Maria By Callas

Maria By Callas is a profound biographical documentary released in 2017, which seeks to paint an intimate portrait of one of the most fantastic sopranos that the world of opera music has ever seen, Maria Callas. This film, directed by Tom Volf, meticulously pieces together a wealth of unpublished materials, including Callas's performances, TV interviews, private Super 8 films, letters, and photographs.

Throughout its nearly two-hour course, the film delves deep into the diva's fascinating personality and life. Maria's story is beautifully unfolded through these unseen artifacts and access to personal diaries and letters voiced by French actress Fanny Ardant, giving the audience an emotionally charged journey into the world of arrogance and solitude, fame and infamy, resilience and vulnerability that Maria Callas had to endure through her career. Each moment offers a unique opportunity to gain insights into the experiences of this iconic figure and understand what had indeed made her the woman she became.

The narrative style adopted by the director maintains a strict adherence to Callas's point of view, allowing her to tell her story in her own words. This personal narration and exclusive material allow the audience to witness the public persona and private personality of Callas. Instead of relying on the conventional talking heads format typically used in biographical films, Maria By Callas uses the Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato to provide the voice over for Callas's personal letters and journal entries. This technique lends a more personal and intimate touch to the whole narrative.

As the plot progresses, the audience is given glimpses of Maria's grappling with the immense pressure of living constantly in the public eye, her incessant struggle to uphold her artistic quality and personal relationships that were as tumultuous as they were passionate including a publicly known relationship with billionaire Aristotle Onassis. The film pays special attention to her love of music, the beginnings of her career, her meteoric rise to stardom and the unforgettable performances that enchanted the audience.

Maria By Callas is a testament to the pains, sacrifices, and relentless efforts that go into creating great art, and the burden of fame it often brings upon the artist. The audience is invited to embark on a quest to grapple with the contravening notions of the public and private in Callas's life. The film also alludes to the changing perceptions of a woman's role in art and society throughout the course of her life and career.

The music, as expected, plays a pivotal role throughout the film. Callas's performances are impeccably captured with some footage remastered for the first time in this film, allowing the audience to experience the power and emotion that she could express through her voice. Whether portraying a vulnerable woman's torment in Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" or the fiery and passionate Queen of Egypt in Verdi's "Aida," each performance communicates the multifaceted range and vibrancy that Maria brought to each of her roles, further solidifying her status as one of the greatest opera singers of all time.

Maria By Callas is a thoughtful reliving of the iconic diva's life and career – telling her story, bearing her artistry, and baring her soul in her own words. Through this visual and emotional journey, the audience witnesses the transmutation of Maria, the girl born in New York to Greek immigrant parents, into Callas the international opera sensation, sailing through the tumultuous sea of her dazzling success and tearing downfalls. It is a film that captures the soul behind the voice, the woman behind the diva, and the human behind the icon.

Overall, Maria By Callas is not merely a biography. It is an exploration of raw talent, relentless passion, and the tenacity of human spirit through the lens of one of the 20th century's most renowned sopranos. The film's power lies in allowing Maria to narrate her story, thus providing an unseen depth into her life both on and off stage. This makes it a must-see for all Callas enthusiasts and opera lovers, but also for anyone who seeks to understand the intricate and often paradoxical relationship between an artist and her art.