhee, is a symbolic figure in the story.

In the eyes of many, Maria is truly admirable, especially for those who appreciate such sentiments. Notably, Angelina Jolie took immense effort to perform her own singing in the film, and at times, her voice blends seamlessly with Callas’s on certain tracks. While this blend may sound acceptable, you might experience a subtle chill when the balance leans more towards Callas. The visual appeal of the movie is undeniable, thanks to the exceptional work of cinematographer Ed Lachman, production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas, and costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini. Jolie gets to don some stunning ’70s-inspired luxurious outfits, such as several slim tunics paired with pants and a dressing gown/evening coat adorned in regal, fur-trimmed brocade. The film accurately captures Callas’s fashion sense and grace – Maria does justice to this aspect.

In a different yet understandable style:

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2024-08-29 21:06

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