Maria is nominally about a profoundly gifted opera singer, but seems a bit more about how ponderous and remote character studies never fail to trap the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Two hours of visiting Paris (aka Budapest) as it would look if Jesus raptured the city and left behind only Satan and a few journalists, with some diversions to the shared cinematic universe of fellow sad gal Jackie Kennedy, left us exhausted.

Additionally, our brilliant guest, award-winning Callas biographer Sophia Lambton, points out that roughly four things in the movie are real:

Not going to recommend the movie but please do join us for another episode filled with characters’ codependent hijinks, adorable pets, and agonizing lip synching.

Sophia Lambton is the author of The Callas Imprint: A Centennial Biography, available at https://www.amazon.com/Callas-Imprint-Centennial-Biography-ebook/dp/B0BRYPL5WN

Her Substack is: https://sophialambton.substack.com/

You can find her on social media at:

https://www.instagram.com/thecrepuscularpress/

https://www.tiktok.com/@thecrepuscularpress

https://www.facebook.com/thecrepuscularpress

Maria is directed by Pablo Larrain and stars Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, Pierfrancesco Favino as Ferrucio, Alba Rohrwacher as Bruna, Haluk Bilginer as Aristotle Onassis, Stephen Ashfield as Jeffrey Tate, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Mandrax, Valeria Golino as Yakinthi Callas, and Caspar Phillipson as JFK.

Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it.

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