Maestro: Oscar Bait or Masterpiece?
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2024
- There are many aesthetic symbols of Oscar success: Black and white; Period setting; Biographical subjects; Classical music; Queer subject matter. Bradley Cooper’s newest film Maestro has all of these: It’s a partly black and white, period piece, biographical romance about Leonard Bernstein, perhaps the most famous American conductor and composer, exploring his relationship with his wife and identity as a queer man.
Today, by analysing the film through two of these aesthetic markers, its treatment of queer subtext and classical music, we’re going to tease out exactly what makes something Oscar Bait at its core, beyond just the black and white.
Chapter times:
0:00 - What makes something Oscar Bait?
00:45 - Is the Queer Story Oscar-Worthy?
04:31 - Is the Music Oscar-Worthy?
07:43 - Bradley Cooper's Intentions
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i feel that Maestro was like watching photographs of a life, but never truly caring or getting to know the people or the context of those events.
You nailed it when you stated "It feels like Bradley Cooper doesnt really care what its like to live life as a queer person. He is almost even afraid to put himself in that perspective. He only seems to care about the aesthetic of queer-ness as subtext."
I do not understand this take (nor why so many seem to agree with it blindly as this is not the first time I’ve heard something along these lines). Simply put, It’s called nuance. Bernstein grew up in time where being queer was not accepted. like at all. It’s not that hard to imagine that during that time, most people in his scenario were not acting flagrantly queer (whether in public or private at that time. So, Perhaps instead of wanting Lenny’s portrayal to be more explicitly queer or whatever, (which honestly seems a bit weird to want- almost as though people are putting this queerness in a box and anything outside that box is othered and judged- ya know, the very thing people in that community have been advocating against, just a thiught) so, maybe, instead, we can accept that it’s very possible he was portrayed that way, not because cooper wanted to ‘use’ his queerness without actually being queer or whatever but because he felt, based on his research, that this was, mostly, how he acted ? That human beings are more complex than to turn off and on some behavioral ‘queer switch’ ? (such a ridiculous notion that a someone would put so much work into a project and subjects and a story which he so clearly loved with such ill intent).
@@RBGRBGRBGRBG You are missing the point. The title of the video is called "Oscar Bait or Masterpiece." The point is, was choosing the character oscar bait, not how he portrayed Lenny.
@@campofficialmusic I’m not commenting on the title, I’m commenting specifically on what was said (what you had quoted) as, again, your initial quote is an idea that’s been proliferated. That said, if we’re talking in those terms, of course it’s Oscar bait and of course he expected to be in contention for an Oscar. That wasn’t the bone I’m picking, it’s that I don’t think that (initial comment) has anything to do with why it is. I think you can make something knowing you’ll be up for an Oscar and still try your best to make something that’s at least attempting to remain true to your characters… and I don’t think Cooper was ‘afraid to put himself into that perspective’ for all the reasons I’ve already insinuated
I agree completely with this review. Amadeus is a great example of a movie that explores the composer's personal life AND musical life. Maestro shows glimpses of his personal life, and if you were not already a learned fan of Bernstein's works and how they changed history, you wouldn't learn much watching the film.
Except that Amadeus, whilst highly entertaining to be sure, was largely a complete work of fiction and salieri was undoubtedly a great and constant friend.
@@pipash3953 True. but my point is the director gave us so much more information, from the personal side, and the artistic side. Ok, think of "Frida".
Well put. Bradley Cooper's Maestro is not only Oscar bait, it's a projection of a narcissistic need to gain approval from others. This is why it failed to capture art. It captured magic. Art and magic requires a level of empathy that is sacrificing and authentic. Maestro's superficial aesthetics achieves the opposite of that. It achieves a yearning for approval rather than human.
This video essay brought me a peace of mind, a sense of closure after enduring the endless repeating scenes of Bernstein cheating, Felicia annoyed, Bernstein cheating, Felicia annoyed, Bernstein cheating....Felicia annoyed ..... 😒 .
Completely agree, I think this video essay makes it so clear where the line is drawn between Oscar Bait and Oscar worthy. I struggled through the movie, and couldn't be immersed; it just seemed like a pretentious display of 'talent' on Bradley's part. I hadn't realised he directed it, so the blame for my feeling falls on his shoulders.
Guys, the Oscars are one hundred percent political. To preface, I'm not going all conspiracy theory here, these are actual rules and guidelines to win an Oscar. Have you noticed how many amazingly great movies have gone unnoticed by the powers that be. You actually have to pay the committee to even consider you as a valid candidate. They don't focus on what the movie is about. They just pick them based on the amount of gifts they receive.
Yes, of course the Oscars are political. I just wish that there was some technology that could help me unsee the scenes looping of Bernstein cheating and Alicia getting annoyed hahaha XD@@rickwilliams967
Seriously! Bradley did a great job of making me hate Bernstein.
