The ‘biopic’ genre is always an interesting way to depict the lives of notable people within the media of film, whether looking at their childhood, rise to fame or notoriety or a particular period of their life of great importance, it has become a staple of filmmaking since its inception. A singular flaw that is common to many entries within the genre is its conventionality to the typical formula, which only looks at the public figure in question on the surface by focusing on key events in their life in a linear fashion and doesn’t provide nuance or an interesting perspective on their life often hitting all the similar beats of the genre’s predecessors.
Pablo Larrain has done something truly spectacular with his now completion of ‘20th century iconic women trilogy’, where he has created three different biopics, all with a similar objective of portraying the lives of complicated and revered public figures to such creative results. These films often mix the historical facts of the noted figure in with fantastical and phantasmagorical elements within the narratives, which truly create a film that seems reflective of the figure’s struggles and persona, whilst also staying faithful to the biographical story it attempts to portray. Maria revolves around the famed opera singer’s life and her final days in Paris, where her days consist of conversing with her servants among her opulent townhouse, rehearsing continuously despite not performing anymore and reciting her life and story to a documentary camera crew.
Angelina Jolie gives a towering performance as the famed opera singer, as she portrays the grace and vulnerability of the character subtlety through her facial expressions and refined voice. Jolie transforms into the character, from her vocal inflections to the way she carries herself and moves throughout her townhouse, she bodies the performative elements of the role and truly finds ways to emulate the persona of Maria to outstanding results.
The weight of fame and affluence and how the film frames this key facet in regard to the celebrity of Maria is fascinating, by dissecting how it can be rewarding receiving praise and adoration, whilst also showing how destructive and alienating it can be. The opening montage scene depicts this successfully through portraying the world-renowned Opera singer through vignettes of her performing to large crowds in grand opera houses and being greeted by hordes of fans, yet her discontent for this is evident through her facial expressions when she is out of the public eye. The montage closes out with Maria throwing all of the Opera dresses from her performances into an open fire, symbolising the fraught relationship she has with fame and the demands that pertain to it.
Her self-critical perspective and disillusionment with fame is evident with how Maria views herself and her work, performing in empty concert halls only for herself and being frightened at anyone to listen as she constantly critiques herself. The documentary camera crew within the film is revealed shortly after their introduction as being a figment of her imagination, where through this clever framing device, she details the events of her life with utmost clarity and honesty, which serves as an interesting confessional to the singer’s perspective on her life and famed career.
The technical flourishes in Maria further develop the world of the singer and elevate the film in delivering a biographical drama whose stylistic elements are as impressive as its performances and themes. From its lavish production design of the elegant townhouse of Maria filled with sumptuous furniture pieces, to the grand concert halls and intricate interiors of a first-class ship depicted in flashbacks, the film truly utilizes its sets to enhance the story of the central character by portraying the larger-than-life celebrity of the singer through these grand locations. The cinematography beautifully captures the life of Maria Callas through its variations of colour and composition, switching from the crisp black-and-white depicting flashbacks and the vignettes of her famed opera performances, to the mesmerizing golden hues whilst walking around Paris during her last week of life.
BFI LFF # 9
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