Callas Forever (2002)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Franco Zeffirelli

Writers:

Martin Sherman (screenplay) &
Franco Zeffirelli (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

18 September 2002 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A fictionalized account of the last days of opera singer Maria Callas (Ardant). |

Plot Keywords:

Opera Singer | Maria Callas | Opera | Diva | Tempermental Star

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Fanny Ardant	...	Maria Callas
Jeremy Irons	...	Larry Kelly
Joan Plowright	...	Sarah Keller
Jay Rodan	...	Michael
Gabriel Garko	...	Marco / Don Jose
Manuel de Blas	...	Esteban Gomez
Justino Díaz	...	Scarpia
Jean Dalric	...	Gerard
Stephen Billington	...	Brendan
Anna Lelio	...	Bruna
Alessandro Bertolucci	...	Marcello
Olivier Galfione	...	Thierry
Roberto Sanchez	...	Escamillo
Achille Brugnini	...	Ferruccio
Eugene Kohn	...	Eugene
Maria del Mar Rivas	...	Frasquita in "Carmen"
Concha Lopez	...	Mercedes in "Carmen"
Bryan Jardine	...	Businessman in 'Carmen' (as Bryan W. Jardine)
Bill Avery	...	Businessman in 'Carmen'
Sorin Popa	...	Businessman in 'Carmen'
Onochi Seietsu	...	Businessman in 'Carmen' (as Seietsu Onochi)
Ann McElhinney	...	Journalist
Tara Marie Anderson	...	Journalist
Tomi Cristin	...	Journalist
Razvan Popa	...	Journalist
Barry Mulligan	...	Journalist
Florin Piersic Jr.	...	Journalist
The Ballets Espagnols	...	La Corrala de la Danza (as Ballet Expañol)
Lucía Real	...	Featured 'Carmen' Dancer
Angel Muñoz	...	Featured 'Carmen' Dancer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maria Andrei	...	Stewardess (uncredited)
Gabriel Spahiu	...	Reporter (uncredited)

Directed by
Franco Zeffirelli

Writing credits
Martin Sherman		(screenplay) &
Franco Zeffirelli		(screenplay)
Franco Zeffirelli		(original story)

Produced by
Andrei Boncea	....	co-producer
Pino Butti	....	line producer
Farid Chaouche	....	line producer: France
Marco Chimenz	....	executive producer
Fabio Conversi	....	co-producer
Ricardo García Arrojo	....	line producer: Spain
Olivier Granier	....	co-producer
Clive Parsons	....	co-producer
Pippo Pisciotto	....	associate producer
Francisco Ramos	....	co-producer
Giovanni Stabilini	....	executive producer
Riccardo Tozzi	....	producer
Giovannella Zannoni	....	producer

Original Music by
Alessio Vlad

Cinematography by
Ennio Guarnieri		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Sean Barton

Casting by
Ilene Starger
Emma Style

Production Design by
Bruno Cesari

Art Direction by
Luigi Quintili

Costume Design by
Anna Anni
Alessandro Lai
Alberto Spiazzi

Makeup Department
Stefano Ceccarelli	....	hair stylist
Massimiliano Duranti	....	hair stylist (as Massimiliano Durante)
Giorgio Gregorini	....	chief hair stylist
Giovanna Iacaponi	....	makeup artist
Nilo Jacoponi	....	supervising makeup artist (as Nilo Iacoponi)
Alfredo Marazzi	....	chief makeup artist
Maurizio Nardi	....	chief makeup artist
José Quetglás	....	makeup artist: Spain
Aldo Signoretti	....	supervising hair stylist
Lidia Constantin	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Clarisse Domine	....	key makeup artist: France (uncredited)
Lidia Ivanov	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Simona Batistelli	....	unit manager
Matteo De Laurentiis	....	post-production supervisor
Simona De Laurentiis	....	post-production supervisor
Marco Greco	....	production manager
Christophe Guillerault	....	assistant unit manager: french unit
Roberto Leone	....	unit manager
Gianluca Leurini	....	production manager
Jérôme Servant	....	unit manager: France
Ada Solomon	....	production manager: Romania
Pino Butti	....	production manager (uncredited)
Valeria Licurgo	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eric Bartonio	....	first assistant director: France
Serena Canevari	....	first assistant director
Manuel L. Cañizares	....	first assistant director: Spain (as Manuel Cañizares)
Gilles Cannatella	....	second assistant director
Cristian Ciurea	....	assistant director: Romania
Marco Gandini	....	second assistant director
Pedro Pablo Glez-Madiedo	....	second assistant director: Spain
Óscar Manero	....	second assistant director: Spain
Carlo Paramidani	....	second assistant director
Inti Carboni	....	assistant director: Spain (uncredited)
Nicolas Duchemin Harvard	....	trainee assistant director (uncredited)
Mario Grasso	....	second second assistant director (uncredited)
Alexandre Schmitt	....	second assistant director: France (uncredited)

