Maria Callas, the world’s greatest opera singer, is living out her final days in 1970s Paris as she confronts her identity and her life. Angelina Jolie and director Pablo Larraín discuss how they connected to the true and moving story of world-renowned opera singer Maria Callas. Angelina Jolie, who refused to be dubbed and wanted to sing her own music, took 7 months of opera lessons to prepare for her role. For the scenes set in Callas’ heyday, it is estimated that 90-95 percent of Callas’ original recordings were used, and Jolie dubbed over these songs. However, Jolie’s singing takes center stage during the film’s final act. When Angelina Jolie lip-syncs to María Calla’s original recordings during the film, her mouth movements are out of sync with the voice. Maria Callas: Book me a table in a café where the waiters know who I am. I feel flattered. In Close Reference: Why Do We Need a Venice Film Festival? (2024). Otello Act 4: ‘Ave Maria’ (Desdemona) Performed by Maria Callas, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire Conducted by Nicola Rescigno Written by Giuseppe Verdi, Arrigo Boito Warner Classics Edition, (p) 1964 Parlophone Records2 Limited Remaster014 Limited Edition courtesy of Warner Music Group Germany Holding GmbH, a division of Warner Music Group. I have to say that director Pablo Larrain’s 2024 entry into his trilogy of iconic 20th-century women was a disappointment. It starts with the cast, as Angelina Jolie may be too iconic to play the ultimate diva, Maria Callas, who is the least remembered of the trio, the other two being «Jackie» (2016) and Diana in Spencer (2021). Jolie conveys the confidence necessary to carry the reigning image of the world’s greatest opera singer, but she seems too physically thin to convincingly emulate Callas’s more robust figure. Written by Steven Knight, the frenetic, long film covers the last week of Callas’s life in Paris in 1977, a fictional account with inevitable flashbacks that stack up like a ghost story. All the production elements, like the polished cinematography and set details, are impressively handled, but Larrain’s creative choices are more questionable, like the hallucinogenic images of choirs of people singing back to her in public spaces. There’s the ambiguous interrogator (played inscrutably by Kodi Smit-McPhee), whose name is the same as her prescribed medication, forcing her to confront her legacy. Some flashbacks also hint at more interesting elements to her story, such as her somewhat budding relationship with Aristotle Onassis, her traumatic childhood encounter with the Nazis, and an interesting conversation with JFK (played by Caspar Phillipson in the same, somewhat insignificant role in «Jackie»). Her monastic existence is only tempered by two devoted servants, played poignantly by Pierfrancesco Favina and Alba Rohrwacher. Still, Jolie’s star power is a showcase for her unique talent, conveying arrogance and vulnerability almost simultaneously. «One Hundred Years of Solitude» is one of the biggest TV and streaming premieres this month. Check out our December calendar for more details!