WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Maestro.
The ending of Bradley Cooper’s latest feature film Maestro follows the tragedy of Leonard Berstein’s immense loss of his beloved wife, Felicia Montealegre. Similar to his other directorial work A Star Is Born, Cooper transformed himself to portray a larger-than-life musical figure, this time in the form of the celebrated American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman, Drive, The Great Gatsby) acts as his lifelong companion and wife, Felicia Montealegre, an ultimately tragic figure who endured Bernstein’s various deviations from their formidable connection.
The film follows a fairly accurate portrait of Leonard Bernstein’s personal life, focusing intensely on his relationship with Felicia and his three children, Jamie (May Hawke), Alexander (Sam Novola), and Nina (Alexa Swinton). Maestro features some impressive scenes depicting Bernstein’s undeniable passion in front of an orchestra as well as his private genius writing music alone, which as Cooper’s character admits, he can’t stand as he loves people so dearly. Ultimately, despite Bernstein’s greatness and purity of heart, his constant sexual escapades hurt Felicia deeply and drove a stake in their relationship until they reunited under tragic real-life circumstances.
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What Happens In Maestro’s Ending
The closing act of the two-hour biopic Maestro begins when Felicia returns to see Leonard conduct an orchestra in a magnificent church. The two had been separated for quite some time before that moment, which is why Leonard breaks down into tears at the sight of her once the performance is over. The fleeting moments of crescendo and pure happiness fade as Felicia is told in the next scene that she has a large tumor in her breast that may have metastasized to her lung. The doctor comes up with a swift course of action, planning on conducting serious surgery to remove the tumor and perform a biopsy to detect any possible spread of cancer.
In time, it is revealed that Felicia has been diagnosed with lung cancer and is undergoing rigorous chemotherapy. Despite trying to carry on her with traditional life, she can no longer bear to have visitors and becomes bedridden quite quickly. Leonard, who had jumped back into his role of loving and supportive husband after the diagnosis, cancels his upcoming performances and dedicates all of his time to care for Felicia. Eventually, cancer ends up taking Felicia’s life, leaving Leonard completely devastated in one of the most tragic scenes of Maestro.
The film briefly portrays Leonard Bernstein’s life after he moved on from the massive loss of Felicia, engaging with a young generation of conductors and musicians as their instructor. Throughout the film, Leonard is applauded for his brilliance in the field and becomes a household name in America, even appearing in the lyrics of popular rock songs. The end of the film has no real absence of the lights, cameras, and attention that followed Leonard most of his life, as he reflects on himself in a televised interview explaining the philosophy behind his unique outlook and musical inspiration.
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Felicia Monteleagre Died In 1978 Of Lung Cancer
As depicted in Maestro, Felicia Monetleagre died from lung cancer. It appears that despite their differences, Leonard was still able to keep his family together as Felicia’s health steadily degraded. Leonard putting his performances on hold demonstrates how deeply his love for Felicia still was even after all they had been through, or, more specifically, all that he had put her through. Felicia accepted Leonard’s care in her time of need as she lived out her final days with him, but surely underneath it all, there was the unspoken tragedy of all the time they had lost during their separation.
Leonard Continued His Passion For Music After Felicia’s Death
The real-life Leonard Bernstein was reportedly an absolute wreck following the loss of Felicia, hardly leaving his bedroom for the six months afterward. Although Maestro offers no explicit explanation of the time of the events, it’s clear by the film’s end that Leonard eventually found a way to carry on with his life and his professional career following Felicia’s death. One of the final scenes in Maestro shows Leonard sharing his knowledge with a young up-and-coming conductor in front of a class of students, demonstrating that even after heartbreak, Leonard’s love for people and music still saw him through.
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Leonard Bernstein Openly Dated Men After Felicia’s Death
As briefly depicted at the end of Maestro, Leonard Bernstein was more open about his attraction to men after Felicia’s death. The scene in the final moments of Maestro shows the much older Leonard dancing intimately with the conductor student he had been instructing in the previous scene. Considering Leonard’s lust for life, it’s no surprise that he would participate in these types of activities even in his old age. Ironically, and somewhat darkly, Felicia’s death offered liberation to Leonard as being openly gay or bisexual. Although he never confirmed his sexual interests during his lifetime, Felicia contended that her husband was a closeted gay man.
Leonard’s “Summer Does Still Sing In Me” Message Explained
The final scene of Maestro features the continuation of the televised interview that opened up the film in which he talks about the impact that Felicia has on his life. He recites the line that she had said to him earlier in the film from a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, which goes, “If summer doesn’t sing in you, then nothing sings in you, and if nothing sings in you, then you can’t make music.” Leonard recalls that Felicia said this to him when he was depressed years ago and has held onto it throughout his life, which acts as another example of how significant Felicia Montealegre was to Leonard. Leonard affirms, “Summer does still sing in me,” referring to his ability to still appreciate life, make brilliant music, and love Felicia endlessly.
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The Real Meaning of Maestro’s Ending
The final shot of Maestro is not of Leonard Bernstein but of Felicia Montealegre, looking sadly at the camera before turning away. The blue light she is cast in adds to the tragedy of her relationship with Leonard and her gradual death. The title appears over the turned back of Felicia, which implies the decision that she made over and over again to maintain her relationship with Leonard for years: to look the other way. Toward the end of her life in Maestro, Felicia could no longer deny her pain and frustration from Leonard’s frequent betrayals, resulting in her ultimate disappointment, where summer does not appear to be singing.
Felicia had always known the truth about Leonard in Maestro, but perhaps she was referring to more than only his sexual interests and infidelities. Felicia knew more than anyone else the parts of Leonard that he had kept hidden from the world, full of rage, insecurity, and the unyielding desire to be the center of attention. The scene in which Felicia jumps into the swimming pool right after Leonard announces to his family that he finished another piece says it all, especially combined with the fight they had on Thanksgiving. Leonard wanted all of Felicia’s love to help fuel the lust that he had for the excesses of life, a point made clear by the chilling closing frame of Maestro.
Maestro
Maestro is a biographical drama about the famous composer Leonard Bernstein. Bradley Cooper stars as Leonard Bernstein and also wrote and directed the film. The movie chronicles Bernstein’s life from 1946, when he met Felicia Montealegre, through his two engagements and three children. Maya Hawke, Carey Mulligan, Sarah Silverman, and Matt Bomer star alongside Cooper.
- Release Date
- December 20, 2023
- Director
- Bradley Cooper
- Cast
- Bradley Cooper , Carey Mulligan , Maya Hawke , Sarah Silverman , Matt Bomer
- Runtime
- 156 Minutes
- Genres
- Biography , Drama , Music
- Writers
- Bradley Cooper , Josh Singer
- Studio(s)
- Amblin Entertainment
- Distributor(s)
- Netflix
