{"id":3701,"date":"2024-12-19T23:12:17","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T23:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/?p=3701"},"modified":"2026-09-30T16:19:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:19:50","slug":"a-legend-of-the-opera-filmed-in-budapest-maria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/?p=3701","title":{"rendered":"A Legend of the Opera Filmed in Budapest: Maria"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently released in cinemas, Maria<\/em> is a beguiling film that recounts the highs and lows of opera icon Maria Callas\u2019 life, cut short at the age of 53.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Starring Angelina Jolie as the title character and directed by Pablo Larra\u00edn, the film utilized several locations across Europe. Filming partly took place in Budapest, Hungary, which is hardly surprising. It\u2019s become one of the most popular filming destinations in Europe for international film productions.<\/p>\n

The Story Behind Maria<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Maria Callas, famously known as \u201cLa Divina\u201d (the divine one), is revered as one of the great opera singers of all time. The film reimagines the final days of the American-born Greek soprano\u2019s life as she reflects on the peaks and troughs of her career, turbulent love life and complicated identity. Callas had been living at the time for several years in relative isolation in Paris, but Larra\u00edn describes Maria<\/em> as a story of determination: \u201cThis is a movie about someone who becomes part of the tragedies she performed on stage, but who was never a victim. It\u2019s about someone in control of her destiny.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Angelina Jolie immersed herself fully in the role of Callas through extensive preparation. This not only included undergoing seven months of singing lessons (her voice was mixed with that of Callas in post-production) but also learning how to give dog commands in Hungarian so she could work with the film\u2019s canine co-stars. <\/p>\n

Jolie successfully captures Callas\u2019 strength, her drama and her vulnerability. The film received an eight-minute standing ovation at its premier at the Venice Film Festival this year and there\u2019s already buzz regarding a possible Oscar nomination for Jolie. <\/p>\n

\n

“There’s a lot that’s deeply felt and very heavy about the film, but there’s also a great amount of charm,” Jolie revealed in an interview. “It was very important to capture her relationships, her home life, her eccentricities \u2013 and her poodles.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"
Maria Callas. Photo via Wikipedia.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Budapest as a Filming Location<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although the story unfolds in Paris, Budapest stood in for some of the film\u2019s key locations. The Hungarian Opera House and the Budapest Academy of Music were both used for critical scenes (where Callas is depicted performing or rehearsing), as was the Fine Arts Museum and the old TV headquarters at Szabads\u00e1g Square. The interior of Callas\u2019 Paris apartment was also meticulously designed and recreated (by Academy Award nominated production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas) on a sound stage at Origo Film Studios in Budapest. <\/p>\n

\"\"
Maria Callas in 1973. Via Wikipedia.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Crafting Callas\u2019 Costumes <\/strong><\/p>\n

Maria Callas was as much a style diva as she was an opera diva on stage\u2013and by diva, we mean total icon. Academy Award Nominated Costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini created over 60 outfits for Jolie, from stage gowns to elegant everyday wear. Being an avid collector of rare vintage pieces, Parrini also just so happened to have an original Callas dress and evening coat on hand in his collection that was used for one of the scenes. <\/p>\n

Maria<\/em> is in cinemas in Hungary now. Following a theatrical release throughout the UK and other European territories in early 2025, it will stream on Netflix. <\/p>\n

Sources & further information<\/strong><\/p>\n

Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0USA Today<\/a><\/p>\n

Filming Locations<\/a><\/p>\n

Flatpack Films<\/strong> has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.<\/p>\n

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently released in cinemas, Maria is a beguiling film that recounts the highs and lows of opera icon Maria Callas\u2019 life, cut short at the age of 53. Starring Angelina Jolie as the title character and directed by Pablo Larra\u00edn, the film utilized several locations across Europe. Filming partly took place in Budapest, Hungary, which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3702,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3701"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3705,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3701\/revisions\/3705"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}