Angelina Jolie competes for Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival with “Maria”

The screening of “Maria”, a film about the end of the life of singer Maria Callas, is considered one of the highlights of the 81st Venice Film Festival, as the film represents a risk for Angelina Jolie, who portrays the character. “Voice of the Century.”

The film is directed by Chilean Pablo Larraín, who won the best screenplay award for “El Conde” at the last session of the Venice Film Festival.

Lerrain (age 48), known for making biographical films, has several works to her credit, including “Neruda” (about Chilean writer Pablo Neruda), “Jackie” (about American first lady Jackie Kennedy), and ” Spencer” (about Princess Diana) which was shown during the Venice Film Festival in 2021 and Kristen Stewart played the lead role in it.

This time, Lauren discusses the last phase of Maria Callas’ life, which the famous singer spent in her Parisian apartment in a sad atmosphere after she left him to marry the love of her life, the famous Greek shipbuilder Aristotle Onassis, the former American first lady. Jackie Kennedy.

“mirror game”

When announcing the names of the films that will compete for the Golden Lion award last July, Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera praised “Angelina Jolie’s amazing performance” as the singer who died of a heart attack in 1977. of 53.

Along with the American star, three prominent Italian actors participated in the work: Valeria Golino as his sister, Pierfrancesco Favino and Alba Rohrwacher as the two servants who stayed by his side until his death.

To embody the character of the singer, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday in December 2023, Pablo Larran chose Angelina Jolie (49 years old), who made her big screen comeback with the films “Eternals” (2021) and “Eternals” (2021). . Maleficent” series (the third part is in preparation), in which she played the role of an evil fairy.

To prepare for this film, which forms a kind of mirror game between two stars from two different eras and two worlds, Jolie took singing lessons to be able to embody the character of the singer, a very bold bet.

loss of voice

Maria Callas was a prominent star of her time, for her exceptional singing career, during which she performed on the most prestigious stages from La Scala in Milan to the Paris Opera, or for her tumultuous nine-year love affair with Onassis, which was widely watched by the media.

The singer, born Maria Kalozeropoulou before Callas, went on a strict diet in 1954 and lost 30kg.

Besides Greek, his mother tongue, he spoke excellent English, French and Italian.

Maria Callas caused some controversy on January 2, 1958, when she appeared on the stage of the Rome Opera House in the presence of the Italian President, stating that she had lost her voice and refused to continue singing at the end of the first part of the opera. Norma.”

Opera management condemned the singer’s behavior.

Seven years later, in 1965, she achieved great success performing the opera “Tosca” in Paris before a final world concert tour in 1973.