Netflix Maestro (1 Viewer)

[Jake Lipson]

Deadline has a bit about the theatrical release today. Spoiler alert: it's not much.

Bradley Cooper’s Maestro from Netflix expands to 40 theaters in ten markets.

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Bollywood's 'Animal' with Ranbir Kapoor, Anne Hathaway's 'Eileen', 'The Sweet East' and 'Dream Scenario's expansion at the indie box office.

deadline.com

 

[Craig S]

It's playing at a single theater here in the Austin area starting Thursday. I already have my ticket!!

 

[Jake Lipson]

My local theater confirmed Maestro for this weekend after all. This seems like a last-minute booking because they haven't been running trailers for It. But I'm thrilled it is coming and will definitely go see it.

Also, this article from Variety is interesting reading. I think it's a great idea to have Bernstein essentially score his own biopic and look forward to hearing how his music is utilized within it.

‘Maestro’: How Bradley Cooper Turned Bernstein’s Classical Music into a Film Score

Bradley Cooper decided not to have an original score for the film 'Maestro.'

variety.com

 

[Jake Lipson]

Bradley Cooper’s ‘Maestro’ Explores The Powerful Bond Between Musical Genius Leonard Bernstein And His Wife Felicia: “This Had To Be A Story About Their Relationship”

Leonard Bernstein — the composer of West Side Story and considered one of the world’s greatest conductors — has lived rent-free in Bradley Cooper’s head since 2018, when Steven Spielberg met with h…

deadline.com

 

[Jake Lipson]

 

[Jake Lipson]

How Bradley Cooper Nailed His Six-Minute ‘Maestro’ Conducting Scene in One Take: ‘Singing at the Oscars’ Doesn’t Even Compare

"Maestro" director Bradley Cooper explains how he rescued the film's six-minute conducting scene from becoming a "nightmare."

variety.com

 

[Jake Lipson]

I saw Maestro today. There is a scene in which Bernstein is asked what his primary job is and identifies himself as a "musician." I bring this up because in context of other musician biopics, this one is quite different than normal and not necessarily what you might expect.

I don't want to compare Bernstein to a pop star. But if you look at Jersey Boys for example, and other movies of its kind, you will see the pop star rise to fame and have hit after hit after hit while touring too much takes a toll on their marriage and family life. I like Jersey Boys a lot, but Frankie Valli's wife and later his girlfriend are just there for a few scenes to talk about how lonely they are when he is on the road and how difficult it is to raise their kids with him being gone. They're in the background. The main focus of the storytelling is on the Four Seasons as a group and their professional success. The women are there but just aren't central to the story.

I mention this not because Bernstein was a pop music star, but because Maestro flips that structure. This movie is not primarily about Bernstein's body of work or even his process in making the work. West Side Story is mentioned in passing maybe three or four times through the movie. This movie is about Bernstein's relationship with his wife, Felecia. The stuff about his career is present in the movie but is a secondary concern in the way that Bradley Cooper has chosen to tell the story.

Carey Mulligan is actually billed first in the acting credits, ahead of Bradley Cooper, which didn't make sense to me before. Now that I have seen the movie, it makes total sense because she is very much in the center of the narrative. Bernstein in this movie is still the conductor of the New York Philharmonic and the composer of West Side Story and so on. His achievements are noted, but they are things that happen inside a story about his personal relationships. This is in contrast to other musician biopics where the professional story is the first order of business and the romantic relationship second. This is essentially a relationship drama where the central male happens to be Leonard Bernstein.

It's very good. I'm glad I saw it and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anybody who might be interested in seeing it. But you should know what you are getting. There could be a movie focusing on the creation of Bernstein's body of work, about where he got his ideas or how certain things he did professionally came together. That would probably be the more conventional movie to have made. But this movie is not that movie. I don't mean this as a complaint, just a statement.

As usual, both Mulligan and Cooper give great performances. Cooper also reaffirms his talent as a director and that A Star is Born was not a fluke. This is a very strong followup to that film and a case study of another troubled musician, although in a very different way than Jackson Maine and a very different movie. He really delivered. His ability to look at the entirety of Bernstein's life and various significant achievements and decide that what he wanted to focus on was the marriage demonstrated that Cooper had a very specific vision for what he wanted the movie to be, rather than trying to do an all-encompassing biopic. I got the sense that he knew exactly what he wanted to do here and he really drilled down on that specific aspect of Bernstein's life and he got what he wanted. It demonstrates a sureness on Cooper's part that this was the right thing to tell, and that makes It very distinct from other biopics.

Cooper's choice to have Bernstein score his own biopic is also really interesting and unique. It allows us to hear his music placed into new context and is a bold creative choice.

Recommended.

 

[Jake Lipson]

 

[benbess]

I'm glad I saw it, but for me and my Mom it only sort-of worked to try to cover 40+ years in one movie. Good performances, good music, etc., but for me the screenplay was the weak link. I think this should have been a miniseries.