You have constructed the perfect assessment as to why I had zero investment in this film. I have been trying to portray the exact reasons why this film left me so bored, and here you have all the answers. Next time someone asks me why I did not like this film whatsoever, I will defer them to this video. Excellent work! Thank you!
I find this concept of an Oscar Bait movie, very interesting - being a big movie buff and a middle aged woman, I don’t recall any other movie being so obviously made not for the love of the craft, but for the love of recognition - I’ve had this instinct about Bradley Cooper ever since I saw him in an interview with James Lipton fro Inside the Actor’s Studio. During that interview they cut to a clip of an interview with Sean Penn and when it was time for the students to ask Sean Penn a question, there was Bradley Cooper in the audience, getting picked to ask Sean Penn a question. And then when the camera cut back to Bradley Cooper, the look of smug, self congratulation - that came over his face…made me always think there’s something ‘off’ about him. It was like he was thinking, “see - even as a student my greatness was recognised! See how great I am, I, out of all these students here, I was chosen!” He was wrapped to be on camera - not to be getting a chance to be asking a question of the great Sean Penn.
Laughing my ass off, that's such a stretch
Also the picture of him and his very much younger girlfriend sitting outside reading Lolita together. Something about this guy really gives me the ick. He is a pretentious poser.
@@neapealingonsmet I totally agree!! We are the rare few that see through him I believe!
@@MsTriangle it is, but I trust my instincts 🤗
Also even die hard devotees to Leonard Bernstein find the film did him no service, one reviewer said “what’s with the constant smirk on his (Cooper’s) face, Leonard Bernstein was never like that”
Oh my goodness!!! I missed your videos so much! Its been two years. Also those park shots look exquisite!
Just a short two year break :) I'm back now! Thanks for sticking around ❤
@@marcustranfilm " just a "short" two year break".....You're not taking this seriously my man
All of Us Strangers is actual great film featuring life of a gay man and it didn't get any nominations... Maestro is Oscar bait..
It's a travesty to overlook that and nominate Maestro.
AOUS made me cry multiple times. I felt nothing while watching Maestro, couldn't wait for it to be over.
@@ericamacs3875or barely even nominating Past Lives, Maestro got fucking best picture its so shit. Also yes All of Us Strangers barely got any promotion compared to Maestro, typical Netflix bs of pushing some film regardless of qualitt
@@GuineaPigEveryday agreed. Past Lives is beautiful.
@@GuineaPigEveryday past lives is so overrated unrealistic zero dynamics between characters
Totally agree. I disliked this film so much.
Bernstein fans I know are so cross that it's not about the music, or his relationships with the great divas, which are fascinating...also, why not show his amazing concert in Berlin conducting Beethoven's 9th to commemorate the fall of the Berlin wall, a more significant moment than that Mahler.
Or Cooper had a chance to make a film about being the Hollywood closet.
In real life Bernstein asked Aaron Copeland if he felt it was possible for him to live as an out gay man, Copeland said no, and Bernstein's reply was oh well I might as well marry my girlfriend (Felicia) Felicia wrote him a letter saying she knew he was homosexual and couldn't help it and always would be.
The film does indicate she knew and agreed to an open marriage, but basically feels like a film that is a mix between Cooper wanting an Oscar and wanting to suck up to Bernstein children.
Also the prosthetics made him look awful, he looked a bit like Barry Manilow at times, it was distracting. Bernstein was very handsome, Cooper just looked weird.
im sorry can u explain what u mean by ‘cooper’s reply’, what was the actual situation or contents of the letter, like did he literally just marry felicia becuz Copeland didnt want to be in a public relationship with him
@@GuineaPigEveryday OMG thanks, I edited it. I meant Bernstein replied that he might as well marry Felicia. He had asked Copeland for advice as he hoped he might be able to live as an out gay man. But Copeland knew that just wouldn't work in the industry. I think Copeland was just his friend, not a partner, the bloke he was seeing is in the film, they meet in the park and there's that kind of unsatisfying encounter where you learn very little.
Wow this queer scenes feel very exploitative because we get no insight into the character's psyche in those moments and it just feels very performative on director's part, you explained it very well, great video.
I'm so tired of big budget Oscar-bait movies about Important Men. They're all cut from the same cloth.
Same
I'm so happy to hear from you again! Can't wait for another essay!
So happy to have you back! :’) another great piece of analysis that skilfully puts in words the confused thoughts i had after watching the movie. Can’t wait for the next video essays, welcome back❤️
Very well said. So glad you're back.
Dude, you are absolutely one to follow, your dissection of movie scenes is unlike any other. Don’t stop 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾♥️
glad to see another video of yours after so long!
Glad you’re uploading again! I’m yet to watch Maestro, but your comparison of the subjective experience of music with Amadeus was brilliant
Great to see you back! A great video, interesting analysis! Hope to see more from you!
thank you for this essay! Now I know why I watched the movie and it does not leave me with any emotion. Bradley, Carey and Matt are actors I love, therefore I looked forward to watching it, and .... nothing. Now I know why. thanks again Marcus.
