María Callas

Callas: A Documentary

Tony Palmer

María Callas, Franco Zeffirelli

Narrated by cinema legend Franco Zeffirelli, this intimate made-for-television documentary traces the life and times of the mercurial Maria Callas, one of the most renowned and respected operatic divas of the mid-20th century. Rare authentic footage, candid interviews and breathtaking performances help paint a portrait of an artist remembered as much for her quick and explosive temper as she is for her immeasurable talent.

The Art of Singing: Golden Voices of the Century

Donald Sturrock

Enrico Caruso, María Callas

Imagine a window into the past. Imagine finally connecting singers' bodies to the voices you have always treasured on record, watching footage of performances from another era. All of singers featured here have something in common (with one exception, Sutherland): they sang and performed on stage before the advent of filmed opera. . And it shows, for the first time, a few tantalizing minutes of recently recovered footage from Callas' legendary Lisbon Traviata, featuring Addio dal Passato and Parigi oh cara with Alfredo Kraus. This DVD will leave you asking for more.

Maria Callas: In Concert - Hamburg (1959 & 1962)

Georges Prêtre, Nicola Rescigno

María Callas, Nicola Rescigno

The 1959 concert finds Callas just 1 year before the loss of her voice and although her voice is not what it was in 1952 you can still hear the Vocal Miracle. The repertoire interchanges between heavy dramatic soprano (Lady Macbeth, Elisabetta), to soprano coloratura (Rosina) and to soprano dramatico d'agilita (Imogene in Pirata, Gulia). The maturity of the interpretation regarding the legatti, the phrasing is astounding and Callas dominates each aria singing them in the only possible way. "Tu che invoco" appears as a cataract of dramatic phrases in a fine classical style of this classical period opera, then Lady Macbeth appears diabolical & dark although she avoids keeping her voice in the high C, her Rosina is sparkling and facile in the coloratura as if it is a natural way of speaking and Elisabetta is where time stops: the drama in this aria holds a metaphysical aura. Finally her entire Mad Scene from Pirata shows all her talent as an actress and bel canto singer.

Maria Callas: At Covent Garden, 1962 and 1964

Carlo Felice Cillario, Georges Prêtre

María Callas, Renato Cioni

Maria Callas’ legendary live performances from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, from 1962 and 1964 celebrate her triumphant return to the Covent Garden stage. Repertoire from these performances include Verdi: Tu che le vanità (Don Carlo), Bizet: Habanera & Séguedille (Carmen) and Puccini: Tosca (Act II complete). Her vivid portrayals of the tragic Elisabeth de Valois, the tantalising Carmen, and her vulnerable Tosca (directed by Franco Zeffirelli) captured the hearts of the London audiences. This is Maria Callas as the world remembers her. Renato Cioni, Tito Gobbi, Robert Bowman, Dennis Wicks Orchestra & Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden- Conducted by Georges Prêtre & Carlo Felice Cillario.

Maria Callas: Life & Art

Alastair Mitchell, Alan Lewens

María Callas

Legendary opera singer Maria Callas had an extraordinary career, colored as much by supreme success as it was by terrible heartache. Yet despite her tumultuous private life, Callas's powerful soprano voice rarely faltered. Narrated by Rosalie Crutchley, this well-rounded documentary features extensive interviews and numerous performances, including the diva's final concert in Tokyo and a rare recording taken a class at the Julliard School.

L'Isola di Medea

Sergio Naitza

Pier Paolo Pasolini, María Callas

On the 40th anniversary of the death of Maria Callas (September 16, 1977), with footage never seen before from Pier Paolo Pasolini's film MEDEA, this film celebrates the genius and sensibility of two icons of the XX century.

The Callas Conversations

Barrie Gavin

María Callas, Lord Harewood

1968 interview with Lord Harewood.

Callas Assoluta

Philippe Kohly

María Callas, Jean Cocteau

This revealing documentary from director Philippe Kohly examines the storied life of renowned soprano Maria Callas, from her troubled childhood in New York City to her scandal-laden but triumphant international career in opera. Featuring archival interviews with Callas herself and footage of contemporaries such as her lover Aristotle Onassis, this celebration of "La Divina" pays tribute to her enduring legacy some three decades after her death.

Maria by Callas

Tom Volf

María Callas, Joyce DiDonato

Told through performances, TV interviews, home movies, family photographs, private letters and unpublished memoirs, the film reveals the essence of an extraordinary woman who rose from humble beginnings in New York City to become a glamorous international superstar and one of the greatest artists of all time.

Io sono nata viaggiando

Irish Braschi

Maria Pia Di Meo, Dacia Maraini

A journey back through Dacia Maraini's and her trips around the world with her close friends cinema director Pier Paolo Pasolini and opera singer Maria Callas. An in-depth story of this fascinating woman's life. Maraini's memories come alive through personal photographs taken on the road as well as her own Super 8 films shot almost thirty years ago.

Medea

Pier Paolo Pasolini

María Callas

Based on the plot of Euripides' Medea. Medea centers on the barbarian protagonist as she finds her position in the Greek world threatened, and the revenge she takes against her husband Jason who has betrayed her for another woman.

Man of Three Worlds: Luchino Visconti

Francis Coleman

Riccardo Aragno, Luchino Visconti

BBC television program exploring Visconti’s mastery of cinema, theater, and opera direction.

Une nuit à l'opéra

Sergey Loznitsa

Brigitte Bardot, Jean Cocteau

A documentary view of the galas of Paris’s Palais Garnier in the 1950s and ’60s.

Notre Dame de la Croisette

Daniel Schmid

Bulle Ogier, Jean-Claude Brialy

A woman goes to Cannes and, lost in its chaos and unable to obtain tickets, ends up watching it on television from her hotel room.

Passion Callas

Gérald Caillat

María Callas

1997 documentary with then-new interviews with people who worked with la Callas, as well as archive footage of interviews with associates. Film clips, photos and recordings illustrate her performance powers.

Visioni della Medea (tracce di un film sognato)

Pier Paolo Pasolini, María Callas

Some of the scenes cut from the final editing of Medea by Pier Paolo Pasolini, fortunately found by L’Officina - a historic Roman film club born in the 1970s - on the initiative of Cinemazero in Pordenone have been preserved and digitized at the Cineteca del Friuli. These materials, with the care of the Pasolini scholar Luciano De Giusti, have been reassembled, accompanied by texts / readings and original music by Paolo Corberi: here are the "Visions of the Medea (traces of a dreamed film)", now a very important document to reconstruct the creative process of production and reliving the poetic / lyrical aura of the film's protagonists and places, including the lagoon of Grado (GO).