I have one question. What exactly did Maria Callas do to the people that made this film? Whatever it was, it must have been pretty bad for them to feel the need to get this horrible revenge. Horrible it is, all the way through.
I get the feeling this could turn into a cult classic. It's true that in parts, it's very very funny. Fanny Ardant plays ze great Kah Lass as a campy Gloria-Swanson-in-Sunset-Boulevard creation. She'll shriek at the drop of a hat and stamp around as if her life depended on it. Listen, don't get me wrong. I like Fanny Ardant. She's a very talented actress, as she has demonstrated in films such as Ridicule, Vivement dimanche!, 8 femmes... but here her performance is absolutely awful. Nostril-flaring, eye-widening, hissy-fitting horror.
Jeremy Irons doesn't have much to do as Callas's manager. Mainly he just follows Maria around, trying to convince her to do things, and then he has a "Oh, yes, don't forget I'm gay" scene every so often. Beautiful. And Joan Plowright is actually quite funny. You get the impression that she's always a beat away from rolling her eyes.
Listen, though. If you like Maria Callas, don't see this film. Please don't. It makes her out to be some sort of caricature, and it's actually quite insulting. If you don't mind either way, well, see it? Why not? It's diverting, at least. And if you get bored with the storyline, you can just pick out movie errors. My favourite: Callas out in her car, driving in endless circles...
I get the feeling this could turn into a cult classic. It's true that in parts, it's very very funny. Fanny Ardant plays ze great Kah Lass as a campy Gloria-Swanson-in-Sunset-Boulevard creation. She'll shriek at the drop of a hat and stamp around as if her life depended on it. Listen, don't get me wrong. I like Fanny Ardant. She's a very talented actress, as she has demonstrated in films such as Ridicule, Vivement dimanche!, 8 femmes... but here her performance is absolutely awful. Nostril-flaring, eye-widening, hissy-fitting horror.
Jeremy Irons doesn't have much to do as Callas's manager. Mainly he just follows Maria around, trying to convince her to do things, and then he has a "Oh, yes, don't forget I'm gay" scene every so often. Beautiful. And Joan Plowright is actually quite funny. You get the impression that she's always a beat away from rolling her eyes.
Listen, though. If you like Maria Callas, don't see this film. Please don't. It makes her out to be some sort of caricature, and it's actually quite insulting. If you don't mind either way, well, see it? Why not? It's diverting, at least. And if you get bored with the storyline, you can just pick out movie errors. My favourite: Callas out in her car, driving in endless circles...