Maria

Maria
Stars: Angelina Jolie, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Haluk Bilginer, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Stephen Ashfield and Valeria Golino
Director: Pablo Larrain
Scriptwriter: Steven Knight
Cinematography: Ed Lachman
Studio Canal/Netflix
Rating: R
Running Length: 123 Minutes

Opera singer Maria Callas is known as one of the---or even THE---soprano of her time. Yes, there are fans out there who think she was the best, while others would just add her to a list of beautiful singers. In this film, “Maria” we see the last days of Maria Callas in the 1970’s Paris, France. Now, as to who would portray Callas, Angelina Jolie is the one who bravely takes the role with an average performance. The audience sees the singer in her last days as she is in her apartment with hired help who are more family than “help.” It is not always a pretty picture. Now, as for singing, we find that Jolie’s voice is in the music anywhere from 5 percent to 50 percent of the time. Director Pablo Larrain does a good job of staging scenes, but the star is always Callas (Jolie). Valeria Golino plays Maria's older sister, Yakinthi Callas.

Maria Callas was not only famous for her beautiful voice, but her long association with Ari Onassis, who left her to marry Jackie Kennedy, but, actually, it would seem, never quite left Maria, either. Such live the idle rich, as they say.

The film concentrates on the last days of Maria Callas, with dialogue with servants, Bruna (Alba Rohrwacher) and Ferruccio, the butler (Pierfrancesco Faviono). It concerns Maria’s appreciation of everything her mother did for her. We also Haluk Bilginer’s portrayal of Aristotle Onassis, the love of her life. Kodi Smit-McPhee is an interviewer, but then, again, is he? What is unusual is that Maria has her piano moved from room to room. Those wooden legs did do mileage.
Angelina Jolie is miscast as Maria Callas. It is not easy to get into the depth of the character she portrays. With elegant surroundings and the magnificent life Callas led, yet, there is only a wisp there. We do get the atmosphere of what it is like to have a glorious voice and sing at the Milan Opera House in front of adoring crowds. Time does pass for all of us, and at the end, realization can have a cold touch. You won't believe the ending.

As an aside to this film, for animal lovers, PETA was consulted about the fashionable (for that time) furs used.

[This reviewer had an opportunity to do a phone interview with Valeria Golino many years ago when she was in the United States promoting the film "Hot Shots" with Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer and directed by John Frankenheimer. The phone call was supposed to be 15 minutes, but it ended up being almost an hour as she found out I had been in Italy several times and knew restaurants she was familiar with. ]

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