I’ve been puzzling over how to write about Maria By Callas (2017), a quasi-documentary concerning legendary opera diva Maria Callas. It’s composed almost entirely of Callas source material: Callas interviews, home movies, and videos of her performances. At first, it’s charming, at least for myself, who knows virtually nothing about the opera. And, technically speaking, the presentation of the material is more than competent, deftly setting moods through its use of artifacts of the material upon which these memories are stored.
But I gradually became aware that the documentary is inevitably a one-sided view of the star. Was she just an ordinary woman gifted with an extraordinary voice? Was she really an innocent who longed for children and family, but was forced, by the magnitude of her gift and the material aspirations of her husband and lovers, to instead be an opera singer?
There’s little to put this all in frame for an ignoramus like myself, so if you’re looking for an introduction to this icon of the field, you might do better to look for more comprehensive material. But if you’re an opera fan, this may come close to nirvana, not only to get to know a bit about the woman, but a chance to hear pieces of some of her performances.
