Venice-2023. "Maestro"

The film has already been criticized for the invoice of the “Jewish” nose of Bradley Cooper. And this is not the only problem of Bayopic composer Leonard Burnstein

The Venice Film Festival showed the film by Bradley Cooper Maestro - a film booking of the American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstain (his most popular world project is the musical “Westsaid History”). Even before the picture was released, they managed to criticize her for the makeup of Cooper (he is not only a director, but also a leading role) - an artificial Jewish nose, like Bernstine, was considered an expression of “anti -Semitic stereotypes”. Kinocritic Anton Dolin tells why the Cooper’s film will still compete for Oscar.

“Maestro” is a typical Oscar material. But it is unclear to consider this a blessing or sentence.

In the producers - Stephen Spielberg and Martin Scorsese; Initially, each of them himself thought to put this bayopic. Screenwriter Josh Singer is known for the drama “The focus”, for which he received an honored Oscar. The operator Matthew Libatic shot the best films of Darren Aronofsky. The director and main star of the painting by Bradley Cooper after the success of the debut drama - by the way, is also musical - “the star was born” happily combines acting fame with charming inexperience in directing. Even the controversial makeup , which gave the merchar a caricature Jewish nose, only helped to draw attention to the picture. The creators of the picture clearly tried to recall the hero’s expressive profile of a classic metaphor: a long nose as an attribute of a creative nature (as it was, for example, with Sirano de Bergerac).

Last year , Tar , also shown in Venice, proved that the art of conducting is quite suitable for Hollywood, especially if you supplement it with the details of the conductor’s personal life. This recipe was used by a Singer with a merchant. Moreover, the biography of Leonard Bernstein, the most famous and beloved of American conductors (as well as one of the main composers), gives this many reasons.

“Maestro” consists of relatively disparate scenes from the hero’s life framed by his late interviews - in it Bernstein appears to be the old man, which was already seduced gray -haired. Dye youth and take-off career, starting with the illustrious debut-improvisation at the head of the New York Philharmonic in November 1943, are represented in a picturesque nostalgic black and white color. Over time, shades are cut through, nuances appear.

Almost from the very beginning, the viewer learns about Bernstine's homosexuality and then enthusiastically monitors the development of his novel with actress Felicia Montaalera . As fans of the composer know, their marriage was prosperous and long. Three children (they appear in the film) allowed the merchar to put a bayopic - and even protected it during a scandal with a nose. The playing Felicia Carey Malligan will also fully become the heroine of the premium season 2023–2024.

There may be a false impression that “maestro” is a kind of American answer “Tchaikovsky’s wife” Kirill Serebrennikov. However, each family is happy and unhappy in its own way. Felicia was injured and outraged by Bernstein’s novels, but their love for each other, the kinship of souls was stronger. At least, this is affirmed in the cinema. And with the fact that it is better to hide private life from prying eyes - this was the main conflict of the worn Burnstein with his wise wife, - Cooper agrees now. The best evidence is the neat chastity of his film.

First in his youth, and then in the mature years, Lenny and Felicia sit on the grass on the grass to the back, as in a bad ballet, literally illustrating the expression "lean on each other." They grow down descendants, take care of each other's careers, monitor the image, and then cry together when doctors find a tumor from Felicia. All this is terribly touching, even too much.

The main and categorically insoluble problem of “maestro” is in the absence of heroes of tangible problems. Bernstein was a homosexual, but in his environment, as follows from the film, it did not shock anyone (however, outside the near circle, the reaction could be different). His take -off was instant, but the envious people could not harm him. And the monologue of Sergei Kusevitsky - in childhood, he himself encountered anti -Semitism - that the name "Bernstein" would be nice to change to "Burns" remains unheated. Lenny is a pamper of fate, this is how he behaves and feels. Thus, the “maestro” turns out to be a rare film about privileged and talented people who lived happily ever after. Unless it was possible to die on one day.

Music, as expected, plays an important role. Behind the scenes, she sounds without shutting up: mainly Bernstine himself and a little Maler, whom he popularized in the USA. At the same time, Cooper does not even try to understand or explain the essence of the profession and talent of his hero. But expressively conducting.

In a striking way, “Candide” and “Westsay history” almost did not get into the film. Ballets, due to their cinematography, were a little more lucky, sailors from the "sailors on the shore" are too expressive. At the same time, the choreographer Jerome Robbins (Michael Uri), with whom Bernstein made his most popular productions, came out not even secondary, but episodic. Cooper, which seems to protect the composer’s right to write light hits, is more passionate about the serious, majestic side of academic music. The emotional climax of the “maestro” is the premiere performance of the mass , after which the wife, touched to tears, tells the composer: “There is no hatred in your heart.”

Cooper tries to pretend that “maestro” is not a tabloid article or a scandalous biography and work of Bernstein is more interesting than his personal life. But actually, musical episodes only weight a linear sentimental intrigue on which the film is focused.

Another paradox - in the role of Felicia, depicted on the official poster of the picture from the back. In theory, the “maestro” was supposed to give the merit a heroine who remained in the shadow of the popular favorite Lenny, but he did not lead her out of this shadow. It was not an example to show the profession and work of Felicia than in the case of Bernstein, but for Cooper she is not an actress, but above all a wife and mother. In 2023, the authors managed to create a deeply patriarchal picture.

It does not follow from this, as if the film is completely deprived of dignity. This is a very picturesquely removed and emotional sight that will tell the mass viewer about unique talent - and, perhaps, will give a second chance to his music (any, except for the already popular “Westsaid history”). In other words, an Oscars or several “maestro” may well. Although they have been given them for a completely different movie in recent years.

Anton Dolin