An orchestra conductor's honest review of MARIA (Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, Netflix movie)

[@howimettheopera]

Hey everyone! Very interested to hear your thoughts, specially on the whole "art as suffering" topic if you are a part of classical music/art making; and also what you thought about MARIA if you've seen it ( but please keeping it respectful ;)

[@kbhprinsesse]

Callas herself said in an interview "You must suffer to be an artist". I do however think that that was an opinion she adopted in her later years; in her early career when her voice was in good shape and as a consequence she was less scared of going on stage, I think she perceived being an artist in more direct musical terms.

[@TheRealBrook1968]

@@howimettheopera there is a reason to make the distinction between sympathy and empathy. As time progresses add a person embraces life and suffering in a healthy manner, they move from the realm of being able to be a concerned companion into sharing the n the joy and pain of another.

[@hansmahr8627]

I think there are important nuances when it comes to this topic. Obviously there's a toxic element to it when people say that you need to suffer for your art which can lead artists to not seek help when they need it. But then there's also a positive side in that art can be a way to deal with suffering. It's a field where you can succeed despite mental health struggles, you can even transform them into something positive. If you suffer from issues with mental health, it can be quite uplifting to see how many great artists created amazing works despite suffering from the same issues. And sometimes these struggles can even lead you to insights and new perspectives, turning your weakness into a strength. Virginia Woolf for example talked about how she took a lot of inspiration from her psychotic episodes when writing her books. You obviously don't need to suffer from schizophrenia to become a great writer but if you do suffer from it, you can make use of it for your art. That's the positive angle of the whole 'art from suffering' narrative. To take another example, consider the origin of Blues. It was developed by disenfranchised people with roots going all the way back to slavery. The great names in early blues history were all poor, they all faced discrimination and intense racial hatred, they struggled with addiction and other issues. And this suffering had a huge impact on the development of the blues, it was a way to cope with the suffering, to transform it. That's the power of art, it can give you hope and help you survive even in the darkest times.

[@alopezgorham4479]

I would like to gently push back on the comparison you made between yourself as an orchestra conductor and Callas, an opera singer. While you are both technically artists…the two art forms require vastly different their talents. An opera singer is an actor and they have to build character and that can be mentally and emotionally draining. Callas was a child of the War and endured many traumas, the thin line between suffering in her own life and the character’s life may have created its own unique suffering, each performance. All while maintaining her extraordinary vocals … it must have been draining. Many performers/actors do have a hard time shaking off characters… And I particularly have great empathy for Callas, since she most definitely never had therapy after her wartime trauma and it’s clear it greatly affected all aspects of her life and art.

[@TheRealBrook1968]

@@howimettheopera Involuntary or consequential suffering is part of the human condition that can become a creative or destructive force. The direction it takes depends upon the character of the sufferer.

[@CentraalHub]

I hate it how they always depict Maria as a has been, delusional, solitary and desperate woman. If u watch her interviews in the 70s - like the clips u shown here, close to her death, she is always DOWN TO EARTH, when they keep comparing her to her prime days, she always admits "I don't sing like when I was 20 and I'll never sing like that anymore, people change with age" she is never that delusional woman who thinks she will be back to singing like when she was younger. About Onassis, she was always ok in being his mistress, she speaks about him with love even when the press want to make a big tabloid drama. She knew her craft sooooo well. About 20 years ago they did another biopic about her with that same "she is crazy and alone and delusional". She was never like that! The big drama in her life was: her mother pushed her to be a singer, she never wanted to be a singer, her mother made her even lie her age to get into the conservatory, her close family kind took advantage of her. She wanted to be an actress, the whole being the best singer ever was an accident for her, it was never her goal. This was her big drama. Also they always treat her like she is that impossible demanding woman, if u listen to her masterclass or watch her interviews, she is never like that, she is direct because she understands her craft, but she always value the crew. I guess Hollywood can't sell her true story.

[@prototropo]

@@CentraalHub Exactly right.

[@peterbreis5407]

She did have a disastrous come back. That was a big part of her later life.

[@CentraalHub]

@peterbreis5407 look at her interviews, she talks about that. The thing is: press treated it like a big let down, but she herself would say "the press expects too much from me, I will never sing like before". What I am saying is: they act like she had the fantasy she was singing like her prime and that she couldn't face the truth and this is not the truth. Also when she talks about Onassis, she NEVER say a bad thing about him or about Jacqueline. She never tried to end their marriage. Just go watch her 70s interview, she is NOTHING like what is portraied in the movies. She knew sooooo much about her craft and that is the reason she couldn't be delusional about it. Also, singing was not that important to her. She never wanted to be a singer, it was never her dream. I dont think she had that need to be the best later at her carreer. There is an amazing doc i dont remember the name is something like "callas on her own words" and that gives much more insight. As a said her trouble was almost being a hostage to a talent that wasnt her choice. This movie is BS.

[@peterbreis5407]

@@CentraalHub I haven't seen the movie so can't comment on that but she did try to revive her career at a point she could only disappoint. Opera singers really have no room to move, it is all about the voice. Jazz, popular and Rock singers can fake it with "character" or by drowning it out with the instruments but that won't cut it in Opera.

[@prototropo]

@@CentraalHub I think the admiration nurtured for Callas by people like those here, posting, is wonderful evidence for her authenticity and legacy for beneficence. We who care are the guardians of her memory and presence!

[@googlefan8990]

'Maria' is a movie about Angelina Jolie - not Maria Callas. I you want a see a movie about Maria Callas - watch 'Maria by Callas' - 2017 movie - very, very good and stars Maria Callas herself.

[@edglebennett6312]

??? "I you want a see a movie" What?

[@Alpha-Andromeda]

Angelina didn’t even take the time to learn the hand mannerisms and cadence of speaking of Maria Callas. It was a poor choice and it’s unfortunate because Maria was so enthralling to hear speak and sing. So yes, you must be right, this is a movie about Angelina. It’s definitely not a movie with the essence of Maria in it.

[@fp5206]

@@edglebennett6312 Obviously If... just a typo

[@edglebennett6312]

@@Alpha-Andromeda I thought she did a wonderful job! Maybe you could do it better.

[@edglebennett6312]

@@fp5206 I was not trying to make you feel less than, I was just trying to help you. We all make mistakes. And I don't mind people correcting me or my post! Happy holidays to you and yours. I made a mistake and here I am editing my comments.

[@mysticskexis7459]

Thank you for your perspective. I am a retired ballerina and I often worry about the death of the appreciation of art forms like opera, ballet, and symphony orchestras. I feel that anything that might spark interest into the younger generation is a net positive. I don't want the live performance of fine art to fizzle away.

[@prototropo]

@@mysticskexis7459 Yes! I lament the declining attendance at ballet, symphony, opera, string quartet performances. These are the gens of civilization. We risk plunging into another dark ages if video games and hip-hop consume the attention of every generation.

[@terryfriend16]

One has to be brought up with the appreciation of art, otherwise young children will not realize what they should be knowing.

[@lindas.martin2806]

If citizens do not want art to go away, then citizens need to push, at school board meetings, PTA meetings, City Council Meetings, County Council meetings, state departments of education and House and Senate Representatives, to make the study of the creative arts mandatory and well funded at schools. otherwise artists will decline, and as such audiences too, then orchestras, symphonies, museums, historical societies, dance, opera, broadway musicals, traveling theatre and creative endeavors in general. Silence is NOT golden in this respect.

[@mysticskexis7459]

@lindas.martin2806 I completely agree. Attending performances and exhibits also makes a big difference.

[@SvobodovaEva]

Societies evolve and change, we lost many art forms from ancient times, it’s a natural phenomenom.

[@___efff]

LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK! Bravo. The way you articulated these concepts was so satisfying to hear. Thank you so much for sharing this.

[@mindy56374]

BravA

[@MM-pw4ln]

Most intelligent and best review I have ever witnessed.

[@demeter120]

I have read several biographies of María Callas and it is sad that the movies only focus on her last days and her relationship with Onasis. The life of Maria Callas is fascinating because it was the struggle of a woman who had everything against her to succeed in the difficult world of opera and yet managed to dethrone the queen of Scalla, the great Tebaldi and revolutionize opera. Maria Callas was a kind of Rocky Balboa in the world of opera.

[@OffbeatsMusic]

I love that reference 🙂

[@pennyp7382]

It has to be sensational or no one will bite.

