Maestro (2023 film)

Maestro (2023 film)
Maestro is a 2023 American biographical drama film that centers on the relationship between American composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre. It is directed by Bradley Cooper, from a screenplay he wrote with Josh Singer. It was produced by Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Cooper, among others. The film stars Cooper as Bernstein alongside Carey Mulligan as Montealegre. Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, and Sarah Silverman appear in supporting roles.
Maestro premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Lion, on September 2, 2023. The film is scheduled for a limited theatrical release on November 22, 2023, before streaming on Netflix on December 20, 2023.
Premise
A biopic of Leonard Bernstein, with a focus on his marriage to Felicia Montealegre.
Cast
Production
Development
The project had been in development at Paramount Pictures, with Martin Scorsese initially planning to direct the film. He stepped down as director to work on The Irishman, allowing Bradley Cooper to join the film in May 2018 as director and to star as Bernstein. Scorsese is producing alongside Steven Spielberg. Spielberg was also initially considering directing the film, and had approached Cooper to star but offered the director position to Cooper after a screening of A Star Is Born. In January 2020, the project was moved to Netflix, with filming expected to begin in 2021.
Casting
In September 2020, the project was given the title Maestro with Carey Mulligan joining the cast. It was also announced that filming would begin in the spring of 2021. In October, Jeremy Strong joined the cast as John Gruen, but later dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. In March 2022, Matt Bomer joined the cast. Bomer would be confirmed in April, with Maya Hawke also announced as being cast. In June, Sarah Silverman was announced as playing Bernstein's sister Shirley. In February 2023, Michael Urie was announced to be appearing in the film as Jerome Robbins. In April 2023, it was reported that Miriam Shor was a part of the cast.
Filming
The film was expected to begin filming on April 5, 2021 in Los Angeles, however it instead began in May 2022. Production occurred at Tanglewood between May 21 and 26, and in New York City. Filming also took place at Ely Cathedral in England between October 20 and 22.
Prosthetic criticism
Cooper's use of a large prosthetic nose to portray Bernstein, who was Jewish, was criticized by some as an example of "Jewface" following the release of photographs from the set of the film in May 2023 and the subsequent release of the trailer in August.
The chief television critic of The Hollywood Reporter, Daniel Fienberg, criticized the casting of Cooper, along with the British gentile Mulligan as a Costa Rican-Chilean converted Jew, as "a LOT of ethnic cosplay for one movie". English Jewish actress Tracy-Ann Oberman wrote that if Cooper "can't [play the role] through the power of acting alone then don't cast him – get a Jewish actor". She felt that as Cooper had portrayed Joseph Merrick, a 19th-century British man who had severe facial deformities, without prostheticswhich would have required Cooper to spend much of each day in makeup to apply, then remove, for each night's 100 minute stage performance"then he should be able to manage to play a Jewish man without one".
Bernstein's children defended Cooper's use of prosthetic makeup to portray him, stating that they worked with Cooper throughout the filmmaking process and that their "dad would have been fine with it." The Anti-Defamation League noted historical media portrayal of Jews as "evil caricatures with large, hooked noses" but said that "this film, which is a biopic, ... is not that".
In September 2023, Kazu Hiro, who created the prosthetic, said that he was surprised by the criticism but was "sorry if [he] hurt some people's feelings". He added that "our only intention" was to portray Bernstein "as authentically as possible".
Release
Maestro premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, where it will compete for the Golden Lion on September 2, 2023. It received a gala screening as part of the New York Film Festival's spotlight program on October 2, 2023, making it the first new film to hold a premiere at the new David Geffen Hall. Bradley Cooper attended the event but did not participate in the post-film Q&A due to the restrictions imposed on actors promoting their upcoming films during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Additionally, it will screen at the BFI London Film Festival and will close the AFI Fest. The film is scheduled for limited theatrical release in the United States on November 22, 2023, before streaming on Netflix on December 20, 2023.
Reception
Critical response
BBC Culture's Nicholas Barber wrote, "Maestro confirms what was suggested by Cooper's directorial debut, A Star Is Born. He has sky-high ambitions, and he has the technical virtuosity and big-hearted sincerity to fulfil those ambitions with flair". David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter termed it a "layered examination" of a complex marriage, and particularly lauded Mulligan's "heartbreaking" performance.
Accolades
References
External links
2020s American films
2020s English-language films
Amblin Entertainment films
American biographical drama films
Biographical films about musicians
Casting controversies in film
Films about classical music and musicians
Films about marriage
Films affected by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
Films directed by Bradley Cooper
Films produced by Bradley Cooper
Films produced by Martin Scorsese
Films produced by Steven Spielberg
Films set in the 20th century
Films shot in Los Angeles
Films shot in Massachusetts
Films shot in New York City
Leonard Bernstein
Upcoming Netflix original films