Bravo! ‘Callas’ a rare look at diva
A virtual archaeological resurrection of the great Maria Callas, aka La Divina, Tom Volf’s “Maria by Callas” is a great gift to Maria Callas fans, to those fascinated by the birth of modern-day celebrity and to fans of opera history. Made, like the Asif Kapadia’s recent documentary “Amy,” entirely out of existing footage, Volf’s “Maria by Callas” collects a variety of filmed footage of interviews in English and French, performances, as well as photographs and letters of Callas, and weaves them into a spellbinding tapestry of Callas’ life and career. Born and raised in New York, Callas studied at the Greek National Conservatoire before making her debut and enjoying triumph after triumph playing the heroines of the operas of Puccini, Donizetti, Verdi, her personal favorite Bellini and others at La Scala, the Royal Opera House, the Metropolitan Opera, where Callas famously butted heads with general manager Rudolf Bing, the Opera Garnier and elsewhere. With her strong features, signature coiffure and extravagant use of eyeliner and mascara and reputation for being “tempestuous,” Callas cut a figure born for the sketch artist’s hand. Interspersed throughout is an interview in black-and-white with David Frost, It is here that we learn that Callas’ greatest regret was not having a family of her own and of her difficult separation and eventual divorce from husband-manager Battista Meneghini and her longtime “friendship” with Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle “Aristo” Onassis. Frost presses Callas on her relationship with Onassis after Onassis has notoriously married the widowed Jacqueline Kennedy without telling Callas in advance. Ironically, the spurned woman looks radiant in this footage and never loses her sense of humor or poise (Onassis later begged Callas to take him back). The tabloids loved it all and served it up with relish. For film buffs, Volf unearths images of Callas on the set of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1969 film “Medea,” a retelling of the Greek myth with Callas in the non-singing title role. Volf, who spent four years doing his research and unearthing neverbefore-seen footage, also interweaves long, filmed shots and audio of Callas performing arias, and whatever the quality of the film or whether it is in color or black and white, the experience of “Maria by Callas” is the closest one could come to seeing this great artist perform live. (“Maria by Callas” contains brief off-color language.)