[@momoshun]

it's sad that it wasn't highlighted :( a grand shame

[@francobarzelatto]

Callas didn’t “dethrone” Renata Tebaldi from Alla Scala, the media created a rivalry that was not actually true. In fact they were actually very good colleagues, who each sang different repertoire, so they weren’t even competing with each other.

[@daphnebeloved]

She didnt struggle that much,her First husband was Scala s manager,and regarding Tebaldi,she was great on her own,big beautiful with dramatic and projecting free Voice and good musicality with good technique. Callas was Very smart when recording in Studio with more intimate and nuances in her voice.Live ,she was good at interpreting,but she had to pour The Voice out loudly.

[@DavidHalChester]

Mike Wallace was one of the most obnoxious "interviewers" of all time. He would ask the cruelest and essentially most pointless questions of A-List Talent. I'm sorry that Maria had to endure him.

[@KathyCowan-r5z]

I so agree with you. It was ugly

[@carjam49]

I couldn't have said it any better. What a complete jerk.

[@Pylypczak]

yes, he’s a DOG!!

[@nicholasschroeder3678]

Remember the Mad Mag spoof: "Mike Malice"😂

[@OffbeatsMusic]

Oh, that is horrible. I didn't realize 😞

[@amygoldstein648]

This film is about one thing: Angelina Jolie. As a professional opera and concert singer most of my 58 years of life, having spent every waking second of my life working on my craft and devoted to Callas’ art, I have to say that I was looking forward to this film. I was extremely disappointed, unfortunately. Callas had a light, a joy, a huge presence and an incredible voice even at the end of her life. Angelina Jolie doesn’t have a voice, and she only has one look throughout the movie: morose and postured. That’s great for runway modeling, paparazzi, and even for Maleficent, but not for a personality so nuanced and so human as Callas. We are faced with 3 hours of admiring Angelina Jolie in her many sophisticated outfits and costumes as she strolls through stunning Europe, but it has zero connection to Callas or her greatness. The movie is visually stunning and that’s worth seeing. The filmmaker didn’t connect a dying Callas to her many joyous interviews, concerts, or anything that would show the contrast he was looking for. The audience did not cry once until the credits at the end showed the real Callas in videos. I personally can name 4 colleagues who could have sung the hell out of this role AND nailed all of Callas’ mannerisms, speaking voice and so much else. What a shame that directors feel that they must have a star in their film in order to succeed.

[@lucvalade2988]

What a waste…angelina jolie could not play herself…that is how bad she is.

[@Lesya77]

@@lucvalade2988 absolutely agree. couldn't stand more than 30 minutes of it.

[@janebecker7751]

My thoughts exactly!! A brilliant analysis, thankyou.

[@mikayla4842]

I absolutely adore Maria Callas and I was so looking forward too to seeing this movie. What a waste! I had to stop every 10-15 min to look for real Maria Callas interviews to find any similarities between Jolie’s caracter and her. Maria Callas was warm, passionate, vivacious. Jolie is cold and pretentious. I couldn’t even finish the movie. Not even the butler or the cook were interesting or humane. Such a waste!

[@helenhblck]

I am a semi-professional classical singer and when I heard Angelina Jolie was to play Maria Callais I was very uncomfortable with the idea.Maria Callais was compelling and enigmatic performer.Angelina is not in my opinion an actress who can give a true representation of Maria as she isn’t an opera singer. I can’t bring myself to go to the cinema to see this -I may have to vote with my feet and walk out!!A lesser known actress would be a much better choice.It would be like having Nicole Kidman play Barbara Streisand.

[@juanloaezaviadas500]

Honestly, Maria Callas is one of the greatest artists of the past century. I wish there was a movie about her glory days in the 50's. There's plenty of drama there also, but we would at least get a glimpse on why she is so important, why after almost 50 years after she died we still talk about her. And, as you say, she was the most dedicated profesional. Look up the interview with the great Teresa Berganza. She perfectly describes her commitment to the artform and her generosity as a colleague. I hope we get that portrayal one day. She deserves it.

[@barcher]

Exactly

[@Aotearoa0]

BS, I enjoy all types of music and my first introduction would've been our own Kiri TeKanawa Opera and all types of music is a personal choice. I have seen Andrea Bocelli twice in Brisbane and absolutely fantastic. Opera is not elitist, it's available to everyone. I enjoyed Angelina Jolie's performance very emotional. Maria was Aristotle 's love of his love 💕💕.

[@shaundudley4576]

Hallelujah. i think they despair at the herculean challenge of doing justice in that medium to the Callas Phenomenon. And rightly so.

[@fp5206]

Absolutely! That's what I thought when I watched the first 20 minutes of the movie I could stand. They did exactly the same with Judy. Movie and and TV makers today seem to focus on the dark and ugly stuff.

[@ina5587]

@@fp5206Of course.

[@andjelasubotic7227]

Great video, and as a classical singer myself, I agree with everything you said. I also want to add that as someone who admires Callas’s music and artistry, I did not appreciate the movie or what it portrayed.

[@yuliafrik2474]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@aysegshanal2670]

As a soprano who sings similar repertoire to Callas, I totally agree with everything you said, Maestra. Thank you for your insight.

[@irishelfand2232]

Years ago Zefferelli's tribute to Maria portrayed by the beautiful amazing French actress Fanny Ardant ❤️

[@prototropo]

Maria, like Judy Garland, deserved much more respect, at least from crass media wolves like Mike Wallace.

[@kbhprinsesse]

Also from over-personal fans who call her by her Christian name even though they never met her.

[@alexeios]

@@kbhprinsessewe know her as Maria lmao what is your problem, you never met her either yet here you are being a weird white knight

[@melindamercier6811]

@@kbhprinsesse🙄

[@jeffreypaszko3473]

Mike Wallace interviewers a travesty to say the least . It is pretty obvious that he does not understand. opera and the passion that music gives.... Maria always a class act makes Wallace look like the Neanderthal that he was..... Bravo Callas. !!!

[@prototropo]

@@kbhprinsesse You refer to a cultural convention, not a lack of respect.

[@adamusher468]

I think the media treatment of Maria Callas is seen so often when the artist is intelligent and has strong opinions. If you are a man, this is so often seen as assertive and strong, but for a female are features of a diva. The media so often wants females to be simply timid and pretty. I thought your reflections on suffering and empathy were very interesting. Thanks for the engaging video.

[@howimettheopera]

Completely agree! and thank you for watching

[@nicholasthill7151]

So much so, she became a pop icon and wildly adored in her own genre.

[@sarahwestmusic]

Such important points. LOVE your analysis. I personally am offended by this movie: 1) mixing Maria Callas' voice with anothers - horror 2) actor playing Maria Callas is horrible. The way she uses a haughty stance throughout this movie as if aloof, haughtiness is what Maria Callas was and as if this is "art". Maria Callas can be listened to to truly know her. Anything less, heellywud/peedoowud trying to make money on the rare beauty of Maria Callas' soul expressing through her beautiful being is just wrong in every way. Many will never go further than this movie which portrays Maria Callas' in every way wrongly. I so appreciate your sharing the truth behind the horrific rituals of slander, humiliation and canceling that is slowly moordorooz just like they have done to sooo many women in our world throughout the ages to try to break them to control them or destroy them. This is what they did to Maria Callas on purpose. It was an engineered effort by those who believe they can "own" people and that people are theirs to enslave or worse. For those hearing Maria Callas through this movie and watching the horrendous lip-singing of Jolie, I feel sorry for the nightmare that will never leave their memories of having watched the horrorshow that is this movie with Jolie pretending to be Maria Callas by walking around with her chin jutting out wearing high fashion as if fashionable clothes wearing makes a "diva." The reason we know the name Maria Callas has zero to do with her clothes. Zero to do with her chin in the air and zero to do with her hair styles etc. We know the name Maria Callas because Maria Callas moves us-to tears, to catharsis, to open our hearts, to the freedom we all long for but don't always know how to get to on our own. Maria Callas touches our soul. Maria Callas touches our spirit. Maria Callas evaporates time and space and collapses existence into the eternal present where we can feel fulfilled by the raw essence of pure beingness. Maria Callas brings us all home to ourselves which we so much abandon in the stress of our divided daily lives. The way "society" has been structured by the bangksturzz who run our world, who have destroyed millions, billions of communities, tribes, families for 1000s of years, we have lost our connections to ourselves and each other and the safety net of true love and true support through the fracturization of our human race. Maria Callas we listen to to remember what it's like to be loved, to be loving, to BE love. She embodies love-not just loss, but love itself. This is why we listen to Maria Callas. Jolie cannot embody this as a mimicker of materialistic media mayhem that is the parasitic machine that started and is hellywud. To know Maria Callas is only to listen to her herself: listen to her operas, her interviews, her letters: HER. Thank you for playing parts of the interviews of her showing how the interviewers were so atrociously disrespectful and offensive and explaining a bit about how the propaganduh machine worked then just as it does now. There are so many examples of how they have done this to women over centuries and millennia.

