Opera superstar Maria
Callas was set to make her movie debut in Carl Foreman’s iconic war film The
Guns Of Navarone, according to a new book, The Making Of The Guns
Of Navarone launched this weekend at the Bradford Widescreen Film
Festival (April 26-29) by Scottish film historian Brian Hannan.
The singer had scandalised
the world by her affair with Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, who
would later marry Jackie Kennedy, widow of assassinated president John F
Kennedy. Callas was first choice for the role of the older female Greek
partisan. Producer Carl Foreman promised ‘mucho love scenes’ with star Gregory
Peck.
Commented Hannan, ‘At the
time, Maria Callas was the most famous woman in the world, a fiery mixture of
Princess Diana and Madonna, the role model for every diva to come. This was an
astonishing publicity coup. Names did not come any bigger. Although few opera
stars can act, she was considered more than capable. Smouldering European
actresses like Sophia Loren were much in demand in Hollywood at the time and
she fitted the bill.’
Born in America in 1923 to
Greek parents, she mad her singing debut in 1941 but her early career was
tumultuous and it was not until she married wealthy industrialist Giovanni
Meneghini that she achieved major success. Even so she battled with employers
and was known as much for her tantrums, walkouts and love life as her singing. Her
presence was a considerable departure from the best-selling book by Scottish
writer Alistair Maclean for in the original there were no female characters.
The news received worldwide
coverage – Callas was that big a star. Hollywood was agog. Offers of movie
roles had been made to Callas before and she had turned them down. There was a
history of opera stars making the jump to Hollywood. Popular 1930s due Nelson
Eddy and Jeanette Macdonald had both been opera stars. More recently Mario
Lanza had been a box office sensation - his film The Great Caruso had ranked
third in the US box office charts in 1951 ahead of Marlon Brando in A Streetcar
Named Desire and Elizabeth Taylor in A Place In The Sun. There had also been a
trend for operas to be filmed and show in cinemas.
But Callas’s career had
been riddled with bust-ups and insiders predicted the relationship with Foreman
would not last. Callas abruptly quit the production before shooting began and
was replaced by classical actress Irene Papas.
Nor was she the only
casualty of the filming. Producer Foreman lost first choice
actors Cary Grant and William Holden, director Alexander Mackendrick
(The Ladykillers), scriptwriter Eric Ambler (Mask Of Dimitrios),
and a second female star Annette Stroyberg, wife of director Roger Vadim who
had turned Brigitte Bardot into a star. British actor David Niven nearly died
during filming. The set, the biggest ever built in Britain, for the
titular guns collapsed and had to be rebuilt and the budget soared by
25%.
Despite these setbacks, the
film burned up the box office and was the number one film of the year and
nominated for seven Oscars.
Hannan has also published
two books on Hitchcock – Darkness Visible:Hitchcock’s Greatest Film and Hitchcock’s
Hollywood Hell.
The author will introduce a
new restored 4K version of The Guns Of Navarone film on Sunday
April 28 preceded by a book signing of his book and its companion The
Making Of Lawrence Of Arabia.
The Making Of The Guns Of
Navarone by Brian Hannan is published by Baroliant Press, priced £8.99 and
is available on Kindle and in bookshops.
(U.S. readers can click here to order the Amazon Kindle edition)
Contact Brian Hannan by
email on bhkhannan@aol.com or
mobile 07946 278403