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No other opera singer this century has aroused such public interest, such adulation and such controversy as Maria Callas, "La Divina Assoluta." Her dramatic and musical reincarnations of operatic heroines were invested with a psychological depth which made her performances and recordings definitive, and her recordings still outsell every other major classical singer. Callas transformed herself from an overweight ugly duckling into a dazzling beauty, inspired by the sylph-like Audrey Hepburn. She was labeled a "tigress" for her temperamental image, others thought her behavior so unforgivable she was pelted with eggs, but her unique and haunting voice and personality dominated public life in the 1950s and early 1960s. Tony Palmer's award-winning film charts her rapid rise to fame and offers a glimpse into the private life of this remarkable woman.



This documentary follows the tumultuous life and career of opera singer Maria Callas. Using archival footage and interviews with Callas and critics, director Tony Palmer explains why this slender and beautiful singer was hailed by some as the greatest opera singer of the twentieth century while others called her a talentless fake. Callas rose to her status of diva by performing several lead soprano roles with a voice many called imperfect but full of emotion. It is this emotion that drew many to her and repulsed others. This emotion also tended to create problems in her personal life, giving ammunition to her detractors. The video explains how this tension created an intersting arc to Calla's career, seeing her reach the pinnacle of the opera world and then fall fast from its graces. Clips of live performances, like Calla's role as Tosca in a Puccini opera and Violetta in La Traviata are also worked into the program.

REVIEW: Barnes & Noble - Gregory Baird

Fans waited in line for days for a chance to hear the great opera diva Maria Callas, whose life and art are explored in director Tony Palmer's documentary Maria Callas: La Divina -- A Portrait. Archival footage and interviews with friends and colleagues tell the life story of this superstar, with much attention paid to the more tragic aspects of her life, including the affair with Aristotle Onassis that ultimately broke her heart. Onassis dumped her for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Callas is most revelatory in interviews, where she exposes many facets of her complex, oft-embattled personality. Of course, there's also the music -- and plenty of it -- giving fans and neophytes alike a chance to appreciate her legendary voice and remarkable stage presence. Callas died a recluse at the age of 53, and by the time Maria Callas: La Divina -- A Portrait reaches is tragic, real-life ending, there won't be a dry eye in the house.

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