Art Department
Gianni Angler	....	construction manager (as Giovanni Angler)
Fabrizio Bianchi	....	prop man
Carlos Bodelón	....	art director: Spain
Yves Bonhomme	....	construction grip: France
Carlo Centolavigna	....	set designer: Carmen segment
Roberto Cingolani	....	upholsterer
Silvia Daunis	....	assistant art director: Spain
Sebastiano De Caro	....	stand-by props
Tommaso Dubla	....	scenic painter
Maria Miu	....	art director: Romania
Maurizio Narducci	....	set dresser (as Maurizia Narducci)
Vlad Panaitescu	....	construction manager: Romania
Francesco Postiglione	....	stand-by props
Luigi Sergianni	....	construction supervisor
Ivano Todeschi	....	scenic painter
Claudio Villa	....	prop man
Daniel Alexandru	....	sculptor (uncredited)
Diana Apostol	....	art department coordinator (uncredited)
Bruno Cesari	....	artistic director (uncredited)
Claudia Cosenza	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Vraciu Eduard Daniel	....	draftsman (uncredited)
Liviu Marcu	....	sculptor (uncredited)
Tamara Marini	....	assistant production designer (uncredited)
Dan Munteanu	....	sculptor (uncredited)
Adrian Popa	....	property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Nick Alexander	....	adr editor
Philip Barnes	....	adr editor (as Phil Barnes)
Giorgio Conti	....	sound editor
Francesco Cucinelli	....	sound re-recording mixer
Simon Gibson	....	original sound recordist
Peter Lindsay	....	sound mixer
Malcolm Rose	....	boom operator
Fabio Venturi	....	sound engineer
Luca Anzellotti	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)
Massimo Anzellotti	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Gelu Costache	....	sound assistant (uncredited)
Tony Dawe	....	production sound mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Adrian Popescu	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Claudio Napoli	....	visual effects supervisor
Fabrizio Pistone	....	digital artist
Gianluca Risita	....	visual effects coordinator
Gian Luca Rizzo	....	visual effects producer
Sandra Roach	....	digital artist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alessandro Anselmi	....	grip
Giancarlo Bachetti	....	electrician
Vincenzo Carpineta	....	camera operator
Fabian Cevallos	....	still photographer
Marco De Leonibus	....	electrician
Luca De Santis	....	electrician
Silvano Di Cicco	....	electrician (as Silvano De Cicco)
Viorel Ionita	....	electrician: Romania (as Ion Viorel)
Maurizio Lorenzetti	....	focus puller
Marcello Negretti	....	key grip
Stefano Paradiso	....	Steadicam operator
Valter Pavia	....	grip
Roberto Pecci	....	grip
Francesco Quattrone	....	electrician
Massimiliano Zenga	....	focus puller
Gheorghe Zvunca	....	grip: Romania
Marios Ivascu	....	clapper loader (uncredited)
Benoît Pain	....	video assistant: Paris (uncredited)
Ludovic Simeon	....	second assistant camera: France (uncredited)
Peter Zuffa	....	clapper loader (uncredited)

Casting Department
Carol Dermengiu	....	casting coordinator: Romania
Catherine Deserbais	....	extras casting (uncredited)
Gabriela Petre	....	extras casting (uncredited)
Andreea Tanasescu	....	special extras casting (uncredited)
Janice Wilde	....	casting associate (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Antonella Bachini	....	wardrobe assistant
Chloe Bartonio	....	wardrobe mistress: France
Giorgio Cardosi	....	assistant costume designer
Monica Lampazzi	....	assistant costume designer
Elsa Masseroni	....	wardrobe assistant (as Elisa Masseroni)
Piero Risani	....	assistant costume designer
Marzia Sordoni	....	wardrobe assistant
Karl Lagerfeld	....	costume designer: Fanny Ardant (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Alessandra Eberspacher	....	post-production assistant
Carlo La Bella	....	color grader
Tiberiu Teodorescu	....	assistant editor: Romania
Liberata Zocchi	....	assistant editor
Neri Nazzareno	....	final colorist (uncredited)

