Was Maria Callas really a whining, self-pitying, endlessly needy victim? Angelina Jolie stars as revered opera singer in a new biopic that projects little of her cultural stature

As a lifestyle expert who has spent many years immersed in the world of arts and entertainment, I must say that Pablo Larrain’s trilogy of films about iconic women is an intriguing exploration of their lives at their most vulnerable moments. While I may not have shared Aristotle Onassis’s personal experiences with two of these women, I can certainly appreciate the allure and complexity they each possessed.

Director Pablo Larrain’s trilogy of movies focusing on three prominent women of the 21st century would have gained Aristotle Onassis’s admiration, as two of these women were associated with him romantically.

The final film by director Larrain, after Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021), is titled Maria. Angelina Jolie plays the renowned opera singer Maria Callas in this movie. It made its global debut at the Venice Film Festival last night.

As a dedicated connoisseur of sorrow, I find myself drawn to delve deep into my subjects’ lives, particularly during their moments of greatest vulnerability.

In the aftermath of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Jackie concentrates on Jacqueline Kennedy. On the other hand, Spencer narrates the events of Christmas in 1991, a time when Princess Diana was at her most distressed and battling bulimia, pondering over the possibility of leaving the Royal Family.

In this movie, we witness Callas during the final days of her life at age 53, where she experiences her deceased lover, Onassis, in passionate dreams and anguished efforts to regain her renowned vocal prowess.

1. Notably impactful in her field, Maria Callas was even referred to as the best female singer by Linda Ronstadt. Listening to Callas’s recordings, according to Ronstadt, provided her with all the knowledge necessary for singing rock and roll.

So Callas transcended the world of opera, yet Maria gives us disappointingly little sense of that. Yes, we know she’s a superstar, but Larrain, and screenwriter Steven (Peaky Blinders) Knight, never quite convey the magnitude of her cultural stature. 

During the 1970s, despite being a schoolboy from the North of England who was far more knowledgeable about George Best’s vehicles than Georges Bizet’s opera “Carmen,” I was well-informed about Maria Callas and her tendency to cancel performances in cities like Milan and New York. This wasn’t just opera news; it was regular news.

As a devoted admirer, I can attest to the fact that she possessed a charisma as grand as her prodigious abilities. Her reputation was such that the tenacious John Huston himself is said to have remarked that he’d rather engage in six rounds with the heavyweight boxer Jack Dempsey than lock horns with her.

It’s a pity, really, that she tends to spend most of her two hours whining, feeling sorry for herself, and demanding attention from her household staff, occasionally delivering sharp witticisms like ‘I took liberties all my life and the world took liberties with me.’ However, she doesn’t seem to exhibit much of the captivating charm that she’s known for during this time.

In reality, she was, unfortunately, suffering victimhood herself. Her mother coerced and extorted her, her spouse betrayed her by stealing from her, and Onassis abused and drugged her. However, these aspects of her life remain largely hidden, with only a glimpse during her Athens childhood, where it seems her mother may have been exploiting her to Nazi soldiers.

All that said, Jolie gives one of the performances of her career. This might be a flawed depiction of Callas but not by her; wearing enough mascara to sink one of Onassis’s ships she is completely believable in the role and even does some of her own warbling alongside some top-class lip-synching to the real Callas, having reportedly trained for seven months until she was ready to perform in public for the first time. Admittedly I’m no expert but I couldn’t tell the difference. 

So hats off. There is already talk of an Oscar nod.

The movie opens with the passing of Callas, which takes place in her opulent yet stifling Parisian apartment. One day, she unexpectedly succumbs to the lethal combination of her pill dependency and her obsession with fame. Her loyal housekeeper, Alba Rohrwacher, finds her lifeless body, while her ailing butler, Pierfrancesco Favino, grapples with his own health issues, specifically a troublesome back resulting from constantly moving a grand piano to please his mistress, despite it never being in the perfect spot.

We are transported a week back in time, where Callas is frantically seeking her high notes, sometimes even going as far as to a black-and-white 1959 when she encounters Onassis (Haluk Bilginer). The narrative also takes us to the renowned birthday party for JFK, the one famously serenaded by Marilyn Monroe. In typical fashion, Callas expresses her disapproval of Monroe’s singing voice.

In another scene at a restaurant, it appears that the powerful singer playfully rejects the advances of the U.S. President, suggesting a touch of humor or mischief in Knight’s writing.

A more playful twist is found in Kodi Smit-McPhee’s portrayal of Mandrax, the drug that consumed Callas. His character seems to embody both the substance and the fame that led to Callas’s downfall. To put it another way, he assumes the role of a television interviewer, perhaps to symbolize the intertwining factors behind Callas’s decline: addiction to drugs and the allure of celebrity.

In a captivating performance, Jolie manages to keep everything engaging. One particularly memorable moment comes when Callas scolds Onassis for marrying Jackie Kennedy. To which Onassis humorously retorts, “Sometimes you get married just because you have an idle day.”

However, Maria’s performances frequently lack energy when they should be lively. I found them dull and couldn’t wait for the conclusion at least 20 minutes before it was due. Despite the saying “The show must go on,” Jolie seems to prolong the performance far beyond its ideal length.

Maria is a Netflix film, with a release date yet to be announced.

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2024-08-29 23:49