[@shaundudley4576]

@@sarahwestmusic I am so grateful for this magnificent piece. You have said it all. Loving Maria is both the easiest and the hardest thing to do. Easiest because once you get her, she keeps on giving like nothing and no-one else. Hardest because being the lover of such a woman and such an artist in this grotesque world where misogyny is cool again has driven me to despair for humanity. And quite frankly it too frequently is her biggest "fans" that disappoints most egregiously. Where are the serious scholarly studies of the Callas Phenomenon? Feminist scholarship is practically non-existent. How does that work? How can the woman who singularly and spectacularly conquered the most elitest male dominated cultural edifice in western civilization and paid the price for it (was destroyed because of it) be of so little serious concern to the very scholars that has precisely that as their core remit. It speaks volumes. Anyway, you have inspired me greatly. Thank you.

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

That is not really true, even in the 50's. I think the Italian tabloid press was simply merciless. I have seen negative articles were the press calls Corelli a divo, because of his disagreements with conductors. One article even said that Corelli is a diva just like Callas. They did this to men as well, and he was often objectified as well. These things doesn't just happen to women, even in the 50's.

[@daveking-sandbox9263]

My father, the tenor James King, sang often at the Metropolitan (with conductors like Karl Böhm, Lorin Mazel, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Horst Stein etc.) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_King_(tenor). I would hate to see a movie about my father made in this way. This also shows how little your average American understands about the arts. Rudolf Bing was also a very controversial person!

[@Caruso_is_king]

Your father was a TREMENDOUS heldentenor. I’ve never heard the prize song from die Meistersinger more beautifully than by your father. I can only imagine how glorious his voice was in the house.

[@daveking-sandbox9263]

​@@Caruso_is_king Thank you! My father had an incredible voice, with a lot of power here in the house as well. He would sit for hours at the piano playing through his roles. As a musician myself I began subconsciously learning what he was singing and then when I heard him on stage I knew exactly what he was doing. He was always open to criticism as well by people that he trusted and for me being his first son I would mention all of the places that I noticed in a performance and he was glad to get the criticism. Thus I ended up becoming a music producer as well as a musician.

[@daveking-sandbox9263]

He often mentioned Caruso very positively!

[@daveking-sandbox9263]

@@Caruso_is_king he was so successful that I ended up going into improvised music, as I thought as a teenager there was no way of competing with him. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lanWpH6qnNxpbZo

[@Caruso_is_king]

@@daveking-sandbox9263 I was a good tenor but not great. Only the great ones to make it. Your father was exceptional. A round, warm burnished sound that nonetheless soared over big orchestrations. I was always disappointed that he was revered in Europe and did not get the admiration he deserved in the US. I’ve lived in Germany for over 25 years now and your father is still regarded here as one of the finest heldentenors ever. Everything I’ve read about him describes him as the nicest, most down-to-earth man ever. Nico a bit of divo in him. Nice to chat with you and I hope you enjoy knowing your father and his art are still an inspiration to so many. Merry Christmas!

[@MrWphilips]

This is a fragmented film, leaving the audience with little understanding of what is happening! Just a ghostly extended story of unexplained decline and death! Ultimately, nothing but an unfulfilling mystery, for those too young to know her story!

[@b.j.d9363]

That’s the idea, I’m pretty young and I don’t know the story of Maria Callas but what the director wants to do it’s to portray just a tiny piece of what could’ve been her state of mind, just like he did with Diana he didn’t told her whole story this it’s not a documentary it’s an artistic understanding of how the director imagine the character in that moment of her life

[@storyland-m4u]

​@b.j.d9363well put

[@stephenfletcher6801]

You’ve given us a very thoughtful and respectful review. Thank you!

[@hrvoje14]

EXCELLENT analysis! Thank you from a Callas fan.

[@sophiesoprano]

I am an educated singer. Before my education, I spent countless hours on KZbin listening to Callas in interviews, masterclasses, and recordings. I feel as if I had known her personally, even as if she knows me! And I love her dearly. The biggest thing for me with her was her dedication to her art. I really appreciate all your points in the video. I don’t feel like watching Angelina Jolie play Callas. The casting immediately makes me know the movie couldn’t be good. Luckily, there is so much real footage of Maria - she is like her own movie. It’s totally possible to do an interpretation of her, but the talent of those making the movie just wasn’t there, it seems.

[@judyannkiwi]

It was a good film I watched it today

[@KajiVocals]

​@@judyannkiwi It got Maria's personality totally wrong.

[@Verbsdescribeus]

thank you...

[@MiaCNoir]

Same! I feel the same. I would watch it if they offered the roke to an actual opera singer, and mixing voice of Angelina Jolie with Maria Callas is really sacreligious. Even though I have been singing opera for years, I would never agree to do it with my voice as I am not her level and never will be. Here someone took lessons 7 months of classical singing? It is really surprising and giving people wrong values.

[@sophiesoprano]

@ i totally agree. They did it just so Angelina could get an Oscar nod. She just adds badly promounced French (when Maria Callas had great), shaky vibrato (sure Maria had a wide uneven one but not a shaky one), and muffled sounds were Maria had a meaty dark sound. Maria would turn in her grave. Also Angelina doesnt have much of an expressioni as an actress and is more of a talking modell, so it is totally poinltless to make her sing. I feel the director is jelouse of Marias greatness just like in Norman Mailets biography of Marilyn Monroe were he wrote so many mean things about her. They just cant accept that these Female artists were great. The movie is a try to bring her down by making her singing sound bad. Those are misogynists.

[@erickent4248]

Lots of creative people do have loneliness and depression, but we don't create out of that space, that side of us hurts our art, not helps it. We create out of our hope, our desire to transcend our basic forms, to become eternal, to communicate with the planet. I totally agree that I am tired of hearing people say that suffering is the key to art. Nice video (okay movie).

[@howimettheopera]

Very well said, thank you!

[@alexeios]

speak for yourself lmao some of the greatest artists who ever lived created out of profound sadness. Van Gogh is a perfect example. he was in so much pain and that’s part of what made his art so beautiful - the way the world treated him did not affect how he saw it or portrayed it. Dostoyevsky is another example. that man was deeply sad, because he understood too much. and as a result - his books.

[@monicacall7532]

Thank you for saying this! I’m a professional musician (a cellist) and am very tired of the “Musicians must suffer for their art.” trope that many biopics emphasize. Sure, my sad, bad, terribly painful experiences have helped me to be able to interpret and express certain pieces of music in a more meaningful way, but, as you say, to wallow in those emotions in order to make the music more authentic is counterproductive and, frankly, a load of hogwash. If you’re in the depths of depression, trauma or grief it’s extremely difficult to even play or sing. I know from personal experience. How I wish that film and television productions about musicians would instead focus on the absolute joy, delight and outright fun making music and performing for and with others most often is. The scene in “Maestro” where Leonard Bernstein is conducting the Mahler Second Symphony at Ely Cathedral is fantastic in portraying the joy in making music. Every musician in the orchestra, the soloists and Bradley Cooper/Leonard Bernstein are visibly having the time of their lives, and the “audience” is genuinely caught up in the experience. I suppose this may not be sexy or interesting enough for some people, but it is the truth so much of the time, at least in my own experience. Let’s hope that we can get rid of the “suffering musician” trope for good! 👏❤️🎵

[@RobertaDegnore-x8c]

Thank you! Thank you for your cogent, professional, personal assessment. Just, thank you!

[@alexeios]

@ stop being dramatic.

