Cultural Cocktail Hour
“Maria By Callas”- A MUST SEE FILM
“Maria By Callas: In Her Own Words”-
A MUST SEE FILM
by
Leticia Marie Sanchez
Directed by Tom Volf, “Maria by Callas,” offers a sublime, moving portrait of a legendary opera singer using never-before-seen footage. The film dispels the notion that Callas reigned as a diva, revealing instead the grace, poise, and self-restraint she showed while perpetually facing intrusive harassment by the media. Through the film, one gains insight into the cruelty of the headlines towards the opera singer, who was called tempestuous, for instance, simply for having bronchitis. The world expected her to be beyond human, but the film revels in her humanity.
As Callas herself noted, those around her, including her ex-husband seemed drunk on the glory of being in her orbit; meanwhile the star, no matter how successful, continued to focus obsessively on her vocal craft. Even in middle age, she nervously consulted with her teenage vocal coach prior to her performances, yearning always to perform each note to a flawless standard. What also came across in the film was the sensitivity that Callas felt towards her audience. The more energy and love she felt, the more of herself she poured into each performance, driving herself to the point of exhaustion.
This film is a MUST SEE not only for the personal insights into Callas’ life, but for the many glorious footages of her performances, breathtaking and untouchable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xmsGzhhDGE#action=share
Laemmle’s Royal Theatre
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