37/12

Aristotle Onassis, a longtime companion of Marie Callas, later married former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy

Chronology

Maria Callas, the world’s greatest opera singer, is living the last days of her life in 1970s Paris as she confronts her identity and her life. Kennedy was the subject of an earlier Pablo Larrain biopic, 2016’s “Jackie,” starring Natalie Portman. Maria Callas: Book me a table in a cafe where the waiters know who I am.

I’m in the mood to admire

Mentioned in Close-Up: Why do we need a film festival in Venice? (2024). I just saw the movie at a film festival.

Our entire group was disappointed with what we watched

The story was paper thin for us, focusing on the last part of her life, leaving out major parts of the history around how the events came together. We would go from one scene to another without a clear connection between the sequences. The focus seemed to be on Jolie posing for us, rather stripped of the charm of the real Maria.

design, but that was it for me

I get it – Angelina is gorgeous but where was the spark, I never felt like I connected with the characters and didn’t feel in love with the movie? There was a void in this version of Maria Callas At the end of the film, as the closing credits begin, there are scenes of the real Maria Callas – full of personality and charisma – which unfortunately were not portrayed in Jolie’s performance. Beautiful costume.