"The life story of the legend told completely in her own words." This is Maria by Callas. This French documentary film directed by Tom Volf. The film details an intimate look at the life and work of Greek-American opera singer Maria Callas, as told in her own words.
Leonard Bernstein called her "pure electricity", she was Maria Callas (December 2,1923 - September 16, 1977). The American-born Greek soprano was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her bel canto technique, wide-ranging voice and dramatic interpretations. Her repertoire ranged from classical opera seria to the bel canto operas of Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini and, further, to the works of Verdi and Puccini; and, in her early career, to the music dramas of Wagner. Her musical and dramatic talents led to her being hailed as La Divina. Born in New York City to Greek immigrant parents, she was raised by an overbearing mother who had wanted a son. Maria received her musical education in Greece at age 13 and later established her career in Italy. Forced to deal with the exigencies of 1940s wartime poverty and with near-sightedness that left her nearly blind onstage, she endured struggles and scandal over the course of her career. She turned herself from a heavy woman into a svelte and glamorous one after a mid-career weight loss, which might have contributed to her vocal decline and the premature end of her career. The press exulted in publicising Callas's temperamental behaviour, her supposed rivalry with Renata Tebaldi and her love affair with Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis. Although her dramatic life and personal tragedy have often overshadowed Callas the artist in the popular press, her artistic achievements and her influence have endured. In 2006, Opera News wrote of her: "Nearly thirty years after her death, she's still the definition of the diva as artist - and still one of classical music's best-selling vocalists."
Maria by Callas pays entertaining tribute to a towering cultural figure with a documentary whose evident affection for its subject proves contagious. The film serves as a vivid reminder of just how huge a role the great soprano played for a generation. The film paints a picture of a complicated woman, but it hits the high notes: the performances, the cheers, the adulation. Consider it a greatest hits. As the film demonstrates, while the music was mesmerising, so was the woman. A standard documentary about a famous person, but oh my gosh the singing is just incredible and I like the way they let the singing go for a long time. The film shows us why she was such a cultural force, and why nobody has filled the void she left behind. See it, if for no other reason than to learn the significance of her magnificent voice. The film confirms, but doesn't much augment, what we already know, it was a heck of a life and Volf traces it reverently.
Simon says Maria by Callas receives:
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