[@nigihayami6]

Its too simplistic as analisis to say María was recognized as the singer that was commited to express emotion when nobody was doing it. In that period, there was a lot of expressive singers, but more of the verismo school. She was a great actress, by instict, and she had a peculiar sound and a very personal way of singing. Later, she excelled at the bel canto roles, which were in that time sunged by singers without the adecuate tecnique for belcanto. She mastered belcanto given her schooling, and was indeed very expressive in those roles, vocally and phisically. Thats why her Lucia was clearly distinguishble, along with her Elvira, and later Ana Bolena, and of course Norma. She was a mix of a very compelling, charismatic, and stage actress, a great musician, and a very intelligent woman with a very personal voice.

[@howimettheopera]

thank you for expanding on this, I didn't want to get too technical so for whoever is interested in a more in depth/opera specific explanation of why her approach was so special this is a great explanation.

[@nigihayami6]

@@howimettheopera Thank you for responding! I hope i didnt sound harsh or mean, i wasnt trying to be that. I happen to appreciate María very much. I am also chilean, like Pablo Larraín, but that doesnt make me like his work very much. He has an eye for aesthetic, beauty, maybe, but i dont know. I havent seen the movie, but from the clips they have released i really dont think its a movie for Callas fans, opera fans, singers or musicians. Im still gonna watch it, but my expectations will be low.

[@RG-CooperTrooper]

@@nigihayami6 Thank you for posting your opinion, sharing your knowledge and wisdom. It agrees with this so competent video of Maestra and gives another depth to it. Also I feel Jolie can play narcissists well but lack beauty to portray Callas, especially her inner beauty, poise.

[@allegory6393]

@@RG-CooperTrooper Jolie is a flat and superficial actress, she apes Callas and, if you are not into celebrity culture, you very much see she does not go above aping. She does not capture any of the real intelligence, humour and depth of the real Maria.

[@daniebeth]

Thank you. I love Angelina Jolie and she seemed so proud of the work and care that went into this. I was looking forward to watching it but so many were absolutely hating on it. I started watching and I could tell it was coming from a very artsy / cerebral view. I was loving the soundtrack and I really didn’t expect that. The backstory on the treatment of her really expanded the movie and the interest I now have. Thanks.

[@CynthiaValencic]

As a singer, my problem is that Maria Callas and other classically trained singers train many, many, many years. And singing opera is not for the faint of heart. Yet directors and producers think they can throw in an actor who may have an ok voice and pass them off as classically trained. I don’t care how hard Angelina Jolie trained for this role. Her voice is not of the quality to pass as a trained opera singer. It’s an insult to Maria Callas. 0:30

[@metislamestiza3708]

thank you for stating the truth

[@tencontento9177]

Let's get real: she sounded like hell.

[@MrKadirbey]

No one who watches these types of movies actually thinks the actors are as talented as the figures they portray. Film is a different art form, and actors are there to convey the emotional state of the characters.

[@RG-CooperTrooper]

@@MrKadirbey In my opinion Jolie can play narcissists well but lack beauty to portray Callas, especially her inner beauty, poise. She is not, she can't portray someone who could have such voice, such impact. She is still playing some evil queen.

[@SaralinaLove]

@RG-iw7py exactly 💯! I loov how you simplified this issue of jolie's ineptitude: she lacks "the inner beauty"! Exactly what I've been saying. All she knows is how to do is pose and strut and stick her nose up haughtily! She thinks arrogance is artistry! Just a horror show "insulting" Callas as the above commenter wrote. So sad peoole are drawn to this vapid mind-numbing, soulless brain washing called movies.

[@RonaldBarone]

Her influence continues to be felt in the way we perceive and celebrate the most captivating and larger-than-life performers, both in the classical and popular music realms.

[@grantc61]

Watching that horrific interview with Callas, where the interviewer brutally attacks her, is disturbing. It would have happened close to her retirement in the late 60s/early 70s, when she was still only in her 40s - she looks terrible. Callas was not a martyr for her art; she simply wasn't respected enough.

[@melindamercier6811]

Smoking didn’t do her any favors either.

[@kiaraeijo]

And losing the weight affected her voice. Something similar happened to Deborah Voight (a notable Wagnerian Soprano)

[@ralphoperaphile]

@@kiaraeijo That isn't true - it wasn't the weight loss; she had a chronic illness: dermatomyositis, a connective tissue disease that causes inflammation in both skin and muscle.

[@greglemke4131]

Agree wholeheartedly with this perspective. As an aside, the Mike Wallace interview with Maria Callas is just insufferable.

[@prototropo]

@@greglemke4131 Truly. He's an embarrassing bully. I never liked his gratuitous "hard-line" interviews. His questions weren't probing, they were provoking. Like Barbara Walters', his goal is clearly grandstanding, not illumination.

[@MCM214]

@@prototropomike Wallace seemed and sounded so crass and horrid in that interview whereas Maria Callas remained polite, luminous and ABOVE him.

[@prototropo]

@@MCM214 She certainly did. Her grace completely diminished him.

[@jaimeochoa7256]

Thank you for a brilliant analysis ....She was and will always be La Divina...❤

[@nw6070]

That "im in the mood for adulation" line is so revolting. Anyone who has studied all her interviews will know that at heart she was actually an incredibly humble woman who put her art above her persona. She even likened a cleaners work as equally valid to her. She also spoke out against idolatry. So for the film maker to mischaracterise her for views is so vulgar and ironically a continuation of the injustice she faced in her life.

[@shaundudley4576]

Yes, that line is particularly bad. It shows that not only don't they know Maria, they despise her. cheap stereotyping

[@2violettina]

@@shaundudley4576 do you think you have missed the irony of the scripting given this is an art film that underscores an ungrateful public and Callis’s desire or raw need for the adulation of an audience that she desperately needed? The line speaks to her performative psychological defense mechanisms developed in childhood. Instead she gets derision from an ungrateful, self absorbed public. I actually think the line that you so excoriate is far more subtle than you perceive.

[@CentraalHub]

This makes me so mad. Her interviews from the 70s, u see how much she understand her art and how much she understand she is not at her prime and how she is not trying to be like when she was younger because it is impossible, the body changes etc. She is never delusional, weak or a impossible woman. Her true drama was the fact her mother pushed her into this life and she was forced to make a lot of sacrifices, her family kind leeched on her even after her death, there is even a video from her sister giving talks about her in the 80s/90s for fans (charging them). Also how they treat her like she never goes out of her apartment lol, she was a private person and there are several paparazzi pics of her going out of her building in Paris during her last years. It is kinda like what they did to Greta Garbo who just didn't want to be famous anymore and was bullied for it till her death.

[@2violettina]

Thank you for one of the most insightful and sensitive readings of this cubist collage of an art film I have seen to date. As an art historian/critic and teacher I found the film shaded by tints of Fedora and the last year of Dietrich and was reminded of Marlene singing “just a giggling” as no one slse could giving it a nuance and emotional pathos that is staggering. This is similar to what happens in the final aria. I thought the film was a little too long but in general it was an artistic attempt to reveal the passion and tragedy of Maria the woman and La Callis the performative self the an abused and sexually assaulted girl developed for self protection from a killing world. In this she is not unlike many creatives who are told early on” you’re too sensitive” My mother used to add for your own good. Many people here will disagree here will disagree with you. But I say Brava for your love, knowledge and sensitivity to what being in a creative league of one’s own requires. I believe Jolie and Callis both are superb!

[@shaundudley4576]

@@2violettina I have not yet had the opportunity to see the film yet, but this scene has been shown repeatedly so indeed the context might give redeeming nuance. I hope so For I dearly want this to be good. Two things: it reinforces the stereotype too crudely and Callas knew she had no need to doubt her reception anywhere in Paris at the time her fame and adulation was universal and transcendent in the Parisian scene.

[@powerliftingcentaur]

This was an absolutely outstanding review. Brava. You did the film its justice, even as you added a critically interesting perspective. As a poet who submits to editors, I was touch by your epilogue, your personal message to the film maker. I have never seen this happen before and I am getting old.

[@Jeanne90275]

Maria was a phenomenal singing actress. No way Jolie could play her; there was only one Maria.

[@NoBSSpider]

Well Jolie played her and her performance was solid.

[@Jeanne90275]

@@NoBSSpider I respectfully disagree.

[@metislamestiza3708]

my take, precisely

[@RG-CooperTrooper]

In my opinion Jolie can play narcissists well but lack beauty to portray Callas, especially her inner beauty, poise.

