'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Netflix has premiered its latest biopic, Maria, which follows the story of the famous opera singer Maria Callas. She was considered the world's greatest opera singer at one point. Set in 1970s Paris, the Netflix movie follows the final days of the opera singer as her health declines, and she sees the world through a near-hallucinogenic and fading lens.
The cast of the movie is led by the Academy Award-winning Angelina Jolie, and Chilean director Pablo Larraín directs the biopic from an original screenplay written by Steven Knight. The movie premiered at the 81st Venice Film Festival in August 2024 before releasing in select theaters, and it has now debuted on Netflix. Maria was filmed in various iconic locations across Europe, including Paris, Budapest, Elis and Milan
Filming locations of Maria explored in detail
Production for the movie was started in October 2023, and within 41 days, the shoot was wound up. The filming locations are explored below.
Trending
1) Budapest, Hungary
The Hungarian city of Budapest served as a primary filming location for the movie. Various scenes were filmed at the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest, Andrássy út 22, and the Franz Liszt Academy of Music at Budapest, Liszt Ferenc tér 8. Maria opens with a scene where we see the titular character rehearsing, and this scene is shot at the latter location.
The crew also filmed many scenes at Szabadság Square, the old TV headquarters, and the former Stock Exchange Palace. The production team worked out of the offices of Origo Studios and had the camera and lighting package for the shooting supplied by ARRI Rental.
2) Elis, Greece
A part of the filming was done in Elis, a historic place in Greece. Several of the opera performances in the movie were filmed in the Apollon Public Theatre at Pyrgos. Moreover, the luxurious yacht Christina O., located here, was also featured in the movie. The boat was once owned by Aristotle Onassis, someone who knew Maria personally.
3) Paris, France
Another major filming location was the capital city of France. The neoclassical square Place Vendôme in the 1st arrondissement of Paris was featured in the movie along with the Palais-Royal, a former French royal palace on Rue Saint-Honoré Street, near the Place Internationale. The Avenue des Champs-Élysées at Paris 8, Pont Alexandre III, and the Eiffel Tower were other filming locations for the movie.
4) Milan, Italy
Maria was also filmed around the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, also famously known as La Scala Opera House. Commenting on her experience of shooting at the historic opera house in Milan, Angelina Jolie told Cinema Daily US:
“Well, we had four hours. It was a big deal that we were allowed to have those hours, it was something we all were working towards. It was like a real performance at La Scala. We were like: two months away, one month away, one week away, are we ready for La Scala?"
She continued:
"I couldn’t believe I was there, I didn’t even feel comfortable in the dressing rooms, I was very shy on that day, what got me through was feeling that somehow this was for her and I had better do my best. I was a bit shaky, but it was so beautiful, so special.”
The Piazza della Scala, located nearby, also served as a filming location for several scenes.
Catch Maria now streaming on Netflix.