So glad to see you posting again. I missed your reviews and I missed your voice. ❤
That it doesn’t show his love of music and analysis, that was a good analysis. Audiences don’t root for his success when it doesn’t show his dreams or his love of music well.
That was a good point
You have some of the best video essays out there (saw your Young Royals video a few months ago!), hope you keep making more :)
I missed this reviews! Very insightful!
the way you explain the issue with the music really struck home for me. especially contrasted with amadeus. great video
Marcus, this is such a thoughtful and insightful analysis of the film. You've clearly done a lot of research which shows. I'm quite impressed. Good job!
I completely agree with everything you said. I wanted to like this film and it had great acting. But the movie just constantly bombards you with endless scenes about his marriage and his music career seemed like an afterthought. Felt more like a movie about a queer man’s marriage to a woman who just so happened to be a famous composer.
Glad to have you back ❤️
Loved the video and the channel! Thank you
Starting with a quote is also an 'oscar-bait' move
I have just discovered your channel and I just want to say that your essays are very well-written and I was really sad to see that you hadn't been filming anything for 2 years. I don't know the reason you stopped creating essays and returned to it just now, but I hope that it's not because you felt you don't have anything more to say to this world. I would love to see more of your works, I really enjoyed the videos you've created and I wish you all the support, time and inspiration to keep going. Thank you and hopefully welcome back.
The main issue with Maestro that we literally won't get to know anything about Bernstein and honestly I don't actually remember any scene that that Bradley made so special.
Unlike Carey Mulligan who saved the movie in the third act with her heartbreakingly beautiful performance as Felicia!
Honestly same problem Napoleon had, it showed us nothing of why Napoleon is so famous, so remembered, so iconic, said to be a genius, a tyrant, a liberator etc etc. you just see him acting like a manchild squabbling over his wife and one or two battles that have no tactical genius, just him winning becuz thats what he did, it also doesnt show his passion for command becuz he never fucking commands anything except in this opening battle where he shouts a few things before fighting himself, and the second battle where everyone just magically storms out in one big route. He never talks to any of his generals, its ridiculous, nor his campaigning, we never see a campaign where he must think up what makes him so brilliany, interior lines of defense ffs. Waterloo was a Total War battle, it was a big CGI mosh pit, whereas in real life he was ALMOST WINNING becuz he was just a fucking brilliant dude. Hate that movie, so much, no shred of history there, like its not just inaccurate but madeup from wikipedia, and more than that its boring and very badly written, things are only this or that becuz a character says it is so, show and tell ffs.
Brilliant analysis. I had a lot of problems with this film. Cooper, truly, brought no true emotions to this film. I never got a sense of Bernstein, only the wife had a presence.
MISSED YOU SO SO MUCH!! would love to see you review more queer movies like the goldfinch, can't wait for more content like this!!
We want movies that define the year that they came. Oscar bait movies feel like a chore that we expect to win because it checks the boxes of what people think of for an Oscar worthy movie. But when the good ones come around that redefine what it means to be an Oscar winner. Those are the ones that will be remembered long after the year they came out
I'm excited for Bradley Cooper's next movie where he plays a gay Abraham Lincoln who saves orphans.
Love the upload rate 🔥
The film is best if you just see it as a collection of scenes rather than a cohesive work. It was the definition of style over substance but it was quite pretentious because it pretended to be substantive despite not being so.
⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐ (Every now and then I see a comment that perfect sums up a post; this one qualifies!)
I don't know why but while watching Oppenheimer i was sort of immersed in that world whereas watching maestro was like a history lesson or documentary.. maybe cuz i saw one in theatre
It felt like reading a Wikipedia page
Oppenheimer was a masterpiece. Maestro just wasn’t near as amazing and it didn’t have the hype train of Barbie and Oppenheimer
Amazing video!!
welcome back! this is a great analysis.
also that shot of a kiss reminds me of final fantasy 16 (i know, completely different thing). straight men directing a scene of two men kissing and framing it from a distance. it's awful.
Interesting! Do you know if that's on CZcams anywhere?
omg you're back ‼️‼️🫶
Great video dude
Carey Mulligan was by far the best part of the movie. Bradley was trying waaay too hard to get an Oscar.
Just watched all of your videos on CZcams and a few of your short films on your website. I'm glad I stumbled upon your channel and am able to see the start of something great! You have a great format and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching your shorts and how you explore queerness in them. Glad to see you've returned and I can't wait to see where you end up and I'm happy to watch from the outside.
Thank you Marcus, very cool.
An extraordinary assessment. The film left me feeling empty and baffled, and a bit angry about wasting my time and not fulfilling its promise, when a different acting and directing approach could have transformed this from an insipid movie to an unforgettable masterpiece.