[@pauletteteno836]

Lol 🤣 ​@@RG-CooperTrooper

[@joannaRB]

Thank you very much for your critique. Very well thought out and reasonable.

[@edithhenson6917]

She was born in NYC, but did NOT grow up there. Her father took the family and moved them back to Greece when she was just a baby. She was schooled in Greece and her music training was there! Everyone who was involved with her training knew she was destined for greatness!

[@kiaraeijo]

Correction: She moved to Greece when she was 13/14

[@DiomedesDioscuro]

She did grow up in the USA.

[@Theodoros.K.Mouchtaris]

She was born in 1923 in Manhattan USA to, both parents, Greek immigrants. Her mother, after divorcing her father moved them back to Greece. She was there between 1937 to 1945. 14 to 22 years old. She was schooled first in the Greek National Conservatoire by Maria Trivella from 1937 to 1939, where she was thought of been a Contralto ( !!! ). Indeed listen to her speaking in her interviews! And afterwards in the Athens Conservatoire by the famous Spanish Soprano Elvira de Hidalgo who taught her according to the Belcanto style. Her first roles were with the "Greek National Lyric Stage", which was luckily founded in 1939. She never received her Diploma! (Altough I am not completely positive about that, it sounds SO strange). She signed her first contract with them in June 1940 (aged 20). A few months before the war between Greece and the invading Mussolini's Fascist Italy. She remained in Greece during all the harsh years of the monstrous German WWII occupation of Greece. When people were dying on the streets due to hunger! During 1940-1945 she sung in 7 Operas in the afforementiond National Greek Lyrical Stage. Beatrice (Boccacio), Tosca (Tosca), Smaragda (Greek Opera, The Master Builder / O protomastoras), Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana), Leonora (Fidelio), Martha (Tiefland), Laura (Der Bettelstudent). I think all the Libretos had been translated in Greek. She left from Greece in 1945 after the liberation from Germans and the Axis Powers and went to the USA, although her teacher had insisted for her to go to Italy. The rest is, more commonly known, History...

[@virginiaalonso6172]

Excellent! Thank you for your intelligent and insightful analysis! You are so correct.

[@lindalaw8368]

Your comments strike a cord as I am 75 and was an adult when many of history’s events happened. I agree with most of your comments and observations. The greatest or one of, opera’s voices is undeniable. Supreme pleasure to have heard her!!!❤❤🎉

[@ioannagiannia1742]

@@lindalaw8368 lucky you!

[@maryvasilakakos7387]

Lovely tribute from a knowledgeable insider. Bravo! Maria's greatness is indisputable. And greatness always attracts viciousness and malignant gossip and sheer jealousy from little people. Let them. Her greatness will keep on shining long after these little people are not even dust. Adore her work FE. ❤️❤️

[@irinadavidofflavrentyeva798]

I am an actress, singer, pianist and a huge fan of opera and Maria Callas! Being a conductor and an actor are two different things. Yes, as an inspired conductor you get emotional from the great, genuine music you hear. But we, dramatic actors are all alone on stage.We are the creators of all emotions our character is going through. The suffering in real life, indeed, in many instances, can help us to fulfill our performance with more sincere - genuine emotions. I knew one, very good actress, who, unwillingly brought in her stage roles more tragic depth, after death of her newly born twins.I remember how my personal suffering, helped me to deliver much more powerful, tragic performance. Moreover, we've been taught to utilize any life experience, which would help us to enrich the role. Callas didn't suffer all her life. Yes, she had a conflict with her mother, but her personal tragedy came later - when she met "playboy"- A.Onasis and when she lost her magnificent voice! Callas, with her Greek roots, was able to convey the geniun tragedy of her images suffering. For more than decade she as a one of the greatest operatic performers, sang and played with an absolute authentisity the most tragic roles in Operas: Macbeth, Anna Boolean, Aida, Traviata, Lucia, Ohio-Chio- Sun, La Boheme, Andre Shenier, Don Carlos and Tosca! Her suffering human soul was crying in her final Tosca, in 1965 and this is what made her performance is absolutely unforgettable! About Jolie in the role of Callas.As I see, Jolie has been praised primarily for hard working over the role and persistent efforts, to achieve the similarity with Callas Jolie could only pretend to be Callas because she had nothing to bring into the role of Callas.Her blank face looks just like a caricature on herself. Callas godgess face was always inspired from within, animated with emotions, passion and intellect.So, there s no way for Jolie to be even close to the genous operatic Diva of all times! You have to be a Diva to play Diva. Would be real great to make a movie about the amazing Callas's life, from the beginning,, highlighting her unique, breathtaking performances.

[@laurac2783]

That's why in the Franco Zeffirelli movie "Callas forver" Fanny Ardant did so well, she is a diva herself. Angelina Jolie is really blank.

[@amygoldstein648]

See my review! Exactly.

[@irinadavidofflavrentyeva798]

@@laurac2783You know, I've seen the movie with Fanny Ardant, but I'd forgotten the name of that movie. Yes, she did very well! She is an amazing actress and vey charismatic, exquisite women -French diva. Thanks for your response and happy Holidays!

[@RG-CooperTrooper]

I believe Jolie can play narcissists well but lack beauty to portray Callas, especially her inner beauty, poise. I don't know much about Callas' mother but for a child especially sensitive one the pressure from her could be traumatic enough to scare her for life. Now we know that trauma is not some rare unusual event but we all suffer many small traumas. We deal with them better or worse depending on situation, severity, our abilities, knowledge. It's possible Karen Carpenter's mom was narcissistic. The only thing Karen could control was her body, and she developed bulimia. Possible due to emotional abuse.

[@makingupthemagic]

Art is discipline. Movies can never show all the hours spent working on the craft. No one wants to see that. Hence movies cannot convey artists as it takes a lot of time to be an artist! ❤

[@vbell2536]

Amen to that

[@gowanhewlett745]

Brava. Your intelligence and honesty are so welcome. Callas would applaud you.

[@RG-CooperTrooper]

'Callas would applaud you.' wow ... bravo! :)

[@arialight77]

They don't have every right to portray it as they see it fit. it's not about a fictional character but a real person, with a real life, feelings, dreams, dissapointments, a human. A human with a huge time permeating legacy they ought not only respect, but honor. Taking these kinds of liberties are director-ego-centered, and they don't genuinely serve as a portrait of the character, but rather an interpretation of the director themselves, which inherently may end up deviating substantially from the reality. Additionally, using the expression "shed a tear" showcases remoteness and distance to feeling. Empathy is about identifying, not merely sympathising with a situtation and that's what makes art, Art. That's what distinguishes minor artists with perfect technique, from great artists who move your soul and bring you "to tears", whether it's joy, or sadness or both. You shouldn't be afraid to let go and let it break you. Especally for Opera, you cannot have opera without "much". Maria Callas was a huge person on the inside and that was reflected in her voice. Her voice was her character and her soul. At the same time she was sweet and she carried the Greek temperament of drama in her voice, and the extemities of war and poverty in her mind. Having someone like Angelina Jolie portray her, although she did try, she could never be close to enough for such a role. I doubt anyone from mainstream stardom could actually be, given the mostly pampered lives they have and also not being Greek. Thing with Maria Callas was that she was unconventional, kind and that's why she received so much backlash. She was a good person, she didn't pretend to be who she was. She had no need for that and that's why next to her light, other's darkness was exposed. Onassis was a sick narcissist and through her childhood wounds found ground to destroyed her. It's better to read the books with her letters to better understand her. Movies like these, sorry but are, rubbish.

[@yekaterinaignatova1415]

arialight77, What a beautifully written, thoughtful, trustworthy detailed argument. Thank you. I share almost every thought you vocalized here.

[@prototropo]

@@yekaterinaignatova1415 And I agree. That was a gorgeous perspective on the whole situation.

[@veramayer9571]

Her letters are indeed one of the best ways of getting to know her. And her interviews, and her recordings, obviously. The impression I got, after having read some of her correspondence, was that she longed to be loved - not admired, just loved by those near and dear to her; and that she would give love freely. In the case of Onassis, she clearly gave more love than she got back. Then, there's a sense of poise and dignity, and also, I think, a great sense of humour. And of course, as an artist she was uncompromising and very intelligent. It's a lot to portray, and a feature movie may not be the best option if you want this kind of nuance and complexity.

