Sketched Out
As a seasoned gamer who has traversed the digital landscapes of countless virtual worlds, I can confidently say that the intricate artistry behind Maria, a film that brings the legendary diva Maria Callas to life on screen, is nothing short of a grand adventure. The painstaking attention to detail, from recreating her Parisian apartment to the design of her over-the-top bed fit for royalty, reminds me of the hours I’ve spent meticulously crafting my own virtual abodes in games like Minecraft and The Sims.
Larraín and Dyas toured all of Callas’ preferred spots in Paris, such as her refurbished Avenue Georges Mandel apartment on George Mandel Avenue. Despite some initial resistance, the current owner granted access to the unit but forbade any photos, so Dyas sketched the apartment and later created a depiction (shown below) of what Callas’ apartment might appear in the movie, incorporating some artistic license to facilitate a smoother layout. “We didn’t have much opportunity to observe it as is, except perhaps the fireplace,” Dyas remarks. “It was unfortunate.
Tuned to Fit
In the movie, Callas’ grand piano functioned as a narrative prop; throughout the film, we see her instructing her staff to move it around various locations within her apartment. However, a full-sized concert grand wouldn’t fit through a typical Parisian doorway, and Larraín opted against widening them due to complications in framing shots. Moreover, it proved challenging for the actors to maneuver such a large instrument. As a result, a genuine Steinway was put in the apartment, but they constructed a lighter, narrower replica that the actors could easily move around.
Designed like a Fairy Tale
As a fan, I’d rephrase it as follows: “The design of Callas’ bed was my initial creation, inspired by a casual Polaroid snapshot taken by Bruna, her housemaid, while she was resting in bed. I found the extravagance of this bedroom captivating – the 8-foot headboard adorned with intricate Italian moldings and a central painting of the Madonna cradling a baby, a detail crucial for our narrative since it mirrors one of our key plot points: the struggle between Callas and Aristotle Onassis over keeping the child. This opening shot served as a means to transform her bedroom into an impromptu stage for the opera. My team and I constructed the bed on a set in Budapest, where I personally painted the Madonna, along with roses and the sky, onto the carved, padded, and embroidered headboard. I was determined to make it grandiose, aiming for an effect similar to ‘The Princess and the Pea.’ That bed was truly a work of art.
A Wall of Honor
In her apartment, there are well-known images of Callas seated beside sketches of herself or awards she received. Dyas, her team member, meticulously recreated that wall and even enhanced the sketches to resemble Angelina Jolie. He wanted to honor Callas’ fans while also offering viewers an unprecedented glimpse into unfamiliar territories. “We conducted extensive research,” he notes.
The Bible
In my gaming world, I’d put it like this: “This is Dyas’s legendary script book, filled with all his ideas and strategies for a movie. For the character Maria, we followed similar steps. Often, Pablo would ask, ‘Where’s the script?!’ Now, you can see the sketches he made of Callas’ portraits for the wall he mentioned. Only Dyas on our team could sketch like that, so those were his job. We also recreated a famous image of Callas sitting by her fireplace.
Mirror Into Her Soul
Dyas refers to the dressing room as the “most captivating scene” within the movie. He explains, “It’s here where we delve into her most private persona: when she’s seated at the dressing table alone, examining herself.” Larraín and Dyas were dissatisfied with typical film vanities featuring bare bulbs, so they opted for can lights to illuminate the curved mirror instead. The vanity was strategically placed in front of a window to create an impressionistic atmosphere. The statues positioned around her are all damaged to symbolize Callas’ “shattered spirit.
Originally published in a special December edition of The Hollywood Reporter magazine, you can get a subscription here to read it. (click here to subscribe)
Read More
Sorry. No data so far.
2024-12-06 20:56