You have such a commanding presence with your voice. What accent is that from? It's searching for truth and yet confident in delivery.
Thank you for this analysis- I watched the film with high expectations but it left me a bit flat and sadly a bit bored which is really rare for me. Now I understand why I didn’t engage with this movie. Bradley felt shallow and underdeveloped in the lead role somehow but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It had great potential and I thoroughly enjoyed Carey Mulligans performance as she felt fully developed and real. Great analysis- new subscriber to your channel I look forward to more content.
I do not agree with this weird premise that every film that involves historical figures with gay tendencies (let alone bisexual, as Bernstein was said to have female lovers) has to relate what it MEANS to BE GAY. First and foremost most of these figures were not out and lived at times with even less social acceptance for us that the idea of showing some universal truth of queerness makes little sense. These people led rather vague lives and the film has to supply narrative based on the bones of what is historically recorded and verified. Im glad Cooper didnt add some pathos filled moment where Bernstein brakes down declaring "I AM A GAY MAN" as some triumphant orchestra cuts in. I know you didnt specifically ask for that, but my point is I dont really see this film as a "GAY" movie. Its just trying to relate the nuance of Bernstein's relationship with his wife. Like, its a dual biopic.
Alot of people have this idea the "REPRESENTATION" means every film that has a central gay/queer character has to be some statement on "the queer experience" and I feel as if that is stifling and at the same time antithetical to the idea of equal representation.
Oscar bait is a film specifically and only designed for awards = maestro. As opposed to a film that was so great it wins awards like Oppenheimer.
Well said!
YOU'RE ALIVE!!!!
He's BACK!
Great video but need to know where you got that long black sleeve shirt that you’re wearing my dude
You hit the nail
Great analysis, honestly the term Oscar always stood out to me becuz its a lot more ambiguous a lot of the time what can constitute oscar-bait consider indie films seem to do a lot of the ‘characteristics’ too without the pomp and fanfare of their release or possible award. I still rlly like a lot of Best Picture movies even if they fall into categories that usually get Oscars becuz most of the time they feel self-justified, i mean a war movie getting nominations doesn’t usually exist just to get oscars, if its that lauded its pretty invested in telling its story and doing it well. Idk my point being, i never understood this idea that someone would go out of their way to make a movie and go through that process all with the sole aim of an Oscar. But holy shit Maestro feels exactly like that, im sure this dude is sooo passionate about the subject he’s talked about aplenty but the film feels so narrowly aimed at Oscar acclaim its insane. I think this is the best ever Oscar-bait example i can think of, becuz ive never been as pissed off with a prestige period-drama like this, becuz even if they were pretentious they seemed so well-made. And this movie is, well-made, but it kind of wastes everything it has going for it. Anyways im glad video essays have been able to word this frustration that a lot of struggle to express becuz its really irritating seeing Maestro have MORE NOMINATIONS THAN PAST LIVES. What a sham.
Marcus Tran sneak disses Maestro and makes me rerun Amadeus for the umpteenth time. 🎉😂
I like your stuff.
To me, this doesn't really seem like a biopic but a distant glance into his life. How are you able to get to know the person the film is made about if the director makes vacuous attempts at *showing* his life and not _tell_ it?
Great cinematographic commentary video. Makes you think!
Could not agree more!
Maestro committed the worst cinema offense, it bored me. Of the 8 best picture nominees I’ve seen, it’s my least favorite.
Last year, we had Tar. Although it’s fiction, it’s about a conductor and it was interesting.
The Snoopy scene will go down as unintentionally hilarious.
Wrong. The humor was completely intentional as all involved have stated.
Now please do one on Zone of interest because I found that one mindnumbingly boring as well
watched your review instead of the movie 👍
Cooper just got too greedy. If he had only acted, he would have probaly won an Oscar, but he had to write and direct and promote too much the movie to the point it was obvious he was doing it for the prizes and not to tell an interesting story or reflect on the life of a famous human being. Great video!!! Thanx!!!
Watching the trailer and seeing matt bomer in it, i was so excited. Bradley cooper and matt bomer playing lovers. Imagine my disappointment when matt bomer only had 5 minutes of screen tume. No gay sex,no gay kissing, nothing
i saw the trailer of this movie and i was like " the plot must be that he's gay" and yup that's the plot
As a composer and musician i think a knowing a lot of Leonard Bernstein's work gave me a bias of the film, though i find it missed completety the mark to show the actual impact that Berstein left on the Classical music scene, not even mentioning his gretest achievements. I still enjoyed it quite a bit, though i feel like all these fuss for "trying to learn to conduct for 6 years" is quite a bold thing to say when you try only to charicaturize the way Bernstein conducted. conclusion we need more well made classical music films so that i can be more selective in my choice😅
Also i love the screen play because there are little quotes and winks to people who know Berstein work
It's sort of an Oscar bait, yes. But it's still so good in many aspects: the performances, the direction, the cinematography, the makeup, the hairstyling and the costumes. It doesn't have a great script though, but the artistic point of the film is pretty clear and well executed and that's enough.