[@RG-CooperTrooper]

Narcissists are predators, manipulators, can destroy even people from well adjusted, happy families. Hollywood did similar injustice to Florence Jenkins, kind socialite, prodigy piano player. Her husband gave her syphilis at young age, and this gives old sufferers of it the feeling of grandiosity. It wasn't explained in the movie, instead they portrayed her as some mad woman. That's defamation, injustice.

[@gayreimers7355]

I love Angelina Jolie but had limited knowledge about Maria Callas so you most certainly provided a brilliant take on the film. Your review approached many questions I had during the film and will make another viewing much more satisfying. Thank you so much.

[@MrElliotc02]

Excellent analysis...very wise. Have a happy Christmas.

[@victorialukens5632]

Based on the trailer, no way could I sit through this new film with Jolie.

[@MCM214]

Same I am not going. I know Angelina is getting great reviews, but I don’t care to see 2 hours of this era of Callas.

[@storyland-m4u]

Lol she probably wouldn't sit through it with you either

[@jomama5186]

Maria could never be duplicated, this movie sounds like it proves that. Maria led a very complicated life. I pray she has found happiness and peace, up there singing for the big guy. ❤ 🙏🏻

[@evilqueenyiayia]

From a child her voice made me cry 😢 I didn't even know what was said but she broke my heart. 💔

[@ozoz9582]

What a discovery your channel is for me! I am not a musician but am a lover of music (I have literally tens of thousands of cd’s, the vast majority classical) and a seeker of wisdom and truth 😎 I was very moved by “Maria” and find your views to be very interesting - I look forward to going back to your prior vids and all moving forward. To introduce myself, I am an Armenian born in Buenos Aires, my father from Turkey and have lived in NYC most of my life…

[@TheRealBrook1968]

Having to address adversity and having personal success is the only way to build character. Don't look for suffering but rise above and conquer the suffering that comes into your life.

[@sarahwestmusic]

so well said!

[@RG-CooperTrooper]

Amen. It takes effort to become a man.

[@SaralinaLove]

Yes!!!🎉🎉🎉 💯 ​@@RG-CooperTrooper

[@VocalEdgeTV]

First time visitor. So well done.

[@MalissiaCreates]

Same here😊

[@patrickhenry2845]

Someone a while back, a friend who couldn't make a Sarah Brightman concert gave me two concert tickets because of something very important he and his wife had to address. It was my first ever opera concert. I took my father. I must admit being a pop, rock n roll, rhythm and blues, and jazz music fan. I found that concert to be awesome. Sarah came out with a beautiful dress and sang many songs. My mother loved Luciano Pavarotti, and whenever he was on TV, she was tuned in. Afterward, I began to research other opera singers such as Maria Callas and Placido Domingo. I rented some time ago, a movie titled Carmen featuring Placido Domingo. And even my mother liked it. Maria was an American of Greek ancestry, which I found surprising. I thought she was born in Europe.

[@JohnWehmeyer]

Thoughtful review with many points only an insider could make. One point: "irregardless" is not a word.

[@rickyestevez4698]

This is an excellent analysis and shows Maria Callas as more than just caricature of a difficult opera diva caught up in her own hype. However, my comment is more about the film itself. My question: Did anyone else feel that Jolie, as hard as she may have tried, fails to really make us believe that she's Callas and not Jolie trying to be Callas. As hard as I tried, I couldn't get past the feeling that I was just watching an actor playing a role. For contrast, Marion Cotillard as Piaf or Theron as Wuornos. Those actresses gave themselves completely over to those roles and we believed them. Here I just couldn't and it's a shame.

[@prototropo]

@@rickyestevez4698 I haven't seen the movie yet but I think it typical for many American actors to "star" in a role, in contrast to the lovely ensemble engagement with which other cultures seem to approach drama. Even Meryl Streep, whom I love, is guilty of "acting alone" in her films. Emma Stone might be an exception to that dynamic.

[@Pylypczak]

Excellent examples! You are so right

[@cctreadway8962]

I've only seen Jolie transcend her own persona once in a film, and that was Gia. Otherwise, she holds back and hides in her shell. This is why I likely wont watch "Maria."

[@januspatermagnus]

​@@cctreadway8962 it's a shame that was a tv movie. It was an oscar worthy performance. It's the first thing I ever saw her in and I was stunned. A powerhouse performance.

[@marionwilliams2436]

​@@cctreadway8962You need to watch Ms Jolie in The Changeling to see her playing and mother of a missing child.She received an Oscar nomination.Watch the movie Maria for yourself.and draw your own conclusions.

[@willrobinson1229]

Art is essentially a discipline. Any emotions that the audience experiences is their response to the result of hours and hours of preparation and practice by the performers.

[@kananiwolf256]

I enjoyed your analysis. Though Angelina never convinced me that she actually sang. Especially the opening sequence!

[@MCM214]

They heavily mixed in Maria’s voice there is very little of Angelina’s voice.

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

Another biopic, of course of these biopics really started because of the Queen/ Freddie Mercury biopic. He was very much the opposite of an artist constantly suffering , he loved life, and wrote very positive and joyful music, he was not a depressed musical genius, but of course he was portrayed that way. They picked the wrong period of life for this Maria movie. They could have told a very different and positive story if they had focused on the young Callas. They could have showed her getting started working hard to perfect her craft, her struggles with her mother and her sister, surviving during WII in Greece by singing to the soldiers. Her first performances at La Scala and the Met, her work with some conductors, her work with Visconti. Her weight loss. They could have ended the movie with Callas' big comeback to the Met in 1965. There would have been a lot of material, and the movie could have had a more positive focus of a poor immigrant girl who really makes it. All of these biopics have the same standard formula, Maria is too late, it is another biopic in a long line of biopics, it will not get that much attention. The Queen biopic partly stood out because it ends on such a massive high with one of the band's biggest triumphs of their career. I think they should have used that formula for this Callas movie. Artists do need some life experience to appear authentic. But that is also no indicator of a great artist. There are singers and musicians with difficult lives who still does not produce great art.

[@prototropo]

@@ZENOBlAmusic Yes, agreed. Although Queen was not Hollywood's first biopic! Alexander, Spartacus, Michelangelo, Henry II, Henry V, Henry VIII, Napoleon, Van Gogh, Franz Liszt, Lincoln, Helen Keller, Churchill--that list of (mostly flops) is very long.

[@emagreene9775]

Thank you so much. I love listening to Maria Callas and was truly hoping to learn what to expect from the movie. I still will watch it.

[@ellendillon4493]

This is an excellent analysis. Thank you so much.❤❤❤

[@ioanapoppoppy6192]

Thank you for this! Very useful to watch before the film especially for people who know a little about Callas :)

[@sigridmaes2627]

Agreed. The film is a caricature of the diva she never was. Such a shame. Can we now stop vilifying women who are artists?

[@beqamarsagishvili6988]

I'm sorry but when was she vilified in the film? They did it in the most respectful way. Also this happened in the 70s and even before so no1 knows what really happened and they did their approach.

[@sigridmaes2627]

@@beqamarsagishvili6988 She was vilified in the press, as an unreliable, fickle diva. I think the movie further mythologizes her. When in fact she was a very talented, hardworking woman.

[@beqamarsagishvili6988]

@sigridmaes2627 I thought you were talking about the film, in general I do agree, It's not fair how she was treated in the last years especially, she worked very hard but because of health issues she couldn't continue, which of course wasn't her fault.

[@ClaudeBawles]

then why do you say Callas was never a diva?

[@sigridmaes2627]

@@ClaudeBawles Well it depends what you mean by diva. If you mean talented artist, then yes. If you mean: fickle, unreliable, bigger than life, well, then I doubt that. I think she was a complex woman and deserves to be portrayed as the woman she was: talented and complex.

[@lizmedina2527]

What a marvellous review of the film and explanation from your perspective as an authentic artist!! Maravilloso. Me has hecho querer ver la película y aprender más sobre La Callas.

[@margaretkeefe2567]

I have listened to Maria Callas for fifty years. I am deeply grateful. I thought Angelina palpably channeled Maria’s pain and isolation. Angelina drew me in. For me the film was another opportunity to contemplate Maria.