My rating: B-

 

[GlennF]

Agree very much with Jake's review. Took a bit to realize this film was not going to focus on the creative process of Bernstein, but rather his relationship with his wife. I was a little disappointed with that angle. However, it is a well made movie with great acting. Mulligan in paticular impressed me. Saw it in a first rate theatre here in Toronto. Virtually the audience stayed through the end credits just to hear the glorious Candide overture blasted through the theatre's excellent sound system.

 

[JoeStemme]

It's a well done film for the most part, but even with the emphasis on Mulligan's character (although, I would argue it's still Bernstein's POV), it felt as if Bradley were keeping the audience at arm's length.

 

[Jake Lipson]

 

[Wayne_j]

I just saw this today and it was both very good and very sad. A lot about Leonard Bernstein that I hadn't known before.

 

[Jake Lipson]

 

[Jake Lipson]

I just wanted to post again to remind everyone that Maestro is on Netflix today. So if the movie didn't open theatrically near you, or if you'd prefer to watch it at home, you can do that now. I'm glad I got to see it in a theater but am also excited for it to reach a wider audience now that it is streaming. I think it is very much worth your time and attention.

Also, here's another behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast.

 

[Wayne_j]

This should be a shoe in for a best makeup nomination.

 

[Matt Hough]

I watched this last night, and while I found it obviously well made and performed with greatness (at certain points, Bradley Cooper seriously ceased to exist with someone else in his place), I found the screenplay a bit too spare. There seemed to be a shorthand being used to delineate relationships and motivations that I felt warranted more explanation and elaboration. The 1.37 aspect ratio seemed to be an eccentricity, and I didn't understand the use of black and white and color. I did think some of the segues between scenes particularly in the film's first third were astonishing, and Bernstein's electric music, whether from Fancy Free, On the Town, On the Waterfront, West Side Story, Mass, or Candide, could only enhance the proceedings.

So, I'd say the film was good but not great.

 

[Jake Lipson]

This ‘Maestro’ Making-of-the-Film Photo Book, Including an Introduction by Steven Spielberg, Is Available for Free Online (EXCLUSIVE)

This Maestro photo book, including an introduction by Steven Spielberg, is now available for free online, with the physical book releasing next month.

variety.com

 

[JoeStemme]

My full take now that it's on Netflix (I saw it theatrically):

Leonard Bernstein was one of the most lauded Conductors and Composers of the 20th Century - although you won't really learn that by watching writer-director Bradley Cooper's MAESTRO - and, that's a valid approach to take. Carey Mulligan, who plays Bernstein's wife Felecia Montealegre, seems to be, in many ways, the central character (Mulligan is billed first). Again, a reasonable POV. It's in the execution where MAESTRO's issues mainly lie.

Bradley's screenplay (with Josh Singer) follows the basic arc of Bernstein's career from his early days when he was suddenly, and very successfully, thrust into the role of conductor for New York Philharmonic. During this period, he meets Felecia, a budding actress from Costa Rica (which makes Mulligan's casting a bit off even if she rises to the task). They marry, even though she knows that Leonard isn't a faithful partner and eventually have three children. Stylistically, the early scenes have a notably theatrical frame around them (including being shot on Black & White film and in a boxy 1:37 aspect ratio). There's some fun to be had in the first act, even if it often comes off as sounding a bit overly mannered.

As the story moves later in the couples' life, Cinematographer Matthew Libatique switches from B&W to color and widens the frame to 1:85. It certainly calls attention to itself (as does Bradley's sometimes self-conscious framing), but the camerawork (all on celluloid) is accomplished. Bernstein's music compositions are interspersed with selections from the classical canon with works by Beethoven, Schumann and Mahler (the latter's Resurrection Symphony is presented in a vibrant cathedral performance that is the film's highlight). The work Bernstein put in to his own musical creations isn't given much screen-time, including only passing references to his scores for ON THE WATERFRONT and WEST SIDE STORY. Again, an artist's choice, but one can't help but wonder why Bradley felt the need to tell this particular story by ignoring a good portion of his famed work.

Mulligan's Felicia is given a good amount of screen-time, but it always feels as if its in service to her husband's life (and the needs of the script). Mulligan is very good at showing how a wife could be betrayed on a personal level while still loving her partner, but one never feels that this still isn't Leonard Bernstein's story in sum. Cooper's performance is too fussy and he never truly gels with his acting partner. Leonard's motivations are never given enough insight including his fluid sexuality and his feelings about being Jewish in mid-century society. Cooper's direction seems similarly to hold the viewer at arm's length. The film never breathes.

Compartmentalization is the key to understanding the relationship - both together and individually, but there's so little passion for the joy of music (or marriage) that it doesn't fully engage. It's well mounted and acted but it's a movie that's to be admired from afar.

 

[Traveling Matt]

Compartmentalization is the key to understanding the relationship - both together and individually, but there's so little passion for the joy of music (or marriage) that it doesn't fully engage. It's well mounted and acted but it's a movie that's to be admired from afar.

This is close to how I felt as well. The story lacks Bernstein the Legend, and so his relationship with Felicia and his own feelings about his homosexuality never find juxtaposition with his career and fame, which seemed to be the basis around which both personal items were intended to revolve. But the script never got there.

Loved the performance of Mahler's 2nd though!