Maria Callas - Living and Dying for Art and Love
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Antonio Pappano, Franco Zeffirelli, La Scala OperaBrand: Naxos OF America INC
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Spanish (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Classical, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 71 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-03-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Tdk DVD Video
Movie Reviews of Maria Callas - Living and Dying for Art and Love
Movie Review: The Callas Legend Lives On
Summary: 5 Stars
The legend of Maria Callas seem to have taken on a life of its own with a continuing flood of books and articles, even a successful Terrence McNally play, 'Master Class,' and now this recent (2003) documentary from BBC-TV directed by Steve Cole. The subtitle of the documentary, 'Living and Dying for Art and Love,' is taken from 'Tosca,' of course, and in a very clever conceit, Cole structures this film delineating the cross-currents of art and love in Callas's life after the plot of 'Tosca.' The similarities, of course, are eerie and its no surprise that Floria Tosca was one of Callas's most potent and famous roles; indeed the last she ever sang. Using vintage footage both of her performances and of newsreel and TV news footage we get many glimpses of the diva in the last few years of her life, and as background there are generous dollops of recorded performances. Adding to this are extensive interviews with people who knew and admired her, including Grace Bumbry, John Copley, Dame Judi Dench (who called her, not surprisingly, a 'great actress'), Plácido Domingo, her biographer Nicholas Gage, Tito Gobbi, conductor Antonio Pappano, producer and impresario Alan Sievewright (one of her close friends), Sir David Webster and, best of all, Franco Zeffirelli.
Much is said (and shown) of the 1964 Zeffirelli/Covent Garden production of 'Tosca' mounted for her. Indeed, there are three 'bonus' tracks--one of Gobbi singing 'Tre sbirri ... Una carozza,' followed by 'Vissi d'arte,' and Scarpia's murder beginning with 'E qual via scegliete?'. (There are also some snippets of Callas singing 'Norma', but they are few; most of the focus remains on 'Tosca.')
Without giving away too much, it is fair to say that the notion that Callas was devastated by the loss of Aristotle Onassis to Jackie Kennedy and that it led to her death is cogently argued. It is hard to escape the impact of the tragedy on her final years. The editing of the footage of Callas, the musical background, the voice-over narration and the interspersed excerpts from the interviews are expertly, even artfully done. This 60 minute documentary has a dramatic arc not unlike that of a gripping verismo opera plot and one keeps thinking what a wonderful opera could be made from Callas's life; has that ever been attempted or even contemplated? I wonder.
The added footage from the three opera scenes brings the total timing of the DVD to 71 minutes. Sound in DD 5.1, DTS 5.1, LPCM stereo. The film is in English, with subtitles in German, French, Italian.
Scott Morrison
Summary of Maria Callas - Living and Dying for Art and Love
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