Nobody wants to talk about how Oscar bait Oppenheimer is.
Oppenheimer had a great script unlike Maestro.
Someone gets it.
Blown away by Carry Mulligan. Cooper was good too...but the character seemed a bit too crazy to really latch onto. I don't know how accurate that is to Bernstein.
Except Oppenheimer had a good script,beautiful acting,a memorable and gorgeous soundtrack and does go in deep to the character thar is Oppenheimer.
Blockbuster≠Oscarbait
@@ct6852 i looked up videos of bernstein when i got home after the film, it was incredibly accurate!
I would love if you did a video on Luca Guadagnino new movie Challengers! I want to hear your thoughts
You articulate and demonstrate why I don't like this movie so well.
Someone would have to come out for the film to be given the recognition desired
Discuss Hollywood problems with never showing Asian men as romantic roles
dont forget the 4:3 aspect ratio
with exception that i also think that the film does seek to win prizes rather than be a Elton John- or Freddy Mercury-type blockbuster-biopic, i can agree with little of your criticism… including the queer topological narrative. to me the film is as much about Bernstein, as it is about his wife and their marriage (affected by having to hide a part of someone’s self, like sexuality, affected by his public persona/expression of himself in various fields versus his wife naturally playing second violin to him). i actually found the film very much refreshing, as a film and also as a biopic. that bernstein as person is not locked in or that there is an attempt to define/explain where things are better left to the audience to fill in the gaps. more obvious in contrast to films like rocket man/bohemian rhapsody. rocket man took some really interesting liberties (encouraged by elton john himself) but fell flat in connection fame to rehab in a necessary way. and freddy mercury’s sexuality was displayed strangely voyeuristic while prude at the same time… Bernsteins display of vulnerability in the few directly intimate and sincere moments - the example you mentioned, but also the powerful scene, where he talk/lies to his daughter about rumors (thus showing a sensitive man behind the narcissist behavior, hedonism and overt philandering) become even more meaningful! the last third of the film, the care of his wife, his rather unglamorous fade into old age. i liked that his career high points were mostly ignored or just hinted at. so there was more room for the husband-wife story! and i was so thankful that there wasn’t a forced artificial arch towards the end, that we as an audience are left alone with some questions like “was there regret?” “was he happy?” “if it were a different time, should she just have divorced him?” - i will probably want to soon see the film again myself.
Somethings that bug me a lot is that weird sailor-dress musical scene that does nothing, is so out of place and most importantly, unlike any decent musical, it does not express the emotions, progression, or experience of a character. I mean Lenny loving felicia perhaps. we already knew that though. Also the way Lenny explains who he is every fucking second, and always going over the top becuz thats apparently charisma. Carey Mulligan is wonderfully subtle, even if she is forced to regurgitate the same character-moments of her hating Lenny and hating him cheating on her and then loving him and being sad. The composing scene is the pinnacle of his self-indulgence, all the promotional build-up to it about how he trained for years to learn how to compose, loved it since he was a kid, and had a real orchestra there. So all throughout while i was so angry with the film for exploiting Leonard Bernstein like some object or toy, I was waiting for that scene, and then the camera was on him for this long shot and man was it just so indulgently narcissistic, like this isn’t doing anything for the story or character, not even for Leonard Bernstein who we have hundreds of recordings/videos of, this is for Bradley, this is all for Bradley, not as a director or artist, but for him. Its so self-aggrandising, and the composing just looks like nothing, he’s just got this shit-eating grin going over the top like the rest of the film. Scene was only good becuz the music was gorgeous, ofc none of it from the film, but classical scores sloppily pasted into the film at random points. I mean Felicia’s introduction from the bus, what a strange score for that, does not fit at all.
Paul Giamatti coming for best actor oscar. A genuine performance with lots of heart and soul. He wasnt doing too much in the holdovers. He deserves it
yeah i definitely did not connect w the characters in this film. the opposite of oppenheimer- totally connected to him throughout the film.
I haven't seen this film, only your essay here (and I haven't finished it yet), so if I'm misinterpreting this, please let me know; it's not his queerness that's hurting the people he loves, it's that he's cheating on the person he's married to. If that was a woman he was kissing, it'd be just as painful for his loved ones. Now obviously that time was not one in which it was safe to be out (not that it is now, mind you, but it's better than it was then), so he likely had to hide the fact he was queer, but if he was monogamous (or pretending to be so) that's where the harm lies in his actions. If he and his wife were ethically nonmonagamous in some way, it would likely not even be an issue (at least not to his loved ones), other than getting caught kissing someone of the same gender at a time when it was criminal/sinful/wrong in the eyes of the general public.
