Maria - Movie Review

Thanks to Maria, viewers find themselves in the life of Maria Callas, the greatest opera diva of all times. The narrative moves across the timeline of the 1970’s in Paris and the actress gets to portray the character of an aging Callas who has to face all aspects of her personality. In he last episode of Desperate Housewives, we follow the course of her life and how she waxes philosophic about career success, love and the bitterness of her last moments of life. Specifically, the nature of this film follows the traces of a woman and her past and existing struggle with her past while being haunted by her present life.

There are various themes in this film: identity, glory, and the taste of a bitter-sweet success. The mood varying between the thoughtful and – in the climactic recitatives – the passionate, a faithfulness to the grand operatic spirit of Callas’ life. Maria raises the question about the difference between an individual performing for society and being sincere when a person’s worth seems to be defined by job description. Maria’s successes and challenges are depicted vividly in a piece that conveys the essence of post-world war period, broken culture, as well as the inside story of human desire and persistence.The driving force of excellence, Angelina Jolie, does justice to playing the role of Maria Callas. Luminary-like she performs but at the same time vulnerable, and thus reminding the audience of a woman who can elicit adoration and obsession in equal measure. A strong supporting cast –Pierfrancesco Favino and Alba Rohrwacher enhance the film since they give lifelike portrayals of the people that shaped Callas. Notably, the Kodi Smit-McPhee creates an intricate addition to the cast contributions to the plot progression of Callas’ life experience.

The work of Pablo Larraín can speak about his talent in presentation of the historical characters’ facts in the magical way. His vision of Maria reflects at once devotion to the Callas image and some profound psychological analysis. Palma continues the process started by Acevedo constructing a truly epic and intimate story that allows viewers to get acquainted with the different sides of fame, music, and personal grief.

Musical legacy of Maria has a critical importance here – it underlines the opulence of Callas’ life. The score recreates her singing, interweaving extracts from opera with other pieces, which accentuate the tempo of the movie. The sound design is synchronized perfectly with the plot, thus creating the conditions for getting into Callas’ world as for the visuals, they are brilliant and show the beauty and decline of Paris in the seventies. Stunning and bright images are accompanied by the shades that imply Callas’ personal turmoil. The flash between sumptuous opera houses and personal thoughts perform a beautiful duet and a chorus that celebrates and not so gently debunks the life of the protagonist.

It is important to say that the aesthetic of the series is impeccable, it reflects the atmosphere and the truth of the Paris of the seventies. From the gorgeous opera gowns to Callas’ personal life, the picture tells a history in every shot, which is not ironic for such a film. The design decisions reflect the split between the public and private lives and serve to bring the petals and the flight for the soprano from being too flamboyant and striking for the opera diva.

Some of the techniques that directly relate to cinematography, are such things as period detail or subtle use of mood changes. Most scenes do not use complicated scenes and 3D in order to preserve a realistic approach to the story, which is close to the biographical drama and makes the viewer feel closer to Callas. Flash between present and past are smoothly done to maintain continuity in the flow of events and emotions. The pace of cutting matches the nature of the grand opera and the quiet dramatic monologues that give the film its heart. Although highly systematic in its narrative approach, methodical strategy does not restrain the time for melodramatic impact, thus making emotions easily identifiable by the audience, and entire Callas states cognisable, as the essence of her character strength and individuality unfolds step by a step.

Dialogues in Maria sound operatic and dramatic, meaning that they depict character aspects as scenes that would be sung in an opera. Speaking in verse and in prose, the words are dressed with a hint of poetry and history as well as emotion and individuality. Every conversation constructs Callas’ personality, exposes the layers of a woman with a complex personality.

Thus, Maria attains the ultimate dramatic appeal but at the same time, sometimes it is overloaded with themisty of a large-scaled intentioned concept. It is necessary to note that some of the narratives might require some expansion, particularly those related to Callas’ interpersonal bonds and transformations. Some rarities may also cause pacing problems, but it will become the limit of the endurance of the viewers, but it is still a successful attempt at depicting the life of the subject.

Therefore, Maria is a proof that biographical films can be successful. That is why the film strikes the cord and stays with you for long after the intermission due to the thick plot that it has and the artistic performances given by the cast of the movie. It is a moving tribute to Maria Callas – a delicate investigation into her remarkable life and presence, so that the power of her message is as powerful as her voice.