Music Department
Giorgio Conti	....	music editor
Orchestra de Roma	....	musician
Angelo Giovagnoli	....	music supervisor
Eugene Kohn	....	music consultant
Claudio Messina	....	score music producer
Lula Sarchioni	....	music producer: EMI Music
Antonio Sechi	....	music arranger
Antonio Sechi	....	orchestra director
Fabio Venturi	....	music editor
Piergiorgio Ambrosi	....	music consultant (uncredited)
Georges Prêtre	....	conductor: "Carmen" (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Charles Heidet	....	action vehicle coordinator
Vincent Servant	....	driver: cast

Other crew
Angela Allen	....	script supervisor
Luciano Bacchielli	....	assistant: Mr. Zeffirelli
Marie-Odile Bertot	....	production accountant: France
Miguel Bustamante	....	location manager: Spain
Cosmina Busuioc	....	accountant: Romania
El Camborio	....	choreographer
Geoffrey Carey	....	dialogue coach: Fanny Ardant, France
Carmela Compagnone	....	payroll accountant
Danielle Dumanoir	....	production coordinator: France
Mariangela Ferrario-Hall	....	publicist: International (as Mariaangela Ferrario Hall)
Stéphane Floc'h	....	location manager: France
Mabel García	....	accountant: Spain
Kate Godfrey	....	dialogue coach: Fanny Ardant
Marco Mattei	....	post production accountant
Marco Mattei	....	post-production accountant
Sarah Millar	....	location accountant
Iulian Pana	....	location manager: Romania
Maxine Parker	....	accountant: Spain
Firminio Pasquali	....	supervising accountant
Giorgia Passarelli	....	production coordinator
Gianluca Pignatelli	....	publicist: Italy
Rita Pontone	....	secretary: Mr. Zeffirelli
Stefano Priori	....	financial controller
Della Ragione-Garofalo	....	legal services: Studio Degli Avvocati
Vincent Riotta	....	dialogue coach
Eugene Rizzo	....	unit publicist
Alexandra Schamis	....	publicist: France
Patrizia Serantoni	....	assistant: Mr.Zannoni
Iuliana Stefan	....	production coordinator: Romania
Val Sunderland	....	location accountant
Ana Maria Telega	....	assistant production coordinator: Romania
Giorgio Tregnaghi	....	production accountant
Christophe Chauveau	....	location scout (uncredited)
Raul Cosma	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Mathias Farrugia	....	subtitler: French (uncredited)
Passarelli Giorgia	....	production coordinator (uncredited)
Niculae Izabela	....	translator (uncredited)
Jean-Marie Modet	....	location assistant (uncredited)
Julian Murray	....	assistant accountant (uncredited)
Rizia Ortolani	....	production coordinator (uncredited)
Jackie Page	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Alberto Poveda	....	assistant to location manager (uncredited)
Iulian Timofte	....	runner (uncredited)

Thanks
Karl Lagerfeld	....	very special thanks

Production Companies

• Medusa Produzione
• Cattleya
• Business Affair Production Ltd.
• Film and General Productions
• Alquimia Cinema
• Galfin
• Media Pro Pictures
• France 2 Cinéma
• Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali (MiBAC) (support)

Distributors

• Capitol Films (2002) (worldwide) (all media) (sales)
• Bac Films (2002) (France) (theatrical)
• Studio Canal (2003) (France) (DVD)
• Medusa Distribuzione (2002) (Italy) (all media)
• here! Films (2004) (USA) (all media)
• Regent Releasing (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• Alberto Bitelli Intl. Films (2003) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• GAGA Communications (2003) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Manga Films (2002) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Finnkino (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Future Film (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Hollydan Works (2006) (Yugoslavia) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment
• Paradise Group (2002) (Russia) (all media)
• Pony Canyon (2004) (Japan) (DVD) (special edition)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2006) (Finland) (TV)

