Maria stars Angelina Jolie as opera singer Maria Callas, and follows the seven days before her death in 1977 in Paris as she reflects on her life and career. The film is directed by Pablo Larraín, a Chilean filmmaker known for directing films such as No (2012), Neruda (2016), Jackie (2016), Spencer (2021) and El Conde (2023). Larraín spoke about his experience of making the film.
Did you approach making Maria with a love of opera?
Pablo Larraín: I love opera. I grew up going to the opera house and listening to Maria Callas records. I've always been curious about why there are few films about opera — it's an incredible, exquisite art form. There was a great opportunity to make a movie about an unusual subject, probably the greatest opera singer of all time. It was a beautiful, challenging process to understand how this woman, by the end of her life, became the tragedies she played on stage. There's a mimesis between her life and the characters she portrayed.
What were your intentions with this film?
PL: Opera is often seen as an art form that's only appreciated by a few people. I hope the film connects opera to more people.
Angelina Jolie sings the opera in the film. Can you explain why that was important. How did you achieve the imitation of Callas by Jolie?
PL: The film is about the voice as well as other elements, but the voice is very relevant. Callas struggled with her voice by the end of her life. The process of understanding that loss was important for Angelina. She had to access the character through the music and prepare for the role so that her singing would be convincing for the camera, creating the illusion that it’s Maria’s voice. She had to understand the character’s emotional aspects well. Angelina prepared for over seven months before the production started shooting. She had to get the posture and the breathing right. Then she got to the singing until she could properly sing the songs out loud. The music is the driving force of the film in terms of Angelina performing in front of an audience, the crew, extras, sometimes 700 audience members. But the effort and the quality of her singing was successful. It required work, emotion, dedication and discipline from Angelina.
This article originally appeared in Sunday Times Lifestyle.
Director Pablo Larraín on making 'Maria' with Angelina Jolie
It was important for Jolie to learn how to sing like Callas - and she nailed it
Image: Supplied
Maria stars Angelina Jolie as opera singer Maria Callas, and follows the seven days before her death in 1977 in Paris as she reflects on her life and career. The film is directed by Pablo Larraín, a Chilean filmmaker known for directing films such as No (2012), Neruda (2016), Jackie (2016), Spencer (2021) and El Conde (2023). Larraín spoke about his experience of making the film.
Did you approach making Maria with a love of opera?
Pablo Larraín: I love opera. I grew up going to the opera house and listening to Maria Callas records. I've always been curious about why there are few films about opera — it's an incredible, exquisite art form. There was a great opportunity to make a movie about an unusual subject, probably the greatest opera singer of all time. It was a beautiful, challenging process to understand how this woman, by the end of her life, became the tragedies she played on stage. There's a mimesis between her life and the characters she portrayed.
What were your intentions with this film?
PL: Opera is often seen as an art form that's only appreciated by a few people. I hope the film connects opera to more people.
Angelina Jolie sings the opera in the film. Can you explain why that was important. How did you achieve the imitation of Callas by Jolie?
PL: The film is about the voice as well as other elements, but the voice is very relevant. Callas struggled with her voice by the end of her life. The process of understanding that loss was important for Angelina. She had to access the character through the music and prepare for the role so that her singing would be convincing for the camera, creating the illusion that it’s Maria’s voice. She had to understand the character’s emotional aspects well. Angelina prepared for over seven months before the production started shooting. She had to get the posture and the breathing right. Then she got to the singing until she could properly sing the songs out loud. The music is the driving force of the film in terms of Angelina performing in front of an audience, the crew, extras, sometimes 700 audience members. But the effort and the quality of her singing was successful. It required work, emotion, dedication and discipline from Angelina.
This article originally appeared in Sunday Times Lifestyle.
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