18/27
Aristotle Onassis, Maria Callas’ longtime companion, later married former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy
Scenario
Maria Callas, the world’s greatest opera singer, lives the final days of her life in 1970s Paris, as she grapples with her identity and her life. Kennedy was the subject of an earlier Pablo Larraín biopic, “Jackie,” starring Natalie Portman. Maria Callas: Book me a table at a café where the waiters know who I am.
I’m in the mood for flattery
Referenced in Close-Up: Why Do We Need a Venice Film Festival? (2024). Very well written and well directed.
Suggestions say more than they show
The actors give outstanding performances, especially Angelina and Haluk Bilginer. Some scenes, hey Siri, don’t show, but suggest. Especially the flashback to the Nazi occupation…
The dialogue is sudden and unexpected
The music is of course excellent, especially Pulcini. The dialogue between Callas and Kennedy is brilliant and very telling, as is the dialogue between Callas, Onasis and a Callas fan. These two dialogues show that powerful people, who were considered great at the time and great to this day, were in reality simple, primitive people.