Beware, this is a movie about Bernstein's marriage, NOT about his music. It should have better been titled as "The Marriage of Leonard & Felicia" and not "Maestro".
I expected a music biopic, but what I got was a masterfully directed and terrifically acted portrait of a marriage with a bisexual husband and all the difficulties (secret affairs with gay men) that came along with it, when back in the days of the fifties and sixties, being gay wasnt something one could openly talk about in public.
The good: LONG scenes with NO editing cuts. What BLISS to be able to watch these 2 great actors perform uninhibited by cuts, with many minutes long lasting scenes filmed from 1 static angle. I truly applaud the director (Bradley Cooper) and the photographer and editor for this gorgeous and balanced way of filming this portrait. I was really impressed!
Any bad? I had my trepidations about Bradley Cooper's impersonation of Bernstein that was borderline according to many. Did he pull it off? I think he did a really good job, although it took me some time to get used to all the mannerisims (the peculiar voice in particular). I can understand though that others might get a bit uneasy / irritated by some of the makeup (too much?) and other mannerisims.
Carey Mulligan (as the wife of Bernstein) deserves special mention. Her role was more subdued and subtle, but AS powerful and touching. She truly shined!
Conclusion: I am not a fan of watching stories about artist's private lives, but as far as this personal account of Leonard Bernstein's marriage is concerned, they created a really mesmirising, warmhearted portrait, that left me behind in my seat with goosebumps and in reverence...
Thank you for reading my 2100 th review on Imdb!
I expected a music biopic, but what I got was a masterfully directed and terrifically acted portrait of a marriage with a bisexual husband and all the difficulties (secret affairs with gay men) that came along with it, when back in the days of the fifties and sixties, being gay wasnt something one could openly talk about in public.
The good: LONG scenes with NO editing cuts. What BLISS to be able to watch these 2 great actors perform uninhibited by cuts, with many minutes long lasting scenes filmed from 1 static angle. I truly applaud the director (Bradley Cooper) and the photographer and editor for this gorgeous and balanced way of filming this portrait. I was really impressed!
Any bad? I had my trepidations about Bradley Cooper's impersonation of Bernstein that was borderline according to many. Did he pull it off? I think he did a really good job, although it took me some time to get used to all the mannerisims (the peculiar voice in particular). I can understand though that others might get a bit uneasy / irritated by some of the makeup (too much?) and other mannerisims.
Carey Mulligan (as the wife of Bernstein) deserves special mention. Her role was more subdued and subtle, but AS powerful and touching. She truly shined!
Conclusion: I am not a fan of watching stories about artist's private lives, but as far as this personal account of Leonard Bernstein's marriage is concerned, they created a really mesmirising, warmhearted portrait, that left me behind in my seat with goosebumps and in reverence...
Thank you for reading my 2100 th review on Imdb!