33/15
Maria Callas: Reserve me a table at a café where the waiters know who I am
Scenario
Maria Callas, the world’s greatest opera singer, lives out the last days of her life in 1970s Paris, as she comes to terms with her identity and her life. Angelina Jolie and director Pablo Larraín discuss how they connected with the heartbreaking true story of world-famous opera singer Maria Callas. The third and final film in Pablo Larraín’s so-called “Lady in High Heels” trilogy of female-led biographies, following Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021).
I’m in the mood to be flattered
Mentioned in Close-Up: Why Do We Need the Venice Film Festival? (2024). I just saw the film at a film festival.
Our entire group was disappointed by what we saw
We found the plot very shallow, focusing on the latter part of her life, and important parts of the story about how events were connected were left out. We went from one scene to the next without a clear link between the sequences. The focus seemed to be on Jolie posing for us, somewhat removed from the charm of the real Maria.
There was a void in this version of Maria Callas
I get it: Angelina is beautiful, but where was the spark? I never felt like I connected with the characters and I didn’t feel a part of the film. At the end of the film, when the end credits begin, there are scenes of the real Maria Callas, full of personality and charisma, which was sadly not depicted in Jolie’s performance.
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Beautiful costume designs, but that was it for me. “One Hundred Years of Solitude” is one of the biggest TV and streaming premieres this month.