Maestroof and with Bradley Cooperwas produced by himself, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.
Second achievement of the actor, who went from comedy to drama and who with A star Is Born had debuted as a director, he once again focuses on a figure related to music. Leonard Bernstein, the brilliant composer, conductor and creator of musicals such as Love without barriers.
Bernstein may seem contradictory due to the variety of his works in different areas, he wrote both orchestral works and Broadway musicals. And if he needs privacy to create, he seduces him by showing his extravagant life in public.
It will have to be said: the poster with which he was promoted in the streets of Venice, where he competed in September, does not show Cooper as Bernstein, but instead shows the back of Felicia Montealegre, the Chilean actress who was his wife. And although in the 129-minute film, at one point it seems that it is going to focus on the character of Oscar candidate Carey Mulligan (Beautiful revenge, Shame), well, the plot once again stays with the musical genius.
A matter of egos aside, the film is titled Maestroas renowned musicians or music teachers are usually called, and is limited to Bernstein, but addressing aspects of his life in private.
Cooper as co-writer tells the protagonist’s bisexual side. But Maestro It is more of a biopic in a classic sense, which does not remain at a specific moment in the musician’s life, but spans several decades. We see how he gets the opportunity to replace an orchestra conductor at the age of 25 and climbs onto the stage at Carnegie Hall without prior rehearsal – it is one of the most emotional scenes -, how he forms his family with Felicia and her children, but also There are sketches of his homosexual relationships and drug consumption.
With care and respect
No, he doesn’t get to be like Jack in A star Is Born, because he is not a self-destructive being. One would say that Cooper portrays Bernstein with care and respect.
The chemistry between both performers is very strong on screen, whether they are sitting, back to back in a park guessing the number their partner is thinking, or when the drama sneaks in unexpectedly. She will take care of him even when he cheats on her, and she will show the vulnerability of her character in the final scenes.
“A work of art does not answer questions. It provokes them; and its essential meaning is in the tension between contradictory responses,” says Bernstein. In black and white and in color – it seems like a new fashion that does not correspond to one period being counted in monochrome and another not -, Maestro It is also an acting film.
It seems very likely that Cooper will be mentioned again in the awards season that begins shortly, as will Mulligan. His dedication is total, his physical resemblance (apart from the controversy over the prosthetic nose) is astonishing and at the end, of course, there are images of Bernstein.
Drama/Biography. United States, 2023. 131′, SAM 13. Of: Bradley Cooper. Con: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Sarah Silverman, Tim Rogan. Salas: Lorca, Cine Arte Cacodelphia, Atlas Caballito and Patio Bullrich, Multiplex Belgrano.