[@margaretkeefe2567]

This is an addition to my comments above. I truly appreciate the work you put into this video. Brava. However, one small issue: Your comment about singing being beautiful singing before Callas’ time is not entirely accurate. I remind that Verdi wanted an ugly voice for his Lady Macbeth and so rejected the singer selected for the premiere as having too beautiful a sound. And speaking of Tosca, we opera buffs and sopranos have great fun listening to all the great sopranos do the blood curdling final phrase “O Scarpia, avanti a Dio.” It’s widely accepted that Maria Callas especially excelled in the Belle Canto repertoire and in the tens years especially between ‘48 and ‘58 she was perfect. Thank you Maria for you, your emotion, your voice, your intelligence your musicianship, your very hard work 🙏

[@KajiVocals]

Perhaps cahnneled her pain and isolation... but not the personality.

[@carolwyban3947]

This portrays her end of life. Comparing your temperament to hers doesn’t make for a good assessment. She is a different person, of a different past etc. For example did you live in a country occupied by the enemy? We’re you pimped out by your mother? She suffered her past, she was traumatized.

[@michaelwright2986]

I don't actually follow this comment. It seems you think the video is attacking Callas? But as I see it, it's showing how much she was misrepresented and vilified by a sensationalist press that was looking for a misogynist shock story, not at all concerned with the truth.

[@sergiolalaian1558]

Great commentary I really enjoyed it.

[@annaliseRS]

Thank you for making this video and drawing attention to how the classical music world is depicted from the outside vs. how it actually feels to live in it.

[@zip8444]

Your "two cents" is worth more than you will ever know for all of us! Also, thanks for "How I Met The Opera" ! Kilroy NYC

[@caninbar]

You, as many others, have not understood why Maria Callas changed the world of opera. She brought forgotten opera back to life and the uniqueness of her voice and technique allowed her to sing operas of such contrasting nature as Parsifal by Wagner and Il turco in Italia by Rossini. Yes, her pathos and expressiveness, and the colour of her voice were unique and captivating. This latter point is what has made her famous with the general public.

[@karmalama8642]

I admit that I got introduced to Maria Callas because of this movie and having looked up some of her performances on youtube, I totally get what you're saying. She actually acts out the part while singing. Very theatrical and dramatic. I never knew Opera singers could perform like that. I had the impression that they just stand sill and sing.

[@marcosalterio6306]

Ana, thanks for clarifying lots of those "scandals" with facts, and also for making it clear regarding what could be a liberty for film from what it was actually the reality of facts. I have been listening to Callas for 30 years, and I adore her. I think the movie does incredibly well in period reconstruction, as well as in the cinematography/art departments, but lack emotion or depth. I feel like people that do not know much about opera or Maria, will be lost in translation....But again, this is not meant to be a documentary, it is a movie. Saludos from Buenos Aires 😘. Callas Forever.

[@KlausToth]

These aggressive journalists should have been ashamed to attack sensitive and fragile Maria in such a despicable way. It's like kicking someone, who's already on the floor.

[@kylejohnson6867]

Bravo. You need a larger platform to get your views out into the world. Classical music is in jeopardy of dying and you have an approach that makes the genre accessible. I live in San Francisco, and I am frightened that we could lose our symphony. I never thought it could happen here. Keep up your good work.

[@mariajosemaranon9728]

Excellent analysis! Intelligent and honest.

[@nancyb.9759]

I love Maria Callas. I can’t imagine putting Anjolina Jolie in this role- the role of a complete GODDESS!!!!!

[@SteveL2012]

Extremely insightful on many levels. Bring this to your music, and you will indeed be great! ❤

[@ayoubchergui2908]

I never knew her, never listen to her and never read anything about her but " OH MY GOD" The amont of feelings and emotions in every scene is outstanding. The movie is one of the best this year, i don't think i blinked while watching it. I did understand pretty much everything thanks to perfect visual story telling and great exposition and ofcourse a supereb level of acting from Angelina jolie and her co stars. The movie leave me with an after taste like the one "Black Swan" leave me with : big respect to the art and to those who practice it and enjoy it But if the film left me with one thing, it would be how much artists suffered in the time of yellow journalism.

[@waterwitch-rhythm]

I agree with your assessment of the lack of popularity of classical music in modern times; it's a shame that people are missing all that, especially in the US. As you state, all this drama does not help. Classical music is pure joy and emotion, as are rock, jazz, hip hop, etc.

[@wittlemissy]

Maria by Callas is magnificent! I saw the trailer years ago and was sad it's unavailable in my country. I waited almost 6 years to finally watch it. I love how they made it look like a real movie with no commentaries. It was created seamlessly that I forgot that it was a bunch of clips and voice over

[@catheadoff]

I’m a proffesional singer, composer and musician (play instruments) and visual artist… “art as suffering” is just in the moment the ideas coming and you try to make everything come to this world…Then, we are normal people and happy (not all moment) like EVERYBODY does! 🙂‍↕️

[@slowmovingplanet]

What os missing is that Maria is not a movie about Maria Callas, is a movie about Angelina Jolie.

[@superchops5150]

I can’t believe people think her performance is Oscar worthy.

[@michaelmoreskine9677]

You have given a very personal and educated review. Honest and from your obviously exceptional personal experience. Would, however, have been nice to see more of the movie scenes and footage referenced and explored.

[@SmilerBFC]

The best music is always created from true emotions.

[@eladauk6678]

The things that misses the mark in the portrayal of Callas were her gestures. Jolie is too wooden.

[@theheartofsound3912]

Lovely points, hitting home for me personally, as I spent half of my life concertizing as a classical pianist. Love that you brought up the research about how playing the piano lowers stress levels, and then show all the comments from actual pianists. Very cool! I have spent the last 20 plus years working on understanding the difference between the love of the music and the suffering I experienced from all of the pressure and aloneness. It took me into the sound healing realm where I looked deeply into the roots of vibration, and having our own unique sound in the world before we even pick up an instrument. I have given workshops at places like Berklee and Eastman to help other musicians discover the basis of sound, their unique sound, not dependent on their relationship with their instrument, but instead their own unique vibration. Sometimes the joy of music making gets lost on the professionals! And also, through my extensive work with astrology and Human Design, looking very closely at personalities and psychology, I can now attempt to distinguish talent from ability to perform in high pressure situations. Some people have extraordinary talent yet do not have what it takes to be on the stage and tour, and yet are forced by others who see their talent to perform on the stage. This indeed creates suffering and loss of love for music. Talent does not always equal fame or ability to be seen in the world. That is a whole other topic! Thanks so much for this very interesting discussion!

[@shaundudley4576]

Thank you for this. Your critiques rang true to me and resonated profoundly. I have a lot more to say but I cannot do better than sarahwestmusic does below. She does Maria proud and those of us who truly get it.

[@PatriciaGoodsonpianist]

Good explanation of the difficulties of being a classical musician, especially a soloist.

[@jaimeochoa7256]

I loved listening to your review...your 2 cents and personal perspective is right on!....I hope this film will allow people to see who Maria Callas was, and what she brought to the stage....A Star is reborn to new generations!❤❤❤...I thought Angelina Jolie did a great job!

[@joyanngoddard2033]

Brilliant video! Thank you. All makes so much sense. Love your push back!

[@judyannkiwi]

I enjoyed the film on w Jolie I never even heard of opera before this film

[@oliviahafnermunichteaching957]

Wow!!! What a well-researched and thorough video. 👏👏👏👏👏 I’m so glad this piped up on my page. Thank you 🙏

[@briandubois-gilbert8182]

This film maybe fascinating for those familiar with her artistry and are fans of Callas, but it fails to attract younger viewers or those unfamiliar with Callas’ talent by not highlighting/portraying her more spectacular performances as an operatic singer on stage. I felt the film focused more on her complex personality and relationships rather than on her music. This film is painful to watch. It’s certainly not a celebration of her musical prowess.

[@beqamarsagishvili6988]

Not true, many people including me started listening to Opera and especially to Maria thanks to this brilliant film and. I was never fan before.

[@MrDavidSLewis]

Great video, and very insightful. Instant subscribe! I will certainly be looking forward to seeing more from your channel! As a cellist, I can't listen to Callas without tearing up. Don't know why. She ruins me every single time...just the brief moments in this video of her singing did it to me, instantly. Should I see a doctor?

