Aahana Swrup
The Netflix biographical drama film, ‘Maria’ presents the true story of the renowned American-Greek Opera Singer Maria Callas as she moves through the last few days of life before her untimely death. During this time, the narrative finds the artist now withdrawn from the stage, living out a reclusive life in a Parisian apartment. Maria’s deteriorating health—at once caused and exponentiated by her declining singing voice—plagues every facet of her life. However, as she embarks on a journey of rekindling her sense of identity, she finds herself becoming subject to journalist Mandrax and the television crew’s camera. In the young man’s company, the musician finds herself reminiscing parts of her past.
Peculiarly enough, neither her butler, Ferruccio, nor housekeeper, Bruna, seem to be able to interact with the journalist—who just so happens to be named after Maria’s addictive medication: Mandrax. Thus, even though Mandrax—the medication and journalist—aren’t an otherwise important aspect of Maria’s life and career, they become key figures as she nears her death. The same compels one to wonder about their relevance to Maria Callas’ actual life. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Mandrax is a Journalist of Maria’s Imagination in The Film
In ‘Maria,’ Mandrax is introduced as a young reporter who visits Maria in her Paris apartment to interview her for an upcoming televised project. However, soon enough, his presence in Maria’s narrative becomes less and less cohesive. He begins appearing by the opera singer’s side without prior notice or his crew. Furthermore, Maria seems aware of his unnatural nature yet isn’t bothered by it. He is simply a specter to her reminiscence of the past. Thus, as the story concludes with Maria’s death, Mandrax disappears—confirming that he was always simply a figment of the protagonist’s imagination. Perhaps he could’ve been a face remembered from some previous interaction. Nonetheless, ultimately, he was only an image conjured by Maria’s brain.
In real life, there are no records of Maria Callas conjuring a similar hallucinatory figure toward the end of her days. While it is true that the musician was addicted to medication that could cause hallucinations, there is no way to confirm the reality of Callas’ experience. Therefore, as it remains, the hallucinations and reporter Mandrax remains a fictionalized part of Maria’s life, limited to the confines of the on-screen retelling of her story. The reporter serves as a captivating narrative tool to progress Maria’s tale, becoming an incredible device for the character to equip as she takes the audience in and out of her past.
Mandrax is a Real Drug That Was Popular in The 1970s
Even though the film’s depiction of the hallucination that accompanies Maria Callas near the end of her life is fictional, the drugs that contribute towards the same aren’t. Mandrax, the medication that on-screen Maria consumes in unhealthy doses, is a real drug that was once used as a sedative. After its inception in India in 1951, the drug became commonly used as a prescription sedative, a muscle relaxant, and a sleep aid. The primary sedative in the drug, Methaqualone, was also sold under brand names Quaalude and Sopor in different parts of the world. However, after the drug initially took off, the population discovered that it could be used to get high under certain circumstances. As a result, it gained notoriety in a different light in the 1960s and 1970s.
Reportedly, musicians like Frank Zappa and David Bowie employed usage of Mandrax at the time. Likewise, Maria Callas is remembered as another known user. She was believed to have experienced neurological conditions and undiagnosed mental health issues in her life. Therefore, it is believed that she began self-medicating in the late 1970s, with Mandrax being one of the drugs of her choice. Thus, the film’s depiction of the Opera Singer’s addiction to Mandrax remains a true-to-life account. In the end, Callas died from a heart attack on September 16, 1977. Although Mandrax had no direct connections to her untimely death, the drug also soon became banned in the early 1980s as its highly addictive properties were discovered.
Read More: Does Angelina Jolie Sing in Maria? Is it Her Real Voice?
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