Famed director Franco Zeffirelli’s film biopic of Maria Callas, "Callas Forever," was premiered in Paris on Monday, on the 25th anniversary of the opera singer’s death.
Turning out on the red carpet for the screening was smouldering French beauty Fanny Ardant, who takes on the challenging role of the Greek-American diva on screen. Fanny, who bears a strong resemblance to Callas, had already played a variation of the role on stage before she won the film lead.
Zeffirelli, who worked with the diva in a 1964 production of Puccini’s "Tosca" at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, told the media at the premiere on Monday that as soon as he set his eyes on Fanny he knew he’d found the actress for the part. “Fanny arrived like a gift from God,” he said. “She opened the door, and it was Callas.”
Maria Callas was, if not the greatest, then certainly the most famous opera diva of the 20th century. Born in New York in 1923, the daughter of Greek immigrants, she rose from obscurity to make La Scala opera house in Milan – the most prestigious of all opera houses – her home stage in the mid-1950s. However, after a tempestuous relationship with Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, Maria’s career faltered because of illness. She died alone in Paris in 1977 at the age of 54, physically and emotionally debilitated after Onassis abandoned her to marry Jacqueline Kennedy.
The film, which also stars British actor Jeremy Irons, is a fictional account of the last months of her life, after she had stopped singing because her voice had changed. Zeffirelli said that her voice was either going to be “perfect or nothing. I show exactly what price she paid for her art,” he added. Release dates for "Callas Forever" have yet to be announced in the UK and the US.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
The daughter of Greek immigrants to the US, Maria rose from obscurity to become one of the greatest figures opera has ever knownPhoto: © PA
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Franco Zeffirelli, who worked with Callas in the 1960s, says that when he set his eyes on French actress Fanny Ardant he knew he'd found the woman for the part. "Fanny arrived like a gift from God," he told the press on Monday. "She opened the door and it was Callas"
Photo: © AFP
