"If summer doesn't sing in you, then nothing sings in you. And if nothing sings in you, then you can't make music." So says Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) in the new trailer for Maestro, which charts the career of legendary composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein. The quote, however, comes from his wife Felicia, played by Carey Mulligan. It's the anchor quote for this latest look at Cooper's new directorial effort, and you can see the footage below.
The drama spans over 30 years, and chronicles Bernstein’s fascinating career: he made his conducting debut at the New York Philharmonic aged 25 when he had to step in at short notice due to a colleague’s illness. He did so well, his star was launched the next day when his feat made the front page of The New York Times.
He was blacklisted before being cleared of being a communist just before he composed the Oscar-nominated score for On The Waterfront, and he was an activist in the civil rights movement, and outspoken on issues including ending the Vietnam War. The through line for the movie, though, is the complex story of the marriage between Bernstein and his wife, impacted by his sexuality.
Written by Cooper and Josh Singer, Maestro will be in select UK cinemas from 24 November ahead of its arrival on Netflix on 20 December.