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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 heartbreaking true story of world-renowned opera singer Maria Callas. Reluctant to dub and wanting to perform her own vocals, Angelina Jolie took 7 months of opera lessons to prepare for her role. During Callas’ heyday, it is estimated that original recordings of Callas’s songs were used, with Jolie lip-syncing to them. However, Jolie’s singing takes center stage during the film’s final act. When Angelina Jolie lip-syncs to María Callas’ original recordings during the film, her mouth movements are out of sync with the audio. Maria Callas: Book a table in a café where the waiters know who I am. We like to peel.. Closely referenced: 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 A Warner Classics Edition, (p) 1964 Parlophone Records2Remas4C Parlophone Records Limited Warner Music Group Germany Holding GmbH, a Warner Music Group company. 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 casting, where Angelina Jolie herself may be too iconic to play the ultimate diva, Maria Callas, who is the least memorable of the trio, the other two being ‘Jackie’. (2016) and Diana in "Spencer" (2021). Jolie conveys the necessary composure to carry on the reigning image of the world’s greatest opera singer, but she seems too skeletal physically to convincingly imitate the more robust figure Callas struck. The mournful, long film, written by Steven Knight, covers the last week of Callas’s life in Paris in 1977, a fictional account with inevitable flashbacks that play out like a ghost story in a heap. All the production elements, such as the polished cinematography and set details, are impressively handled, but Larrain’s creative choices are more questionable, such as the hallucinogenic images of choirs of people singing back to her in public spaces. She plays an ambiguous interrogator (played inexplicably by Kodi Smit-McPhee) whose name matches her prescription drug, forcing her to confront her heritage. Some flashbacks also hint at more interesting elements of her story, such as her rather sour relationship with Aristotle Onassis, her traumatic encounters with Nazis as a child, and a thrilling conversation with JFK (played by Caspar Phillipson in the same, somewhat insignificant role in "Jackie"). Her monastic existence is only enlivened by two devoted servants, played poignantly by Pierfrancesco Favina and Alba Rohrwacher. Still, Jolie’s star power is befitting her unique talent, showing selflessness 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!