Maria Callas. The name of one of the most distinguished figures of the 20th century, in the world of opera. An icon frequently regarded as more than an extraordinary soprano, but as “The Divine One”. Even musical peers such as Leonard Bernstein have consistently recognised her status and influence, due to Maria's more than immense talent. However, who was the person behind the divine? Maria is the untold story.
In the director's chair is Pablo Larraín. Springing from previous successes such as, Ema and El Conde, Maria is the third and final instalment in his trilogy of exploring powerful women. With prior films, Jackie and Spencer, all these aim to deconstruct the essence behind each figure. A particular aspect in each film is foregoing presenting their entire life, but a specific moment in their lives. Maria explores Callas' final days living in Paris as a recluse in 1977. If this film wishes to achieve such a premise, Maria requires two key elements: conviction and a compelling performance.
From one extraordinary woman to another, our main star is Angelina Jolie. Evidently, she shares a similar position to Maria Callas, as an enduring and powerful woman, but in this instance: cinema. Continuing her legacy as one of the most influential figures in Hollywood, this feels perfectly matched for this film. Though it is not solely her prominence within the frame that works, it is crucially her performance that is the crux of Maria. Jolie's portrayal of Callas is sublime, that excellently balances Callas' character and her frame. She more than successfully captures her status, but also her psychological state regarding Callas' fear of losing her voice and talent. In Callas' final years, she had not performed for several years, and experiencing her primary fear becoming materialized through Jolie's incredible performance, effectively achieves the emotional core Maria aims to showcase.
With emotion comes the voice of Maria Callas. She was considered “The Divine One” congruously for her one of a kind soprano talent. Superbly, Maria and Angelina Jolie concurrently represent this brilliantly. Several moments involve Callas practicing amongst an empty opera house compared to black and white flashbacks to convey her struggle to maintain her operatic voice. This is a film where the music is a primary force to presenting the thematic elements and emphasizing tone throughout.
Alongside this conviction, is Jolie's dedication to her portrayal. She spent several months prior to filming learning how to sing operatically and whilst the large majority is Callas' archival recordings, Jolie's actual voice can be heard within the closing moments.
On a technical standpoint, the film also succeeds in furthering the subject matter in an emotionally poignant way. One engrossing development is how Maria partly frames Callas' consciousness. An interview conducted by a character, Mandrax (Kodi Smit-McPhee) plays out in various points of the film where Callas reveals reflections on her career and final days. What makes this aspect fascinating is the semi-meta quality the interview provides. Mandrax almost acts as the role of the director of Callas' last days with scenes of him discussing his film that almost mirrors how Maria plays out. This helps to create the necessary substance required for a film aiming to deconstruct Callas' personality and her internal struggles.
Due to such a unique approach to the biopic genre, Maria stands out amongst the genre's crowd that chooses to forego a typical formula. Whilst Maria most of the time actively deviates from this format, in a few instances the pacing is a tad lacking. In these couple of moments, it almost treads on becoming a standard biopic but thankfully, the film saves itself from transforming into anything cliched.
Maria is certainly a highlight of this year's LFF. With an unconventional and restrained presentation to one incredible woman's life, it is a biopic that will definitely capture audiences. Although it does suffer from a couple of pacing issues, featuring one of Angelina Jolie's if not best performances in her career undoubtedly makes this more than worth the price of admission. With a great biopic and extraordinary piece of acting, do not be surprised if Maria emerges into this year's upcoming awards season.
Maria will be released in UK and Irish cinemas January 10th 2025
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