Talented team of “Maestro” paints captivating portrait of Bernstein
Written by Cole Mihalich. Photo by Cole Mihalich.
“Maestro,” a deeply affecting portrait of Leonard Bernstein’s life directed by Bradley Cooper, made its Southeast premiere on Oct. 24 in Trustees Theater at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival. “Maestro” had been in development with Paramount for years, with the directorial reigns handed from Martin Scorsese to Steven Spielberg and eventually, to Cooper. Cooper not only directed but starred in and co-wrote the project along with Josh Singer, with Scorsese and Spielberg producing.
This film, structured as a sequence of vignettes, follows Bernstein’s life, from his unexpected debut with the New York Philharmonic to his last years — almost a cradle-to-grave story. While it explores Bernstein’s legacy as a conductor and composer, “Maestro” is more about the marriage between Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre.
It’s this central relationship where much of the conflict arises. Bernstein, both prior, during and after his marriage with Montealegre, had affairs with multiple men and women. The film gives viewers a glimpse into the difficulties that Montealeagre had while being married to one of the most gifted men to ever live. As such, Carey Mulligan’s performance as Monteleagre is one of the most stellar in the film and one of the most truthful performances of the year. She captures Monteleagre’s essence from her early time as an actress to her eventual fatal lung cancer, leaving audiences sniffling across the theater.
Cooper as Bernstein was not without his great scenes. In the few scenes where Cooper conducts, he is convincingly committed. During Bernstein’s performance of Mahler’s 2nd Symphony “Resurrection” at the Ely Cathedral, the viewer feels the work that Cooper put in, both emotionally and technically. The scene plays as a great catharsis — an exorcism of Bernstein’s demons. While playing the actual music mastered in Dolby Atmos from the ending of “Resurrection” for several minutes almost feels like cheating, Cooper is so dedicated to embodying Bernstein that it is hard not to be consumed by what is on screen. And although the veil of transformative makeup was occasionally distracting, if a viewer had never seen Bradley Cooper in their life, it would be entirely convincing. The craftsmanship on display by two-time Oscar-winning makeup designer Kazu Hiro is unparalleled. His attention to detail can’t be replicated — Cooper’s prosthetic skin even subtly changed colors based on Bernstein’s emotions or level of exertion.
Off-screen, the talent is also unmatched. From cinematographer Matthew Libatique’s transformative, period-reflecting cinematography to the rhythm of Michelle Tesoro’s editing to the robust sound design from Richard King, it’s clear that everyone working on the project was dedicated to making “Maestro” a success.
At the screening, Hiro received the Career Achievement Award for his continuous, outstanding work as one of the most brilliant makeup designers of our time. Producer Kristie Macosko Krieger joined Hiro in a Q&A after the screening, where Hiro spoke about his research process. He discussed how he assembled thousands of photos from Bernstein’s life and separated them into five conceivable stages, which he used as the framework for Bernstein’s aging. At each stage, Hiro added more makeup to Cooper, until the last stage, in which Cooper wore a full-body suit. Hiro also spoke of his early fascination with Bernstein, having been introduced to the conductor at a young age while watching a documentary. Krieger discussed gathering the talented team of “Maestro” and Cooper’s journey to directing the film. She recalled that Cooper spoke about loving conducting at an early age and put his “10,000 hours into a thing he’ll never do.” Well, as it turns out, it paid off.
“Maestro” is in select theaters now and will be on Netflix on Dec. 20.
