Director Bradley Cooper begins “Maestro” with an aged and melancholy Leonard Bernstein sitting for an interview. The scene is bright and colorful and after it plays out for a few minutes, the images flip to black and white and the screen compresses to a square aspect ratio.
The audience now sees a darkened bedroom in a Manhattan apartment. A hint of daylight is sneaking past the edge of the curtains. The telephone rings. A 25-year-old Bernstein, who is an assistant conductor for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra organization, answers it. The call is life-changing. Bernstein whoops joyfully and pulls open the curtains with a celebratory flourish. The guest conductor, Bruno Walter, is ill and Bernstein will need to get to Carnegie Hall to make his conducting debut of the Philharmonic’s famous A-team musicians that evening.
In the bedroom, another figure stirs and an exuberant Bernstein leaps onto the bed, where his boyfriend has been awakened by the noise. He shares the good news. Then Bernstein roars out of the room and yells figuratively to the world that he’s heading for the top of the mountain. The fellow in bed is David Oppenheim, a clarinetist with whom Lenny, as he was known and will seemingly always be known by one and all, has a casual relationship. Matt Bomer plays Oppenheim in a small but pivotal part.
The scene’s activity is how director Cooper, who also plays Bernstein, and his co-screenwriter Josh Singer are telling moviegoers they’re in for a different kind of biographical movie and that they’ll be going on an extraordinary ride.
Not shown is Bernstein’s exalted appearance that November 14, 1943 on the Carnegie Hall stage. History records the fact that he walked out to a politely applauding audience. The musical program, heavy on German composers, opened with a piece by Robert Schumann and ended with music by Richard Wagner. When the concert ended, the crowd was on its feet cheering for Bernstein the conductor. The New York Times wrote two stories about the hallmark event within a few days of each other.
The message? Lenny was a breath of fresh air. To everyone’s delight, he was an American with the talent to ride the wave of both a respect for classical music and the men who wrote it, as well as an interest in new American composers and compositions. A star was born. Director Cooper depicts the conductor as a man who took over a room the minute he walked into it. He was loud in a good way, raucously jubilant most of the time, and eager to be a cheerleader for others.
“Maestro” unreels like a vibrant film of the late 1960s, especially those created by inventive French New Wave directors. It’s episodic, but not in a negative way. This is not a traditional biopic following a child prodigy from the first taps on a piano to audience worship in old age. In fact, it’s less about the music Bernstein wrote and more about his personality. The 129-minute movie, which is available on Netflix, doesn’t dig deep into why Bernstein loved music. It does; however, excavate his private life.
Bernstein seems to have been born to be famous. Cooper understands this. He also understands Bernstein’s love for men. In addition to his life-long gay relationships, Bernstein was married throughout his entire adult life to the actress, Felicia Montealegre, who told him when they began dating that she didn’t care about what else he did privately in bed, as long as he was discreet and didn’t embarrass her. As the film progresses, their sense of partnership and devotion starts to fragment because promises made when young and in love became difficult to keep when older and more settled.
Bernstein, who would be considered self-absorbed by some, seemed to succeed at everything, including raising a family with three children. He was beloved because he was infinitely likable and his talent as a popular cultural icon would absolve him of condemnation. He was a must-see figure on American television with his “Young People’s Concerts,” which aired from 1958 to 1972 on CBS. He wrote the music for “West Side Story” and other Broadway shows. His robust conducting was his calling card.
One of the highlights of “Maestro” is the costuming, which is a character all on its own. A superb Carey Mulligan as Felicia is dressed spectacularly. The movie’s look is enhanced by the clothing everyone wears, especially in scenes set in the 1940s and 1950s. The exquisite costumes add a stunning visual dimension. They are designed by Mark Bridges, who was born, raised and educated in Niagara Falls (La Salle High School and Niagara County Community College). In “Maestro,” he continues to exhibit the extraordinary talent that has earned him two Academy Awards (for “The Artist” and “Phantom Thread”) and an additional two Oscar nominations.
Also worth noting are Matthew Libatique’s cinematography, Michelle Tesoro’s editing, and Kazu Hiro’s makeup. The film’s production values are exceptional. The very good supporting cast is at the top of their game.
An element of the movie which I think is shaky involves the parade of personalities that pass through its unfolding events. Do you need to know who Jerome Robbins, John Gruen, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Aaron Copland (all real-life characters seen on-screen) are to fully enjoy the film? I think so. Does not knowing ruin things? Probably not, although Cooper and Singer should have rethought how they presented some of the personages that surround Bernstein.
The movie’s musical touchstone is an extended scene in which Cooper as Bernstein leads the London Symphony Orchestra in Gustav Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony No. 2 at Ely Cathedral in 1973 in England. It ties in perfectly with the strains affecting his marriage. There is also a lovely and lively romantic fantasy interlude early-on when Felicia, soon to be swept off her feet by Lenny, dances with characters rehearsing for a Broadway show.
“Maestro” strives to present Felicia and Lenny as people who love each other, regardless of how unique their relationship is. If you choose, you can appreciate the film solely as being about her side of a love story. As Bernstein’s celebrity soars, you see Felicia becoming more discontent.
The dramatic tension rises because Cooper isn’t afraid to showcase intense marital truth-telling. This doesn’t detract from what we’re watching, rather, it makes for a more compelling movie.