Maria Callas sings again thanks to Angelina Jolie

The new biopic Maria doesn't stream on Netflix until December, but audiences have had earlier opportunities to see it in the theater. Academy Award Winner Angelina Jolie portrays opera singer Maria Callas during her final days in Paris. The legendary soprano lived her last moments in isolation and loneliness with brief glimpses of friendship from the people who worked for her. She had many health problems before tragically dying from a heart attack at age 53.

With Maria, Chilean director Pablo Larrain has now completed his trio of iconic women's flicks following Jackie and Spencer. This project brings Callas' legacy and music back into the forefront of culture with Jolie piping in some of the vocals mixed with original material.

The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival in August and then in September Maria was shown at the 62nd New York Film Festival.

Standing ovations occurred at both screenings and a private press conference was held the following morning at The Carlyle in New York City. The panel was composed of Jolie, Larrain and Alba Rohrwacher, who plays Bruna in the project.

Jolie described the experience of working with Larrain, “Because of his respect for Callas and his understanding of opera it was clear early on that we weren't going to cheat this medium.” She went on to say, “He really helped me and was very serious about my training. He interviewed many people to make sure I had the right training from Italian classes for pronunciation to singing opera including posture and breathing. He understood what it had to be.” Larrain complimented Jolie's work ethic and dedication to bringing Callas' story to life. Other members of the cast had different challenges than the main star such as Rohrwacher learning how to flip an omelet in Callas' kitchen for the first time, “Now I can do it very well!”

Larrain finished by stating, “If this movie creates interest in opera for one person then we have succeeded in something. If there's a way to make it popular for the masses then that would be beautiful.”

Maria will sing in select theaters this November and then stream on netflix.com on December 11, 2024. Chicago International Film Festival goers can see it early on October 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Music Box Theatre with actress Valeria Golino, who plays Jackie Callas, scheduled to attend.