The film Maria, by Pablo Larraín, has generated a lot of curiosity, after all, it ends the trilogy of 20th-century divas – Jackie and Spencer came before – and could rescue the dramatic acting career of Angelina Jolie, the actress chosen to bring to the screens the last days of opera star Maria Callas.

Just as he did in the two previous films, Larraín’s proposal is to invest in the days of great turning points in the lives of his characters to study their decisions towards the end of their lives. In Jackie, Natalie Portman shows the former first lady in the days immediately after John F. Kennedy‘s assassination, deciding on her husband’s funeral. In Spencer, Kristen Stewart took us to Princess Diana‘s last Christmas with the Royal Family, at the height of her paranoia and suffering over the failure of her marriage. Both actresses were nominated for an Oscar.

In Maria, the Chilean director places Angelina in the last days of Maria’s life in Paris, revisiting some of her final years, suffered due to the end of her relationship with Aristoteles Onassis who left her to marry Jackie, after years of dedication directly to him and practically leaving aside his stage career. It is not forced to connect the moment to the actress, whose personal life has been somewhat turbulent after her divorce from Brad Pitt, which practically took her off the screen due to the two’s fight in court over custody of their children.

The synopsis reads: “1977: Maria Callas, once the world’s greatest opera diva, lives an isolated life in Paris with her team and her two poodles. Her health is increasingly deteriorating. That’s when she is asked to leave on tour once again. Will La Callas sing again? And if so, for whom?”

The most recent image in the film, after the official images of Angelina as Maria, brings a memorable moment in Callas’ life, when in 1973, after 8 years away from the stage, she went on tour with her partner (and lover) Giuseppe Di Stefano and performed in London. The full concert is easy to watch on YouTube and it’s a rather sad moment because although La Callas is beautiful, her voice is clearly lost. She would pass away four years later.

At the time, Maria Callas was just 48 years old and made it very clear to everyone that she was very nervous. It was no wonder, critics and fans were eager to see her again and the unanimous news spoke about the disappointment in the state of the Diva’s voice.

At the concert, she and Di Stefano sang six major operatic duets and then one aria each. The performance was also remarkable because it was the first time that Callas appeared accompanied only by a pianist, highlighting her vulnerability after decades of being famous for her firmness and strength. As her manager said at the time, “The public will show up despite the criticism because they know they will see a queen on stage.” We can paraphrase it: we know we will see TWO queens on screen. I’m betting on something breathtaking. I want Angelina back!

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