I believe that Lenny Bernstein would have liked ‘Maestro‘ (2023) and especially the controversies caused by this film. His immense pride would of course have been flattered by the fact that the film dedicated to him is produced by Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. He would have also understood the reactions of the audiences. Bernstein did not run away from scandals and, although the era was different, he decided to live his life in his own way. Moral judgments would have left him cold. On the other hand, I think he would have been very amused by the music experts’ analyzes of the way the actor playing him conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in the 6-minute-23-second scene with Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’. Just as the musician had a large number of admirers who loved him, but also enough who challenged him to the point of hatred, ‘Maestro‘ also seems to attract extreme reactions. I think he would also have liked the fact that the director, co-writer and actor who plays him, Bradley Cooper, decided to focus this film on the love story between him and his wife Felicia. In fact, ‘Maestro‘ is not so much the biography of the musician Bernstein as the anatomy of this unique love story, a story sprinkled with many painful moments and with immense sacrifices on the part of the woman who accompanied him for most of his life.
The first historical scene evoked in ‘Maestro‘ is the scene any Bernstein biopic could start with, but the way it’s shot lets viewers know that this is not going to be an ordinary biopic. It describes the moment when, in November 1943, Bernstein learned that he would have the opportunity, that same evening, to conduct the New York Philharmonic, replacing Bruno Walter, who had fallen ill. Question is: where in ‘Maestro‘ does the phone call that changes the course of his life catch him? In bed with a man. A few scenes later the young actress Felicia Montealegre heads to the villa where a party is being held. There he will meet Lenny, and the connection between the two is the backbone of the film’s story. A love story between two people, one an artist, the other a great artist. An asymmetrical love story, where Felicia is the one who gives up part of her acting career to support Lenny, raise the children and keep the family together. Bernstein’s infidelities, especially his relationships with other men, become the subject of rumor and gossip. The two give each other the space of personal freedom, but – at least in the film – it is only the man who benefits from it, while the wife continues to protect her children her family and the social reputation. Felicia’s illness brings Lenny back home, suggesting that their relationship was the one true love of his life.
As an actor, Bradley Cooper creates a remarkable role, aided by exceptional make-up, which not only recreates Bernstein’s physiognomy but perfectly accompanies her as she ages. As a director, Bradley Cooper does some very interesting things. I liked the changes of screen format and the alternation between color and black and white. They logically follow the style of the most popular films made in the respective periods. Two scenes, a few minutes long each, caught my attention in particular. One is that of the concert filmed with the LSO in the millennial cathedral of Ely. Filmed ‘one shot’ with a mobile camera. The second is the explanation scene between Felicia and Lenny, the one where Lenny tries to justify himself for his infidelities. Here, unlike the previously mentioned scene, the camera is fixed and is placed quite far away emphasizing the distance between the two characters, with two large windows in the background, through which we will finally see … Snoopy pass. Such scenes are proof that we are dealing with an outstanding director. But actually, incredibly, ‘Maestro‘ is only his second film as a director. And the first was ‘A Star is Born’! I do not join either the severe critics or the unreserved admirers of this film. In fact, despite the extreme reactions, I gave it an average grade. In my opinion, ‘Maestro‘ is a very interestingly made film, but uneven and shallow in its treatment of certain aspects of Bernstein’s career and personality. A more extensive biography could have said more about such aspects as Bernstein’s Jewishness or Felicia’s social and political involvement. And of course, much more about music. However, ‘Maestro‘ is a film that aims to say more about love and sacrifice in love than about music. Carey Mulligan does a terrific job and is my Academy Awards favorite for a female lead role from what I’ve seen so far this year. I started watching the film as a fan of Leonid Bernstein and nothing in it made me change my mind. On the other hand, I fell in love with Felicia Montealegre.