Being Maria (French: Maria) is a 2024 French biographical drama film directed by Jessica Palud[1] from a screenplay by Palud and Laurette Polmanss, freely adapted from Vanessa Schneider's 2018 memoir My Cousin Maria Schneider. It is about the actress Maria Schneider (1952–2011) and dramatizes her experiences working on Bernardo Bertolucci's feature film Last Tango in Paris (1972). It stars Anamaria Vartolomei in the title role, with Céleste Brunnquell, Giuseppe Maggio, Yvan Attal, Marie Gillain, Jonathan Couzinié and Matt Dillon in supporting roles.
| Being Maria | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jessica Palud |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | My Cousin Maria Schneider by Vanessa Schneider |
| Produced by | Marielle Duigou |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Sébastien Buchmann |
| Edited by | Thomas Marchand |
| Music by | Benjamin Biolay |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Haut et Court |
Release dates |
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Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French[1] |
| Box office | $474,219[2] |
It had its world premiere in the non-competitive Cannes Premiere section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2024. It was theatrically released on 19 June 2024 by Haut et Court.
Plot
edit19-year-old Maria Schneider, daughter of French actor Daniel Gélin, features in the 1972 erotic drama Last Tango in Paris by Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci. In the work she stars alongside the celebrated American actor Marlon Brando. The story follows an older American man who meets a young French woman in an apartment in Paris where they begin an anonymous sexual relationship. Maria becomes a star overnight through the role of Jeanne, but is unprepared for the fame and scandal that the film triggers.
Cast
edit- Anamaria Vartolomei as Maria Schneider
- Céleste Brunnquell as Noor
- Giuseppe Maggio as Bernardo Bertolucci
- Yvan Attal as Daniel Gélin
- Marie Gillain as Marie-Christine Schneider
- Jonathan Couzinié as Michel Schneider
- Matt Dillon as Marlon Brando
- Stanislas Merhar as Berhmann
- Alexis Corso as Nathan
Production
editJessica Palud and Laurette Polmanss freely adapted the film's screenplay from Vanessa Schneider's memoir My Cousin Maria Schneider, which was published in 2018 by (Éditions Grasset).[3] Marielle Duigou produced the film for Les Films de Mina, with co-production by StudioCanal, Moteur S'il Vous Plaît and Cinema Inutile.[4]
Principal photography began on 29 May 2023 in Paris.[3] Filming continued in the Brittany region. With a total of 25 days of shooting, 10 days took place in the Ille-et-Vilaine department including in Rennes and Saint-Germain-du-Pinel, and at the Château d'Apigné in Le Rheu, the Résidence Oberthür in Rennes, and a beach in Dinard. Filming wrapped in Brittany on 30 June 2023. Post-production took place in Rennes.[5][6] Anamaria Vartolomei described it as the most difficult role she has filmed for and said she experienced an "emotional release" when production concluded.[7][8]
Release
editThe film was selected to be screened in the non-competitive Cannes Premiere section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 21 May 2024.[9]
The film was theatrically released on 19 June 2024 by Haut et Court.[10] International sales are handled by StudioCanal (formerly Orange Studio).[11]
Critical response
editBeing Maria received an average rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars on the French website AlloCiné, based on 26 reviews.[12] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 9 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10.[13]
See also
edit- Waltzing with Brando, a 2024 biopic starring Billy Zane as Brando
References
edit- ^ a b Croll, Ben (15 January 2024). "'Being Maria': Anamaria Vartolomei and Matt Dillon on 'Challenge' of Embodying Maria Schneider and Marlon Brando in Upcoming Biopic (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ "Being Maria (2024)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ a b Lemercier, Fabien (1 June 2023). "Jessica Palud's Maria is currently rolling". Cineuropa. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ Simon, Alissa (26 May 2024). "'Being Maria' Review: A Poignant Dive Into the Turbulent Life of Actor Maria Schneider". Variety. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ Picard, Zoé (5 July 2023). "Clap de fin pour le tournage de Tu t'appelais Maria Schneider". ActuaLitté (in French). Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ Heymelot, Charlotte (28 June 2023). "Choisie comme décor de film, Rennes fait son cinéma pour raconter Maria Schneider". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ Chèze, Thierry (25 February 2024). "L'Empire vu par Anamaria Vartolomei". Première (in French). Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ Mintzer, Jordan (21 May 2024). "'Being Maria' Review: 'Last Tango in Paris' Star Maria Schneider Gets a Behind-the-Scenes Biopic That Starts Strong but Fizzles Out". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "The Screenings Guide of the 77th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "Maria" (in French). Haut et Court. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (10 May 2024). "Studiocanal Unveils First Image of Matt Dillon, Anamaria Vartolomei as Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider in Jessica Palud's Cannes Movie". Variety. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "Critiques Presse pour le film Maria". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Being Maria". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
External links
edit- Being Maria at IMDb
- Being Maria at AlloCiné (in French)
- Being Maria at Unifrance (in French)
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