Maria Callas - La Divina: A Portrait
It is almost a quarter of a century since Maria Callas died. But the  years have done little to diminish interest in this most iconic of divas. The  debate surrounding the real quality of that voice continues to be fanned by her  devotees and detractors, intermittently reaching fever pitch with the arrival of  another biography or the commercial release of a newly discovered live  recording. Tony Palmer's 1987 film portrait, now available on DVD, towers over  the bulk of contributions to the Callas industry because it manages to be both  passionate about its subject and objective about the forces that shaped a great  musical talent and then left it in ruins.Lengthy interviews with colleagues and confidants embrace both Callas's  undoubted theatrical genius and the emotional traumas that propelled her  stumbling private life. The scene is set from the moment this documentary's  producer, John Ardoin (himself aCallas biographer), declares the  story of Callas the woman to be one of the great tragedies of our time. From  that point, the film forges potent links between the evolution of the diva's  artistry through her great performances--Tosca, in particular--and the  defiant soul captured in a considerable archive of media encounters that range  from the intense and contemptuous to the coquettish. This is 90 essential  minutes for anyone interested in the Callas legend. Her story will never be  better told.--Piers Ford