Marilyn Stults

Reviews and other content aren't verified by Google

This is one of the worst-written books I’ve encountered in a long time. I’ve never been a big Callas fan, so I can’t judge the veracity of its content, but this book is hard to follow - it doesn’t always explain who’s who or what happened in chronological order, & it would be extremely confusing for a reader not thoroughly knowledgeable of the operatic repertory. But this book is just badly written - I can’t believe the author was an English teacher. This isn’t buyer’s remorse - I’m reading a library copy (I also can’t believe the sales price for this book). Even though I’ve never been on the Callas “bandwagon,” she deserves better than this, if only for helping to put my hometown (Dallas) opera company on the map.

The Definitive Diva: The Life and Career of Maria Callas

Quite a spectacle, I saw this movie when it was first released. Although she really tried, Taylor just didn’t have a speaking voice suitable to the role. Although She looks fantastic, she comes up short compared to the experienced stage actors in this film. She was much more believable in contemporary roles. As a big Egyptology buff, I found a lot of the costumes much more Hollywood than ancient Egypt. It’s laughable that some of your reviews complained about a actress of African descent not being cast. Obviously they know nothing about the Ptolemaic pharaohs, of which Cleopatra was the last. They were Greek, not Egyptian - and definitely not African! Ptolemy, the founder of the dynasty was Greek general of Alexander the Great. When Alexander died, his empire was divided among his loyal generals, & Ptolemy got Egypt. It also helped that he took possession of Alexander’s body (remember the scene in the film where Julius Caesar & Cleopatra visit Alexander’s masoleum).

Cleopatra

40 likes