The Venice Film Festival loves its movie stars, and Angelina Jolie was the star of the show on Thursday night.
She wept during an eight-minute standing ovation at the Sala Grande Theatre at the world premiere of “Maria,” Pablo Larraín’s biographical drama about the legendary Greek opera singer Maria Callas.
The outpouring of love and emotion brings to mind another standing ovation in the festival that launched the Oscar campaign for Brendan Fraser in “The Whale,” who sobbed through the applause that cemented a career comeback in 2022.
Jolie was similarly taken by the rapturous response, wiping away tears and at times turning her face away from the cheering as she was overcome by emotion.
The actress hugged Larraín and the cast of the movie, which is sure to be an Oscar contender, putting Jolie in the best actress race for the first time in 15 years.
She was nominated in 2009, for her work in Clint Eastwood’s “The Changeling,” and won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2000 for “Girl, Interrupted.”
In Venice, the fandom for Jolie started a full 24 hours before the screening of “Maria," with a group of Italians camped out overnight on Wednesday with tents and umbrellas, enduring 90-degree temperatures for a front-row interaction with their idol at the carpet.
When Jolie arrived at the theater, she signed autographs and took selfies, and even met a fan with brittle bone disease who had been transported to the carpet on a bed, kneeling beside him as she greeted him amidst the flashing lightbulbs from the paparazzi.
"Maria," reunites Larraín and writer Steven Knight, whose last project “Spencer” bowed in Venice in 2021.
Based on true accounts, the pic explores the life of Callas, the American-born Greek soprano singer and one of the most famous opera singers of the 20th century. “Maria” charts her final days in 1970s Paris, and also stars Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alba Rohrwacher, Pierfrancesco Favino, and Valeria Golino.
The buzzy film completes Larraín’s trilogy centered around inspiring female protagonists, following “Spencer” starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana, and 2016’s “Jackie” featuring Natalie Portman as Kennedy Onassis in the aftermath of her husband JFK’s assassination. Both roles garnered Best Actress nominations.
“Maria” at times plays like a bookend to “Judy,” the 2019 biopic that won Renee Zellweger an Oscar for portraying a troubled Judy Garland, contending with the pitfalls of fame.
At a press conference earlier in the day, Jolie spoke about preparing to play the famous soprano, which marked her first time singing in a role.
“Everybody here knows, I was terribly nervous,” she said. “I spent almost seven months training because when you work with Pablo you can’t do anything by half. He demands, in the most wonderful way, that you really do the work and you really learn and train.”
Jolie’s costumes are based on real garments worn by Callas, including vintage fur items from Massimo Cantini Parrini’s archive collection.
When he announced the casting of Jolie two years ago, Larraín said the biopic combined his “two most deep and personal passions, cinema and opera. To do this with Angelina, a supremely brave and curious artist, is a fascinating opportunity.”
“Maria” is scripted by Oscar nominee and “Peaky Blinders” scribe Steven Knight, who previously penned Larraín’s film “Spencer.” Edward Lachman (“El Conde,” “Carol”) serves as cinematographer.
It is produced by Juan de Dios Larraín, Lorenzo Mieli and Jonas Dornbach, and hails from production companies The Apartment (a Fremantle Company), Fabula, and Komplizen & Fremantle.
“Maria” is set to debut on Netflix later this year. It marks Netflix’s second movie with Larraín directing following “El Conde” (2023), which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography.
It also witnesses the seventh production partnership between Fabula and Netflix, including Maite Alberdi’s upcoming film “In Her Place.”
Follow the latest news on Google News