I finished your video, and was left with more questions, so I looked into him (I'll be honest, I'm in my 30's and didn't even know this man existed, so I watched this knowing nothing about him). He had affairs with both men and women, and no one can seem to agree if he was bisexual or homosexual. To me his sexuality doesn't even matter - what matters is he cheated, fucking over his family by doing so.
Regardless, I wouldn't watch this film. It seems so disjointed, and as you pointed out, the perspectives don't make sense/fill out the story of his emotions, thoughts, etc. at all. It definitely feels like the director is using queerness as Oscar bait rather than telling the story. It also comes off as he was proud to cheat because he "loved people" so damn much/had so much love to give, which for me isn't something worth supporting (I don't know if that was the director's vision, or if it was true, but either way BLEGH!).
He didn't cheat on his wife, the betrayal was she expected him to be discreet, but she knew about his affairs and gave him permission.
I think you're wasting your time basing your opinions on this youtube video and a quick Google search.
@@TheCinemaDetective Then his queerness still wasn't the problem, and it shouldn't have been framed as such. That's why I replied to this video at all.
but if you actually watch the film... you might not think his queerness was framed as the problem. You're basing that on Marcus' analysis which I think is flawed because he didn't seem to understand that Bernstein wasn't cheating.
It was at times a hard movie to follow, in my own analysis I argued that their relationship deal should have been more openly conveyed by Cooper, but there are still scenes with Felicia saying "I know exactly who you are" for example.
Part of the issue comes from the fact that he had a deal with his wife, she knew about the men, but the children didn't know.
As the film approaches the end Felicia comes to the realisation that she was the one that hadn't been honest because she'd agreed to a deal that was impossible to uphold.
It's much more nuanced than as Marcus argues a subtext that his queerness hurts the family.
For me your argument here is tightly-knit and persuasive, but I fundamentally disagree with you about the film. Maestro isn't actually a biopic of Bernstein, its main character is Felicia, the "lesser genius," and how she views him. It reminded me of Bernhard's The Loser. I would encourage you to rewatch it with this in mind, framing Felicia as the point of view character and true protagonist. Bernstein is an obelisk, and she dwells in his shadow, so he necessarily becomes static, even stultified. The film is enormously rich and vibrant if one watches it as Felicia's, rather than Leonard's, film.
I definitely agree with you that this is Bradley Cooper's intention - particularly as the film switches to Felicia's perspective during the affairs - and the whole film ends on that title card 'Maestro' over the image of Felicia, suggesting that she is the 'maestro' of the marriage. However, I didn’t feel this grand closing statement was justified given how little we actually explore of her perspective - the film starts and ends with Bernstein in such a way that Cooper tries to frame Felicia's perspective around Bernstein's perspective, and it becomes muddled.
For example, I enjoy having Felicia’s perspective as we switch to it during the affairs - but the idea that she had entered the marriage knowing the affairs would happen is, like with Bernstein’s story as I explain in the video, buried in subtext and not properly revealed until the lunch scene at the end of the whole affair. So we aren’t as emotionally aligned with her as we could be during this storyline. I also think it would have been very possible for us to have had both perspectives during this story - for us to know why Bernstein feels he must act this way and why Felicia continues with the marriage. This could have created increasing dramatic irony and escalating tension as we explore their conflicting motivations. However, we don’t properly explore either perspective, and so we get the same scene over and over again - Bernstein is having affairs and Felicia doesn’t like it - and there is no evolution or interest.
In fact, to me, Cooper’s decision to “switch” at the start of the affairs and not explore both perspectives speaks to someone who cares more about imposing a “bait and switch” theme about who controlled the marriage, rather than a genuine interest in the lives of these people and their complex motivations. And if he really wanted to make a story about Felicia, we should have had her perspective from the beginning of the film - why don’t we have Felicia's backstory and meet Bernstein through her eyes, instead of the reverse as is presented in the film?
There are lots of interesting ideas and story arcs presented within the marriage - but the audience can never truly emotionally align with either character. To me, the film vacillates between perspectives, sacrificing depth and clarity in both.
I’m glad to have put these thoughts into the world in written form - I wouldn’t have had the energy to do so in video! Thank you for your perspective and literary recommendation!
@@marcustranfilm Thank you for your wonderful and engaging response. I can't help but worry that (we?) critics tend to ply a degree of explicitness from our artists that is not necessarily justified. A friend in my MFA program has complained about this, that in workshop many of us ask for aspects of her work to be "louder," the "volume turned up" (a common phrase here at my fiction MFA), while she wants to leave things subtler.
Anyway, for one, it seems clear to me that from Felicia's line early in the film, "I know who you are," she knows that Leonard is queer and will pursue relationships with men even as he's involved with her. This is subtext, yes, but it didn't strike me as all that subtle, especially given Leonard's explicit queerness up to that point (eg waking up in bed with a man in the first shot). When they are married she often complains that she "only asked for [him] to be discreet." Of course Leonard is not.
