Event
Maria by Callas
HELD OVER – FINAL WEEK!
91% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
Tom Volf’s MARIA BY CALLAS is the first film to tell the life story of the legendary Greek/American opera singer completely in her own words.
Through hearing full versions of Callas’s performances, the audience is able to experience a direct, unmediated response to her music, as the audiences of her time did. MARIA BY CALLAS is a loving portrait of one of history’s most extraordinarily talented women, told in a way that is revelatory, unprecedented, and authoritative. When recordings of Callas’s voice aren’t available, Joyce DiDonato, one of contemporary opera’s biggest stars, reads her words.
Through Volf’s intimate portrait of Callas, we see that some commonly held beliefs about Callas, notably her reputation as a “tempestuous” diva, have no basis in fact. The film also sheds new light on Callas’s relationship with Aristotle Onassis, the supreme love of her life.
"What emerges is a portrait of a woman of extraordinary natural gifts and work ethic, who was pressured to become a superstar"
"expertly presents an emotional essence of this performer, leaving you both shaken and stirred by the extent of her gifts and the way they connected to both audiences and her tumultuous life."
"A documentary that revitalizes history through primary sources, to illuminating, at times enthralling effect."