[@s.heinrich5543]

For me, Maria Callas was always an incredibly strong and disciplined woman, she certainly had her rough edges, we all have them. But I also believe that it was a lot more difficult as a woman in this profession at that time than we can imagine today. I haven't seen the film yet, but I'm a bit worried that there will be a lot of emphasis on ‘suffering’ again. Pablo Larrain also seems to have a certain soft spot for suffering women (i must confess, i found ‘spencer’ hardly bearable). Based on your review, I'm a little worried that it will be similar here (is this perhaps a ‘male thing’: strong women must suffer and be terribly unhappy??). But maybe I'm wrong and Maria Calla's strength and assertiveness is also shown in this film to an appropriate degree. And by the way: is it actually possible not to love her voice and her singing? Unimaginable for me.

[@stevenciccone8963]

Anna, I really like this review. It was a terrific mix of the technical & the emotional point of view. Great work. Now, im gonna follow your channel. ✌️💜🎼

[@andypianoman]

Thank you for this video. You've convinced me not to finish watching the movie. I watched the first couple of minutes of it and it felt a little off. I had a feeling it wasnt going to be good so I'm glad I saw this video to get a better look at what the movie missed out. Much rather watch a documentary about Maria Callas than this movie.

[@dianewien683]

Thank you for comments. I'd like to see the film but unfortunately I'm not a big Angelina fan. However, I will remember that the film is going to be an introduction to Ms. Callas, not a documentary and I can learn more from books, music commentaries and other video sources . I'm glad to have this introduction from you!

[@vinylisland6386]

The mistreatment of great talents by the classical music industry during the 1950 (Michael Rabin, exhaustive touring, trying to maintain stands of utter perfection) was common, and with female artists was also much much worse because of the endemic sexism of the time. Nobody would have interviewed Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau during the 1950 or 60solr even 70s and asked him about his love life. Or Benjamin Britten, for that matter. This sensationalism of the press then is matched by the sensationalism of Hollywood now. The problem about the depiction of classical music by mass media is that it is the depiction of a subtle and sophisticated art form by a crude and sensationalist one and emotional pain and suffering is something they milk cynically in order to manipulate the audience. Art = suffering, therefore Brahms and Schumann must be great, all of Mahler's children died, Bruckner never had a woman, Tchaikovsky was gay, yadda. Yet, oddly, two of the greatest classical musicians were both married, one had lots of children, one was feted during his young adulthood as a great composer, and both clearly found it easy and not in the least bit painful to write great music very quickly and easily. The equation doesn't work, but as a popular myth it is regularly plundered by film makers. Ken Russell made a whole carrer out of tormented artists films, which got steadily worse as he went on. The worst example of the myth that singing is painful (something which anyone who has done it knows is utter rubbish) is popular singers pulling faces of emotional pain when singing one or two notes which are quite easy to reach with a mediocre voice and idiots praising them as one of the best singers of all time. Interesting that in the Disney world or world of musicals; characters sing when they are happy or excited or in love. So make up your minds, mass media, music is the expression of joy or suffering? Or could both be a partial truth and that, like everything else, music, like the life which it attempts to mirror, at its finest, expresses both?

[@mademsoisellerhapsody]

The Carolina wren opens its throat and sings the triplet three times without a care

[@РаяВикторова-ч6с]

Bravo from Bulgaria for the sincere and truthful comment.

[@ritasjourney]

I’ve been watching a documentary about her so this was really interesting. I appreciate your take on this. She had a very traumatic upbringing. It’s very sad when people pile on top of someone who’s hurting. I doubt I will go see this movie. Can’t even stand Angelina Jolie anyway.

[@Slinkasoarus]

Thanks for your analysis. I love Callas and also really enjoyed the film. I think it’s a shame that most people will watch it on Netflix. On the big screen it had the grandeur of a tragic opera, and after the first 15 minutes I settled into Jolie as Maria. There are always too many expectations when such movies are made. But it is just that, a movie, an adaptation that takes creative license, not a documentary. There are lots of inclusions added for dramatic purpose that I took issue with. But, ultimately, it delivered an imagined, heart-wrenching story about her last days with style.

[@johnsarkissian5519]

Thank you!

[@Twisterjoe]

Thank you for this. You give so much respect for the woman and artist that she was. How impossible it must have felt to have to be Maria La Divina, every single time, and that everyone is already testing you against your best ever, and then be ill treated for being human or for succeeding, either one.

[@deadpoet50]

Thank you for this video. Particularly the exposure of the press mistreatment of Callas. Too many news reporters and interviewers become idolized and feel they have a right to intrude abruptly in people’s lives. I once had to call one out asking him to respect a family (for which he felt highly offended and argued he was only doing his job”. He obviously didn’t know how 😏

[@Maliceless100]

Optimal visuals don't always match optimal audio, while filmmakers want optimal both for a film. Even though ADR was used, Angelina definitely sang; she'd never risk her credibility by claiming a feat _(to the world)_ she hadn't actually achieved. *You are totally correct about mass media's power to steer public opinion irresponsibly.*

[@sarahwestmusic]

Such important points. LOVE your analysis. I personally am offended by this movie: 1) mixing Maria Callas' voice with anothers - horror 2) actor playing Maria Callas is horrible. The way she uses a haughty stance throughout this movie as if aloof, haughtiness is what Maria Callas was and as if this is "art". Maria Callas can be listened to to truly know her. Anything less, heellywud/peedoowud trying to make money on the rare beauty of Maria Callas' soul expressing through her beautiful being is just wrong in every way. Many will never go further than this movie which portrays Maria Callas' in every way wrongly. I so appreciate your sharing the truth behind the horrific rituals of slander, humiliation and canceling that is slowly moordorooz just like they have done to sooo many women in our world throughout the ages to try to break them to control them or destroy them. This is what they did to Maria Callas on purpose. It was an engineered effort by those who believe they can "own" people and that people are theirs to enslave or worse. For those hearing Maria Callas through this movie and watching the horrendous lip-singing of Jolie, I feel sorry for the nightmare that will never leave their memories of having watched the horrorshow that is this movie with Jolie pretending to be Maria Callas by walking around with her chin jutting out wearing high fashion as if fashionable clothes wearing makes a "diva." The reason we know the name Maria Callas has zero to do with her clothes. Zero to do with her chin in the air and zero to do with her hair styles etc. We know the name Maria Callas because Maria Callas moves us-to tears, to catharsis, to open our hearts, to the freedom we all long for but don't always know how to get to on our own. Maria Callas touches our soul. Maria Callas touches our spirit. Maria Callas evaporates time and space and collapses existence into the eternal present where we can feel fulfilled by the raw essence of pure beingness. Maria Callas brings us all home to ourselves which we so much abandon in the stress of our divided daily lives. The way "society" has been structured by the bangksturzz who run our world, who have destroyed millions, billions of communities, tribes, families for 1000s of years, we have lost our connections to ourselves and each other and the safety net of true love and true support through the fracturization of our human race. Maria Callas we listen to to remember what it's like to be loved, to be loving, to BE love. She embodies love-not just loss, but love itself. This is why we listen to Maria Callas. Jolie cannot embody this as a mimicker of materialistic media mayhem that is the parasitic machine that started and is hellywud. To know Maria Callas is only to listen to her herself: listen to her operas, her interviews, her letters: HER. Thank you for playing parts of the interviews of her showing how the interviewers were so atrociously disrespectful and offensive and explaining a bit about how the propaganduh machine worked then just as it does now. There are so many examples of how they have done this to women over centuries and millennia.

[@alexeios]

you know what’s ridiculous about this hoity toity analysis? the fact that I had no idea who Maria Callas was until Angelina came out with this movie, and because I love and respect Angelina Jolie as an actress and person, I was immediately invested, and now I love Maria Callas and empathize with her story - a story I knew nothing about 6 months ago. sometimes hop off the high horse and have a wider lens by which you view the world.

[@parisbreakfast]

THANK YOU! These narcissistic, egotistical actors think they can replicate an ineffable legend of music. Simply impossible. I feel sorry for anyone who thinks they have been introduced to Callas by this idiotic bio-pic. Go and simply 😊listen to the music. C’est comme ça.

[@alexeios]

@@parisbreakfast are you slow?

[@alexeios]

@@parisbreakfast I WAS introduced to Maria Callas by this movie, but because I’m not brainless like you, I checked her out before the movie even came out, because unlike you, I have a brain that understands movies are movies and they’re meant usually only to tell a story, and though sometimes that story is based in reality, they’re only shadows of the real thing. get off your high horse

[@minoozolala]

@@alexeios Chill. Sarah gave an excellent critical analysis. Not "hoity-toity" at all.