Special Effects

• Proxima

Other Companies

• Accademia Musicale Italiana (AMIT)  score performed by
• Air France  thanks
• All Deco International  sculptures
• Auto-Tele-Cinema  costumes
• Aéroports de Paris  thanks
• Battistoni  costumes
• C.T.C.  costumes
• Car & Crane  cranes
• Casa di Nepi  set dressing
• Chanel  Fanny Ardant's costumes
• Chanel  jewelry
• Cinesicurtà  insurance
• Corbis Sigma  stills (as Corbis Sygma)
• Cornejo  costumes (as Sastrería Cornejo)
• Costumi GP 11  costumes (as GP 11)
• EMI Classics  soundtrack published by
• EMI Music  music producer
• Etro  sunglasses
• F.IIi Cartocci  camera: lenses and lighting equipment
• Forum Music Village  music recorded at
• Grevi Mode  costumes
• International Recording  sound post-production
• Justo Algaba  costumes
• Kodak Italia  film (as Kodak)
• L.A.B.A. Serrao Eva  costumes
• Leur Transporti  transportation: Israel
• Maratier  costumes
• Megino S.L.  transportation (as Megino)
• Metropolitan Opera, New York, The  costumes
• Orchestra di Roma  score performed by
• Penta Studio  titles and opticals
• R.E.C.  lamps and gel (as REC)
• RTI Music / Image Music  music producer (as RTI Music)
• RTI Music / Image Music  original music publisher (as RTI Music)
• Rafael Hosteleria Internacional S.A.  catering
• Rocchetti  wigs (as Rocchetti & Rocchetti)
• Romana Antichita  set dressing
• Sasteria Cornejo  costumes
• Shoes Pompei 2000  costumes (as Pompei 2000)
• Sound Track di Anzellotti  foley (as Anzellotti Sound)
• Studio Degli Avvocati  legal services
• Théâtre des Champs-Elysées  location
• Tirelli Costumi  costumes
• Ulisse Sartini  set dressing

Also Known As:

Callas Forever (Spain)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and strong language.

Runtime:

France:108 min | Israel:111 min | Spain:112 min | USA:111 min

Country:

Italy | France | Spain | UK | Romania

Language:

English | French | Italian

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Finland:K-3 | France:U | Spain:T | UK:15 | Australia:M | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Bucharest, Romania

Company:

Medusa Produzione

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The film is set in 1977, however extras are seen wearing modern (2001/2) clothes and modern cars are seen in the background.

Fascinating film

By 1977 (as the movie begins) Maria C. had become very much an icon, so the movie's emphasis on her large gay following is defensible I suppose, though Jeremy Irons' paramour is simply too good-looking for the part.

There was a film called Beethoven's Nephew a few years ago with a similar issue. Serious problem arise with casting attractive males in movies when they really have no qualities apart from their looks.

The Jeremy Irons character is a promoter who comes up with a thoroughly whacked-out idea for making money off the diva in what would turn out to be the last year of her life. He talks her into it -- re-staging Carmen for a movie and having her lip-sync to a tape made 20 years before -- and what we see produced is certainly knock-down gorgeous (Zefferelli directed this, after all), but still it is an absurd humiliation for the woman. Fortunately she comes to her senses at the end and gets the film quashed. (All this really happened, incidentally.) But the whole experience saves her life, in a sense, bringing her out of wasted years of drugs and a curtained existence in an elegant Paris apartment, to an acceptance of her age and an understanding of her place in high musical culture.

Fanny Ardant doesn't really look like Callas in the movie, though in the promotional stills she seems to. She can certainly act though, and makes an archetypal larger-than-life woman believable and thoroughly sympathetic. Joan Plowright is miscast, but the movie is strong enough to bury the memory of her part. There are scenes involving a board of directors that are just peculiar; apparently there is a parallel universe out there where corporate boards meet at the top of tall buildings to talk about the investment opportunities of aging opera stars. Fortunately those sequences are brief.

Some very nice touches appear having to do with Aristotle Onassis, who arguably destroyed the greatest opera singer in the 20th century, then dumped her. Coming to understand the depth of that betrayal is a painful undercurrent for Callas in the film.

For me one of the most intriguing scenes has to do with a handful of master classes Callas gave in New York at the very end of her life. I don't remember why, but I had a recording of some of them several years ago, lost now, alas. They were notable mainly for the uncanny perfection of Callas's examples when she would sing bits of arias for the students, following some young voice's painful attempt at the same piece. In one of the class's recreations in the film, while very brief, Callas-as-teacher rises to the kind of intellectual and emotional profundity that one-in-a-million teachers ever achieve. I was simply knocked out. Fanny Ardant does her very best work here, and the sequence is the emotional high-point of the film. I had tears in my eyes during the scene, something that usually nothing less than a hobbit will inspire in me.

The very end of the film is moving and utterly satisfying -- bittersweet, tragic, beautiful, more Puccini than Verdi.