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This review was originally published on August 29, 2024, as a part of our Venice Film Festival coverage.

Maria makes its intentions clear early. In September 1977, legendary opera singer Maria Callas (Angelina Jolie) is in her final days, and her grasp on reality is tenuous at best. She rearranges the world with herself at the center, though where once entire crowds were subject to her whims, now there remain only her loyal butler (Pierfrancesco Favino) and maid (Alba Rohrwacher). They worry over her declining health. By abusing her medication, she hallucinates entire conversations. She detests doctors, who feel compelled to disrupt her with their facts.

Director Pablo LarrainWriters Steven KnightCast Aggelina Papadopoulou, Lydia Korniordou, Christiana Aloneftis, Toma Hrisztov, Kay Madsen, Luca Gréta Felhalmi, Jeremy Wheeler, Philipp Droste, Marcell Lengyel, Botond Bartus, Alessandro Bressanello, Stephen Ashfield, Zora Gerda Fejes, Rebecka Johnston, Vincent Macaigne, Pierfrancesco Favino, Haluk Bilginer, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Angelina Jolie, Valeria Golino,...

Maria is a new biographical film about renowned opera singer Maria Callas directed by Pablo Larraín and written by Steven Knight. Starring Angelina Jolie in the titular role, the film focuses primarily on the final years of Callas' life and the complicated story behind her death. Maria has been a highly anticipated release due to praise around Jolie's performance, with many calling it one of the best of her career and a contender in a year of radically competitive acting performances (as far as awards season goes).

Furthermore, Maria is the third installment in a trilogy of films by Larraín that highlight historical female figures within a concentrated period of their lives, preceded by Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021). The stars of both of these films went on to receive Oscar nominations for their work. Thus, the hype around Maria is understandable, especially as it pertains to Jolie's performance. So, aside from the acting hype,...

Angelina Jolie is all set to dazzle us as one of the world’s greatest opera singers in her new film, but before Maria hits Netflix on Dec. 11, the Academy Award-winning actress recently took time out of her busy schedule to shut down what she referred to as an "insane question." Jolie stars as Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain’s new biopic, which is thus far getting rave reviews from all the right people, and generating a healthy amount of Oscar buzz ahead of award’s season.

Speaking with The Times about what went into making Maria, and how she felt embodying someone with such a rich and complicated history, the conversation then turned to Jolie herself. When asked what a biographical movie about the Tomb Raider star might look like, it was then that Jolie "scorned" the reporter for even broaching the subject.

"That gets the most insane question award.

Quick Links What Is Netflix's 'Maria' About? Angelina Jolie's Training Regiment for 'Maria' Angelina Jolie Speaks About Her Preparation for 'Maria'

Angelina Jolie has entered the awards conversation with her towering performance as Maria Callas in Maria, currently playing in select theaters before hitting Netflix on December 11, 2024. Jolie's revelatory performance has been hailed for her superb portrayal of the world-famous soprano and the authentic singing she does in the film. To perfect her performance, Jolie underwent extensive vocal training despite never singing publicly before in her life.

With her grand performance, Jolie is almost certain to contend for her second Academy Award following Girl, Interrupted in 2000. Her stunning vocal range and real-life singing bring extraordinary authenticity to Maria. To understand how Jolie achieved such melodious heights, it's worth exploring her training process and explaining how she almost lip-synced the role before pushing her unseen singing talents to the fore.

Maria, starring Angelina Jolie, is an intense look at the final years of the life of famed opera singer Maria Callas. Directed by Pablo Larraín and debuting on Netflix in December 2024, Maria follows Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021) as the final film in his trilogy of movies about influential 20th-century women.

While Maria focuses on Maria Callas's life during the 1970s, the years leading up to that time shaped the complex, fascinating woman portrayed by Jolie. Maria Callas's challenges on and off the stage were fodder for her colleagues and the media, as was her highly publicized relationship with Aristotle Onassis. Later in her life, Maria Callas experienced vocal challenges that ultimately ended her historic career, although her contributions to the music world remain beyond reproach. Here's more about the titular icon to understand why Jolie went to great lengths to bring Maria to life.

4/5 Maria BiographyDramaMusic

Release Date November 27, 2024Cast Angelina Jolie,...

Angelina Jolie takes center stage in the first trailer for Maria, her first movie in three years. Directed by Pablo Larran, Maria stars Jolie as real-life opera singer Maria Callas, chronicling the figure's final days in Paris in the 1970s. The film, which was written by Steven Knight, recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Maria marks Jolie's first movie since appearing as Thena in Eternals (2021).

Now, Netflix releases the first trailer for Maria, providing a new look at Jolie as the iconic singer. The trailer reveals Larran's old-shool approach to capturing the figure's life, including different film stocks, seemingly for the different periods of Callas' life. Some of the film's supporting cast members are also briefly shown off in the trailer, including Haluk Bilginer, Pierfrancesco Favino, and Alba Rohrwacher. Check out the trailer below:

More to come...

Source: Netflix

Maria 6/10 0

Maria (2024) is a biographical drama about opera singer Maria Callas,...

Netflixhas announced the release schedule for Pablo Larrans upcoming psychological drama, Maria, starring Angelina Jolie in the title role of the legendary opera singer Maria Callas. The movie, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and competed for the Golden Lion, will get a limited two-week theatrical run starting November 27, before hitting the streaming service on December 11, per Variety. Maria delves deep into the later life of renowned opera singer Maria Callas. After having a tumultuous life, where her rise to fame and illustrious career was accompanied by personal struggles, the singer retreated to a quieter life in Paris during the 1970s. The movie captures her as she recalls her relationships, the pressures of being in the public eye, and coming to terms with her identity and legacy.

Marias premiere at the Venice Film Festival, held at the Sala Grande Theatre, was met with an 8-minute standing ovation, leaving Jolie visibly moved.