X
- 2018
- PG
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 59 m
- 2018
- PG
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 59 m
Summary Told through performances, TV interviews, home movies, family photographs, private letters and unpublished memoirs—nearly all of which have never been shown to the public—the film reveals the essence of an extraordinary woman who rose from humble beginnings in New York City to become a glamorous international superstar and one of the gre...
Directed By: Tom Volf
- 2018
- PG
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 59 m
- 2018
- PG
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 59 m
Maria by Callas
71
6.7
Where to Watch
Summary Told through performances, TV interviews, home movies, family photographs, private letters and unpublished memoirs—nearly all of which have never been shown to the public—the film reveals the essence of an extraordinary woman who rose from humble beginnings in New York City to become a glamorous international superstar and one of the gre...
Directed By: Tom Volf
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
71
89% Positive
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
11% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
71
89% Positive
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
11% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Maria By Callas finds lots of press footage that most of us have never seen, filmed interviews either for television or newsreels, and it’s all fascinating.
As a document of a special creation, Maria by Callas is very nearly enough, thanks in no small part to that generous helping of footage where she fulfills that very destiny. It’s a powerful reminder that private walls can stay put when she’s singing Bellini’s “Casta diva,” that the music is more than enough, that we can let the mystery be.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 15 User Ratings
6.7
73% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
20% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
7% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 15 User Ratings
6.7
73% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
20% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
7% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
As a kid the only thing I knew about opera was what I learned in music appreciation in high school and that was "Carmen" and "Madame Butterfly". I, also, went on a school trip to the 'Old Met' plus let's not forget Mario Lanza as Caruso or Jeanette McDonald and Nelson Eddy.
In the 1950s I was very much into theatre, both musicals and plays, plus concerts, pop and Bernstein, movies, television was becoming very popular and the name Maria Callas started to appear in papers, magazines, interview shows on television but mainly became known as a prima donna first in a good way than as a sneer. She was a married woman having an affair with a Greek millionaire who would eventually leave her for Jackie Kennedy after the United States President died.
In "Maria by Callas" Maria Callas tells her story in her words, pictures, events and we hear her voice at its best, though recordings 50-60 years ago weren't as clear as they are today. We see her being mobbed by fans, the press, notable people like Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother, Elizabeth Taylor, Bridgette Bardot, interviewed by Edward R. Murrow, David Frost and Barbara Walters. She talks about how and why performances were missed and how, as a woman, she had to choose between her career and having a family, her feuds with her mother and the Met Opera director Rudolph Bing.
Whether playing the Diva or the rejected lover the main things that stand out about Maria Callas are her wide, open black eyes, thin body and, yes, that glorious voice. I won't pretend I know bel canto technique from a soaring soprano or other voices but I can be moved and I was by many of the arias she sings in this documentary.
"Maria by Callas" presents a woman, a singer, many of us may have only known by the headlines or a **** icon but who deservedly was called 'the' female opera singer of the twentieth century. It also makes me realize what I missed not seeing her perform on stage.
Movie trailer
Report
It’s a love letter to Maria Callas, and there is a great deal to love, as Callas never loses her coquettish charm, vulnerability, and magnetism. No question, the film excuses and even negates her infamous spasms of hubris and foolish pride. But this blind adulation never gets tiresome, as “Maria by Callas” is anchored by La Divina’s most extraordinary performances, colorized and unedited, in all her glory. Because of her staggering artistry, Callas is endlessly watchable, and the film understands this idea implicitly. I think even Maria herself would approve of “Maria by Callas”, and that is saying something.
Report
Tom Volf’s distinctive and affecting documentary makes plain how much the persona also owed to appearance and intelligence and life history.
No narrator, no talking heads feeding you insights, just the lady letting it rip on stage and off. What Volf, a French photographer now working on his third book about the acclaimed soprano, misses in perspective he gains in intimacy. His film fawns shamelessly and fumbles a few salient points, but it’s indisputably up close and personal.
What is gratifying about the film is Volf's obvious love for and devotion to Callas, as well as his completist's urge to track down and include every scrap of footage at all relevant to telling her story and documenting her greatness.
Maria by Callas offers a new side to her legend, one that was also vulnerable, smart but also lonely, a fate that sometimes befalls headstrong women.
Volf’s refusal to address key choices that Callas made to shape her own career and fight her insecurities suggests that he’d prefer to imagine Callas as a victim of fate — and bronchitis, fame, Onassis, etc. — instead of a strong-willed but human prima donna.
I worked for an opera singer and have been backstage at the Met, and I thought this was a balanced study – not slavishly adoring but yet with an understanding of what it is like to be a diva. The discipline of only using actual clips of Callas speaking keeps us away from gushing fans (except for one quick visit to the Met ticket line) and also from critics who are not always objective. And ignoring her colleagues made it seem that she was the only one on stage and avoided exploring opera’s complexities, but the reward was a unique, focused, and valuable understanding of Callas.
Report
A real gem for fans of the famed diva, with many fine performance sequences that show her off in her best light. As for the rest of the film, however, the insights are not as abundant or as in-depth as one would hope for, frequently repeating ground covered multiple times in different segments. The film also seems to rely on a plethora of airport arrival shots in different cities, which, if you've seen one, you probably don't need to see the same basic footage over and over again. Overall, while it's true I enjoyed this release, I nevertheless came away from it wanting more than what it actually delivers.
Report
Production Company
Elephant Doc,
Petit Dragon,
Unbeldi Productions,
France 3 Cinéma,
Ciné+,
France Télévisions,
Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC)
Release Date Nov 2, 2018
Duration 1 h 59 m
Rating PG
Genres
Tagline Ave, Maria or The legendary diva - in her own words
Website
http://www.maria-by-callas.de/
Awards
Master of Art Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Barcelona-Sant Jordi International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Chicago International Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
