RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Callas Forever
Callas Forever

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Callas Forever (2004)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
41 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:58

Fresh:24

Rotten:34

Average Rating:5.4/10

Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: At the beginning of this engrossing story, Larry Kelly (the delectable Jeremy Irons) has become a manager of rock bands – much easier to handle, he asserts, than a temperamental opera star. ... At the beginning of this engrossing story, Larry Kelly (the delectable Jeremy Irons) has become a manager of rock bands – much easier to handle, he asserts, than a temperamental opera star. Managing Maria Callas's late career has left him scorched by the star's brilliant fire. Visiting her palatial Paris apartment, Kelly is shocked to find a broken and reclusive Callas, humiliated by the deterioration of her voice. Determined to re-ignite her passion and restore her legacy, he convinces her to take on an important project: a film of the opera Carmen, in which she will lip-sync her own, glorious recording of many years previous. Thus begins a reawakening of their former relationship, mixing creative passion, genius, and drive in an incendiary cocktail. The stars are ably supported by a feisty Joan Plowright as their mutually supportive journalist friend, newcomer Jay Rodan as Larry's handsome artist boyfriend, and a wonderfully steamy performance from sexy Gabriel Garko as the tenor who worships Callas and yearns for his own opportunity for greatness. The special relationship between Callas (a luminous Fanny Ardant, reprising her stage portrayal) and her former manager forms the heart of this compelling fictional imagining of the diva's swan song, written and directed by the late Callas's friend and colleague, Franco Zeffirelli (ROMEO AND JULIET), in a worthy tribute to his legendary friend. -- © Regent Releasing [More]

Starring: Fanny Ardant, Jeremy Irons, Joan Plowright, Jay Rodan

Starring: Fanny Ardant, Jeremy Irons, Joan Plowright, Jay Rodan, Justino Diaz, Stephen Billington

Director: Franco Zeffirelli

Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Screenwriter: Franco Zeffirelli
Story: Martin Sherman
Producer: Riccardo Tozzi
Studio: Regent Releasing

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 51

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Callas Forever

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An enjoyably risible biopic about the final days of the opera singer that's full of foot-stamping tantrums and high-pitched hissy fits.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
11/16/04
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

So appealing and ingratiating that it's hard not to be taken in by Zeffirelli's fantasy.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
04/19/06
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
AV Club
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
06/07/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

In his Ode to his colleague, Zeffirelli reminds us all how fragile egos can be and the lengths artists (and their producers) will go to remain in the limelight.

Full Review Source: JWR | comment Comment
05/22/05
S. James Wegg
S. James Wegg
JWR

Zeffirelli's 'Carmen' looks more PBS than MGM, and this relative poverty helps explain why this sincere but bloodless film has taken three years to limp into theaters.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
04/18/05
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/27/05
Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Austin Chronicle

The film rises and falls on Ardant's performance and, boy, does she deliver, chewing up scenery and making it look like delicate surgery.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
03/25/05
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

It's an odd little film with tremendous appeal. It's almost as if Zeffirelli ... has dug up a late-'70s time capsule to share with the world.

Full Review Source: San Antonio Express-News | comment Comment
03/25/05
Larry Ratliff
Larry Ratliff
San Antonio Express-News

Justifies its dismissal of factual truth in favor of a deeper sort.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
03/04/05
Marc Mohan
Marc Mohan
Oregonian

Nothing more than Zeffirelli's wish-fulfillment, pretending to stage a production of 'Carmen' with Fanny Ardant acting as proxy for his late, great star.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
02/20/05
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Zeffirelli is in his element celebrating Callas' glory and lushly staging Carmen. Alas, the rest of the movie... falls flat.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
02/18/05
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

Though for opera buffs the result may well be fun, it's also camp with a high C....Douglas Sirk and Ross Hunter, eat your hearts out.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
02/13/05
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Little of it works, and frankly, the film alternates between being dull and being almost campy fun.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
02/11/05
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
02/06/05
Mia Jankowicz
Mia Jankowicz
PopMatters

Bravura performances by all. Fanny Ardant shines as the woman in desperate need of a spotlight.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
02/04/05
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

For Callas fans, this is a winner. For others, it should at least be interesting.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
02/03/05
Olin Chism
Olin Chism
Dallas Morning News
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
14% 14% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
0
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
16
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
0
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
129
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
42
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
  • Tron Legacy Duo Heading into The Black Hole Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
  • First Iron Man 2 Poster Released Source: Yahoo! Movies
80
  • Ryan Reynolds Talks Green Lantern Source: MTV
16
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
99
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
96
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
91
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
36
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
30
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
28
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
22
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
18
  • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
5
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Callas Forever at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Callas Forever at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.