As for Felicia's perspective, I noticed an abundance of close-ups on her face throughout the film, many more than those on Leonard's face, particularly reaction shots. Even in the scene you showed, just outside their apartment, the "objective" perspective belongs to Felicia: she sees Leonard and his boy-toy pressed together in the hall from so many feet away, couched against some obscuring archway.
I must admit that my main gripe here is not with your reading of Maestro as an unqueer film (I admittedly don't care much about that, gay as I am), but what I perceive as your misreading of it. Here I'll provide an excerpt from my email to an instructor about the film:
"I gradually discovered, however, that Felicia is no mere jilt, no mere wronged woman, but, per the Thanksgiving outburst, profoundly invested in Leonard's talent as a composer. She watches, glowering, as he dithers away his talent, never, in her eyes, at least, fully committing himself to his true work, instead using his career to exercise his 'hate,' the full glory of his hatred for how much he understands and appreciates music and how little his audience does. So he's a show-off: 'Look at everything I can do,' he says with each performance, 'and hate yourselves as much as I hate you for your own failure fully to appreciate it.'"
Again, this is my reading of the film: the envy of a lesser artist for a greater one, and the greater one as seen through the eyes of the lesser.
It seems as though this movie is an outsider's perspective into Bernstein
I felt totally lost in the movie, and had no idea what u feel.
The Oscars aren’t taking the bait anymore.
Poor things , Everything Everywhere, Parasite, Jojo Rabbit etc experimental movies are the new favorites.
it’s funny how we end up knowing NOTHING about Berstein at the end of the movie, his career is an after thought and his life is displayed in vignettes that are so erratic and random that don’t really come together to nothing.
I honestly don't think all movies need to spoon feed you answers and emotions.
BC acting is definitely equal to CM Oppenheimer. Both are just beyond acting
At 1st, I didn’t understand all the Cooper-hate. But i get it now. There's a lot of narcissistic, self-righteous keyboard warriors, desperate for their 15 seconds of fame. Hating something/anything is easy. Showing sincerity & opening up about why one loves something (in this case, a film) can be more difficult, especially in todays climate of anonymous online haters. In the documentary "Hearts Of Darkness", Francis Ford Coppola talked about the risks involved in aspiring to greatness & if one fails in their aspirations, then they'll get called "pretentious" or whatever. And he said (paraphrasing here) sometimes you just gotta say "f**k it" & still aspire to be great & just go for it. He did & gave us "The Godfather", "The Conversation" & "Apocalypse Now". And despite the haters, Bradley Cooper dared to be great. And he was, as well as Carey Mulligan & the whole production. A magnificent film.
not to overuse an already popular meme but, bestie, you were my Roman Empire, I was so worried for you. you disappeared without a trace, my mind imagined the worst case scenarios. please take breaks but next time please just let us know on your community tab/instagram/anywhere. I was so worried, came back to your channel today to see if there's been any change and was so relieved to finally see you. it probably feels like nothing because I am a faceless commenter on the internet but if you have zero well-wishers it means I am dead.
i thought the thumbnail was steve martin
Maestro is not a masterpiece, because Bernstein's reputation is based on a false narrative from sacred cow coverage in the press.The film is misleading. I posted a new video on my CZcams channel titled THE BERNSTEIN EFFECT. I studied with one of his friends, Ivan Davis, who also performed with him. Arts education was based on his teachings which are designed to make the conductors, pianists and composers stupid. This ruined classical music as an art form and a business. Most of classical recordings are vanity records, because of him. Many of the orchestras have a financial foundation based on criminal activity. They commit wire fraud by soliciting donations with false information. There's a massive amount of jealousy based mental illness, because of Bernstein's assault on arts education. I provide many examples of irrefutable evidence on this subject.
THE BERNSTEIN EFFECT is an educational video. It's part of my efforts to fix the damage Bernstein caused to the classical music business.
Critics,film journalists and bloggers all pegged this as an Oscar film when it was first announced and when it comes out they claim Oscar bait,yet they set their own precedent,they knew before it was released that this was a film likely to appeal to the Academy,so why the need to critique him for making such a film.
Definitely Oscar bait.
It’s a vanity piece
you're kinda making me wanna see it now. i thought he did well with a star is born, i found it very engaging but it's disappointing to me that he seems to use queerness as a sort of window dressing and i think that feeds into the worst kinda stereotype for queer men, that they are perpetual adulterers.
like, if bernstein was only bedding women, we'd just think of him as a prick, but he's queer so it's *special* but without examining it, you can only short-circuit queerness with serial sex.
