Maria by Callas: In Her Own Words

The relative absence of gossip is refreshing in light of so many salacious documentaries about celebrities.

An innovative and fascinating documentary...

A fascinating and loving documentary about the 1950s Greek-American opera sensation.

Volf strives to present material that will absolve the diva of her scandals while presenting her side of the story, but what he hints at instead is a tantalizing portrait of a world-renowned female artist forging her place in a male-defined world.

[A] distinctive and affecting documentary...

The film is unfailingly sympathetic to the diva at its center. It accepts her status as a legend and does its best to enhance it.

It's a beautiful documentary in and of itself.

It was the humanity in the delivery of divinity that was the key to Callas's impact - the way she knew, by some uncanny ability, just how to channel an archetype.

Will likely appeal to opera lovers more than casual viewers, but nonetheless provides an interesting portrait of a person who is still one of classical music's best-selling vocalists decades after her death.

An exceptionally involving film.