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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9786305943969
Format: Classical, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
ISBN: 6305943966
Label: Image Entertainment
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Image Entertainment
Region Code: 1
Release Date: August 15, 2000
Running Time: 91 minutes
Sales Rank: 110764
Studio: Image Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 1987
Editorial Review:
Description:
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. 91 minutes.
Amazon.com:
It is almost a quarter of a century since Maria Callas died. But the years have done little to diminish interest in this most iconic of divas. The debate surrounding the real quality of that voice continues to be fanned by her devotees and detractors, intermittently reaching fever pitch with the arrival of another biography or the commercial release of a newly discovered live recording. Tony Palmer's 1987 film portrait, now available on DVD, towers over the bulk of contributions to the Callas industry because it manages to be both passionate about its subject and objective about the forces that shaped a great musical talent and then left it in ruins.
Lengthy interviews with colleagues and confidants embrace both Callas's undoubted theatrical genius and the emotional traumas that propelled her stumbling private life. The scene is set from the moment this documentary's producer, John Ardoin (himself a Callas biographer), declares the story of Callas the woman to be one of the great tragedies of our time. From that point, the film forges potent links between the evolution of the diva's artistry through her great performances--Tosca, in particular--and the defiant soul captured in a considerable archive of media encounters that range from the intense and contemptuous to the coquettish. This is 90 essential minutes for anyone interested in the Callas legend. Her story will never be better told. --Piers Ford
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Maria Callas - La Divina: A Portrait
I especially liked the approach in this film showing Callas the artist and Maria the woman. This theme carries throughout this wonderful Portrait. There is so little footage of this greatest Soprano of her Century, that every morsel is welcomed. Excerpts from her opera performances worldwide show off her professionalism and talent. A Greek Tragedy that even Euripides would have appreciated, yet the tragedy is ours for the loss of this talented Diva at her age of 53. Callas the artist so talented ... Read More
Rating:  - not just for La Divina fans
Pretty good documentary on Callas phenomenon. One certainly gets an idea of what it was all about. A bit too much of shallow psychology (Maria the artist, Maria the woman), but all in all it works. Even though there is much overlap with another documentary (Callas - Life and Art) this one is definitely better executed and gives more. If you want just the art part get Hamburg or Paris recital DVDs.
Rating: - Diva Of Divas.
I, admittedly, am not an opera expert, by any stretch... I've seen a number of productions, enjoyed the spectacle, the talent, but don't know a mezzo from a matzho. But everyone knows Maria Callas. The first time I saw a film of this Anna Magnani with a voice, I was transfixed. I became intrigued with the legend, so I bought this video. I have re-watched several times, and I found it to be informative and revealing. She has been dissected almost more than any public figure,"the greatest", "the worst", ... Read More
Rating:  - Lack of information
There is not too much information in this DVD. La Callas sings many small pieces of arias but never tell you which arias are, there are many people interviewed but they never tell you who they are, the interviews of not English Language speaking people are "doubled" to English instead of just "subtitling" them etc. I do not recommend this DVD. ( I have others DVds of La Callas and are much better than this one)
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