Maria is the third film in an official trilogy for director Pablo Larrain about inspirational women. The first two films, ‘Jackie’ (Onassis not Charlton) and his second, ‘Spencer’ (Diana not Frank) received much kudos and awards interest and Maria is likely to do the same. Maria Callas was and is still regarded as one of the finest opera singers to ever perform but the film covers the last days of her life having been retired for four years and now collapsed behind a piece of furniture in her lavish apartment on 16th September 1977. She was just 53 years of age and the film rewinds through relevant episodes in her life and all shot in black & white on different film stock. Like Larrain’s previous two biopics this sees her mostly confined to and ecsuisite residence that more like a gilded cage for her with only her two loyal staff, a housekeeper and butler/chaffeur whose existence she regards as primarily to act in service to her and facilitate whatever she wants – it was a marriage vow requested to be inserted into the ceremony by Meghan Markle.
By the last few years of her life Callas become something of a pill popper, and like opera itself this was all leading to death. Her voice is not what it once was and despite private rehearsals with her vocal coach she struggles to attain her previous greatness putting any comeback in doubt. Maybe it explains her eagerness to get through the day mellow on mandrax, an illegally obtained sedative that sees her swerving food for days on end in a bid to retain her figure that was a world away from her wartime childhood chubbiness where her mother made her sing for the German soldiers for bratwurst and that wasn’t the only type of German sausage that the soldiers served up to her and her sister for money paid to their mother.
Angelina Jolie plays the role perfectly in a reminder that despite the tabloid stories she was always a good actress given the right role and here she is very good. Having trained to sing the film nixes her voice with Callas own and is lip synced perfectly. The film portrays Callas as a lonely isolated figure and not a particularly sympathetic one still believing in her own legend ordering her staff to, ‘Book me a table at a restaurant where the waiters know who I am.” Or to ‘Make me an appointment with a hairdresser who doesn’t speak’
Spilt in to three acts with chapter headings this is very much a film that’s all about the central performance because outside of this there’s not much insight into her early life to hint at the legend she would become which given that the film is over two hours ( and a slow two hours) should have been far more apparent than it is here.
related feature : ‘Spencer’ starring Kristen Stewart reviewed here
related feature : Daisy Ridley talks about ‘Magpie’ with director Sam Yates, writer Tom Bateman & co-star Shazad Latif
Here’s the Maria trailer…….
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