Callas Forever

2002 Drama

A mournful look at the last days of opera diva Maria Callas, director Franco Zeffirelli's biographical drama attempts to explore the irresistible allure of a comeback for a fallen star who hungers for the success of her past. Weathered from the excess of the previous decade and with her best performances long behind her, Callas (Fanny Ardant) withdraws to her Paris apartment to live her final days in seclusion. Despite being ravaged by a throat disease and being stuck in an extended period of mourning following the death of her true love, Callas' manager Larry Kelly (Jeremy Irons) nevertheless suggests that the former reigning queen of opera attempt a spectacular comeback. Though she is physically unable to perform the pieces the way that she once did, the suggestion to lip-sync to recordings of her previous performances offers a tentative chance for latter day fame. Despite her belief that lip-syncing her performance would be dishonest to her fans, the prospect of performing +Carmen, an opera that she once recorded but never performed on stage, offers Callas one last shot at reliving her former glory. more..

Director: Franco Zeffirelli

Starring: Fanny Ardant, Jeremy Irons, Joan Plowright, Jay Rodan, Gabriel Garko

Reviews

  • The result is not only one of Zeffirelli's sumptuous productions but also a film that celebrates the sacredness of artistic integrity that to Zeffirelli Callas embodied fully.

    Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times

    19 January 2013

  • The movie is rich with music and more than a few moments of painful exaltation.

    Mick LaSalle - The San Francisco Chronicle

    19 January 2013

  • The visual style is all Zeffirelli, and it is interesting that the opera-within-the-film is not skimped on, as is usually the case in films containing scenes from other productions.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    19 January 2013

  • In sum, a big, honking tutti-frutti sundae of a movie that nonetheless is shot through with authentic feeling.

    Ty Burr - The Boston Globe

    19 January 2013

  • What captures the audience's attention is Ardent's mesmerizing performance.

    - The Hollywood Reporter

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Costume Design (Mejor Diseño de Vestuario)

    Goya Awards (2003)

     
  • Best Costume Design (Migliori Costumi)

    Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (2003)