I have had the profound privilege of delving into the captivating life story of Maria Callas, a woman whose voice and spirit transcended time and space. Her journey was as mesmerizing as her operatic performances, filled with love, loss, triumph, and tragedy.
The movie titled Maria, featuring the talented Angelina Jolie, offers a deep examination of the later years in the life of renowned opera singer Maria Callas. This film, directed by Pablo Larraín, is set to premiere on Netflix in December 2024. Following in the footsteps of previous films such as Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021), Maria represents the conclusion of Larraín’s trilogy, focusing on powerful 20th-century women.
As Maria delves into the 1970s chapter of Maria Callas’s life, it was the years preceding this era that molded the intricate, captivating character portrayed by Jolie. The tumultuous journey of Maria Callas, both on and off the stage, provided fodder for her peers and the press, with her high-profile relationship with Aristotle Onassis being a notable aspect. Later in life, Maria Callas faced vocal issues that sadly marked the end of her illustrious career. However, her indelible impact on the music world continues to be unquestioned. To truly grasp why Jolie immersed herself in bringing Maria to the screen, let’s delve deeper into the life of this iconic figure.
Maria Callas Had a Difficult Upbringing
And Struggled With Her Physical Presence
Maria Anna Cecilia Sophia Kalageropoulos was born in New York City in 1923. At a young age, she moved to Greece with her mother, Litsa. This journey happened around the same time as World War II broke out, causing them to spend several years away from home. In Greece, Callass, who had an affinity for singing, received a scholarship to attend the National Conservatory. As a means of supporting her family, she sang for soldiers in return for essential supplies.
As reported by Callas, her mother favored her sister more because she often felt that Callas was the “ugly duckling” – overweight, clumsy, and unpopular among peers. It’s a heartless act to make a child feel undesirable and unattractive. Her thick glasses and substantial stature exacerbated an already present inferiority complex, as one of her teachers put it. The only aspect that gave Callas confidence was her voice.
As a devoted opera enthusiast, I can share my perspective on the life of Maria Callas. Having initially established herself in America, she eventually chose to refine her operatic career in Italy, where she encountered both moderate success and increasing unhappiness. This emotional turmoil took its toll on her health. It wasn’t until the fateful encounter with Maestro Tullio Serafin that her star began ascending. With her exceptional Bel Canto technique, a traditional Italian operatic style embodying “beautiful singing,” she truly distinguished herself in the world of opera.
Callas’s unique vocal quality necessitated “a specialized method of performance, the tone, the timbre, the breath control, the stance,” which is why Angelina Jolie spent seven months in preparation. Despite this extensive training, Maria includes recordings of Jolie singing intertwined with those of Maria – at varying degrees, sometimes it’s a hint of Angie and predominantly Maria… Sometimes it’s more pronounced. However, it is always discernible.
‘Maria’ Explores Callas and Her Life In Paris
In the 1950s, Maria Callas flourished in the opera sphere, yet her private life was marred with distress: “I’m tired of my parents’ self-centeredness and their neglect of me… I desire no more romantic entanglements.” Her spouse, a wealthy brick manufacturer named Giovanni Battista Meneghini, adored her and essentially oversaw her career. Meneghini stood by Callas throughout the 1950s, providing her with financial backing because he claimed, “My wife is the most exceptional singer in the world.” Later on, Callas penned that her husband had depleted more than half of her wealth by managing their assets under his name during their marriage… “I was a fool,” she admitted, “to entrust him with my finances.
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Callas graced stages worldwide with her performances of masterpieces by renowned composers such as Giuseppe Verdi, Vincenzo Bellini, Giacomo Puccini, and Richard Wagner. These works were presented at opera houses in Milan, Mexico City, Florence, Venice, Chicago, and Athens.
As her achievements multiplied, so did Callas’s body weight. People close to her suggested that she should slim down, and it is believed that she may have resorted to extreme measures such as consuming a tapeworm and iodine to achieve this goal, losing approximately 80 pounds in the process. Despite her efforts to maintain a slender figure, this strict diet seemed to take a toll on her vocal abilities, which deteriorated significantly. Whether there was a direct link between her weight loss and vocal decline is still debated; however, Bruno Tosi from the International Maria Callas Association commented that “The treatment she underwent was risky because it affected her central nervous system and altered her metabolism, but she transformed into a graceful swan.
Maria Callas’s Affair with Aristotle Onassis Ended a Decade Before ‘Maria’ Takes Place
By the late 1950s, Maria Callas and wealthy Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis began a romantic liaison. This led to Callas ending her marriage with Giovanni Meneghini in 1959, which generated significant public attention, further pushing her away from the spotlight. Rumors suggest that Callas and Onassis had at least one child, yet she never bore a child to term. Biographer Adrianna Stassinoupoulos stated, “Maria had frequently expressed her desire for children among her friends, but Onassis threatened to end their relationship if she chose to keep this child.
This event occurred in 1966. Two years after that, Onassis married Jacqueline Kennedy in 1968, an event which Stassinoupoulos mentioned as something that Onassis had long planned to do, seeing Mrs. Kennedy as the ultimate prize in his pursuit of status and prestige. Despite this, Callas and Onassis continued their affair even after he wed the former First Lady. However, this marriage felt like a betrayal to the singer. Her health and mental state began to decline rapidly, and her attempts to revive her career were largely unsuccessful. In 1974, Callas withdrew to Paris and lived as a recluse until she passed away in 1977.
For several years, Callas, burdened by the rigors of her profession and self-medicating extensively, found herself increasingly reliant on medication. Ultimately, her body succumbed to the strain. Tragically, Callas passed away due to a heart attack on September 16, 1977.
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2024-12-01 01:32