WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Maria.
Netflix’s 2024 biopic Maria features several original recordings by Maria Callas, some of which are performed by Academy Award-winner Angelina Jolie. Jolie, best known for her roles in films such as Maleficent, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and Girl, Interrupted, returns in her first feature film since Marvel’s 2021 action blockbuster Eternals. Maria was released in select theaters after premiering at the 81st Venice Film Festival in August 2024.
Maria depicts the final days in the life of Maria Callas, who was once considered the greatest opera singer in the world. The film takes place in 1970s Paris as Maria’s health declines. Jolie leads Maria’s cast as the titular protagonist who sees the world through a hallucinogenic and fading lens with her loyal butler, Ferruccio, and her supportive maid, Bruna. Maria is directed by Chilean director Pablo Larraín of Spencer (2021) and Jackie (2016) acclaim.
Maria
is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.
Angelina Jolie’s Voice Is Mixed With Recordings Of Maria Callas Throughout Maria
The film features several original Callas recordings
Angelina Jolie sings in Maria. However, when Callas is in her prime in the movie, the recording is primarily of Callas herself. Songs that appear in the film, such as “Ave Maria” from Verdi’s Otello, “E che? Io son Medea” by Cherubini, “Qui la voce sua soave” from Bellini’s I Puritani, and the climactic “Vissi d’arte” from Puccini’s Tosca, are recordings of Callas. When Callas is older in the movie, it’s mostly Jolie singing with Callas’ recordings mixed and blended in.
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Maria Soundtrack Guide: Every Song & When They Play In Netflix’s 2024 Biopic
Netflix’s 2024 biopic Maria features many classical orchestrations and select opera pieces sung by Maria Callas and performed by Angelina Jolie.
Many of the final renditions in Maria’s soundtrack were achieved by blending Jolie’s voice with Callas’s recordings in post-production. Larraín told IndieWire, “Sometimes you hear 1 percent of Angelina’s voice, sometimes it’s 5 percent, sometimes it’s forty percent, in a couple of times, not very often, but it does happen, you listen to sixty percent or seventy percent of Angelina’s voice.” He explained, “To make it believable, Angelina had to sing out loud in front of her crew and hundreds of extras in order to make it possible. Without that, none of this could happen.”
Why Maria Used Recordings Of Maria Callas Singing Instead Of Just Angelina Jolie
Callas’s recordings were essential but Jolie’s singing was pragmatic for production
In another interview with Vanity Fair, Larraín notes that he thought it was crucial to include Callas’ own voice in her biopic while still having the actress playing her singing. He says, “How can you make a movie about Maria Callas without using her voice? You can’t.” He also points out, “You can’t make a movie like this with an actress that is not actually singing it.” While the most devout audiophiles and Callas fans may spot the intricate vocal differences, Larraín successfully combined the two elements to create a seamless blend that is very convincing in Maria.
Sources: IndieWire, Vanity Fair
6/10
Maria
Maria (2024) is a biographical drama about opera singer Maria Callas, directed by Pablo Larraín, starring Angelina Jolie. It concludes Larraín’s trilogy on iconic women.
- Release Date
- November 27, 2024
- Runtime
- 123 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Biography
- Cast
- Angelina Jolie , Pierfrancesco Favino , Alba Rohrwacher , Haluk Bilginer , Kodi Smit-McPhee , Valeria Golino , Stephen Ashfield , Alessandro Bressanello , Vincent Macaigne , Lydia Korniordou , Rebecka Johnston , Botond Bartus , Marcell Lengyel , Philipp Droste , Jeremy Wheeler , Luca Gréta Felhalmi , Zora Gerda Fejes , Kay Madsen , Toma Hrisztov , Christiana Aloneftis , Aggelina Papadopoulou
- Character(s)
- Maria Callas , Ferruccio Mezzadri , Bruna Lupoli , Aristotle Onassis , Mandrax , Yakinthi Callas , Voice Coach , Giovanni Battista Meneghini , Dr. Fointainebleau , Evangelia Dimitriadou , Young Man , Fantasy Dancer , SS-Soldier , Tuxedo Man , Dorchester Dancer , The Cameraman , Opera lover , Young Callas – 1947 , Young Callas – 1940
- Director
- Pablo Larrain
- Writers
- Steven Knight