Love film critiques it’s important for the medium. I just wonder if labeling the film Oscar bait disregards all the hard work and effort put into a movie that’s about a messy love story and is a risk in itself this day and age of fast edits and superhero flicks. Movies like Maestro are incredibly unique and it’s impossible to cover everything in someone’s life; example the Elvis movie. A director needs to stick to some themes and rules to bring everything together. Sure there was a lot missed that could be explored but some of your points could be counter argued. You can easily tell how obsessed Bernstein was with music by the passion on his face, the sweat, the power in his movements, I felt it I’m sure many others did. Watching with an overly critical eye can make you miss these things because you’re looking for problems with scenes instead of just taking it in. It’s also great sometimes to leave things to the audiences imagination, like his back turned to camera when he flirts with the man but then his wife catches him. Personally I’d feel embarrassed, I felt like he was too. I really enjoyed the film and learned about someone I didn’t know one thing about. It was emotional for me as well. We can all relate to loving someone but mistakingly hurting them because maybe we’re selfish, ignorant, or needy. Nice video but I don’t agree with you or anyone that shouts Oscar bait towards this film.
To actually be Oscar bait it would have needed to be made with the primary aim of winning Oscars, not just seem like it.
Since you can't look into Bradley Coopers mind you can't answer that question. Sure, it ticks a lot of boxes but you can only speculate what Cooper's intentions were.
Bernstein wasn't cheating on Felicia, she was aware of his relationships and gave him her blessing, something I do think the film should have made more clear. The conflict with Felicia was about his lack of discretion.
As for the music, Berstein wasn't Mozart, he viewed his main musical purpose as a composing but he was personally disappointed with his output. I think that's why the scene with the reporter is in the film. He had more lofty goals than what he achieved. The reason he himself gave for that was that he struggled to live the quiet life of solitude/family life that was required to compose great music.
The film WAS depicting the central musical struggle in Bernstein's life as he himself saw it. The double nature of his personal life was echoing the double nature of his musical life, conductor and composer, and that internal musical struggle to achieve greatness.
I think a lot of people wanted this film to be a caricature of Bernstein - a Bernstein fanboy film glorifying him and celebrating him. Cooper is aware that Bernstein wasn't so happy with his musical achievements despite his acclaim and is reflecting and exploring this.
Lastly, you said "the parts of Bernstein's life that would have matters the most to the real life man".
You don't think his wife of 25 years, and mother of his children would have been somewhere near the top of that list?
All the best )) I have a video on my own channel on Maestro if you're interested in checking it out.
Interesting point, idk i still very much dislike the film but you could definitely argue that focusing less on his musical achievements is more about Bernstein than the music biopic trend of Bohemian Rhapsody, Elvis, Rocketman, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, and that new movie One Life. Now some of those r better than others but they do reduce a person to their musical achievements and a playlist of their ‘best hits’ rather than a proper biographical sketch. So in that way I can appreciate on paper the approach of Maestro, its about a person, not their soundtrack. I think the upcoming movie One Life, while ppl will definitely enjoy it more casually than Maestro, is a lot more egregious. Its insultingly corporate and lazy trash, my dad is a huge Bob Marley fan so obv he was pissed, especially with the casting, i mean for god fucking sake, they chose that side-kick of Barbie rather than anyone with genuine acting experience, even close to the look, or one of the many grandchildren of bob marley. In comparison to that, Bradley as Lenny seems a lot better. And admittedlt, the nose controversy is absolutely strange, but the old-age makeup was phenomenal and uncanny
Based comment.
@@user-qs3ym5qe1b My point is nothing merits the label "Oscar bait" because it's a stupid label.
It's implying an intention on the part of the director that's pure speculation. For me, it seems like a really lazy criticism, sensationalist, going after the artistic integrity of a director, "Oscar bait" is bait. If you don't like a film fine, no need to try to assassinate the artist behind it.
I'm not discussing the merits of the film I never argued anything about the quality of the film, just the subject. I don't really believe films have an inherent quality independent of the viewer. It was boring for you, for you it was a bad film. For others it was a good film. A film isn't good or bad, it's all subjective.
"inarguably" you're making me laugh. You've just explained how the term Oscar bait is an opinion and now you want to say that nobody is allowed to have a different opinion.
Thanks for your "advice" but no I don't want to ever claim to have a kind of authority when discussing cinema. I think I'll get on fine without the term "Oscar bait" but by all means you keep using it if it makes you feel better.
I really looked forward to this. I was deeply influenced by Bernstein and his music as a young aspiring classical musician. Actually watching Bernstein conduct the last movement of the second symphony brings tears in my eyes. I never shed a tear throughout the whole movie. There was no soul. I wanted to stop watching it, but I kept watching to judge it properly. Clearly a wrong choice. This was a very forgetful film. Now I’m angry that since this was made, a proper film about Bernstein will not be made in the near future.
Dude, for real, are you using your iPhone for a microphone?
Sorry but you're wrong, just seen it and it's no Oscar bait at all, it's actually a very good movie 😉
Some flaws yes, but strong aspects throughout, standout is Bradley's incredible performance
All the movie did was make me severely hate its main character