Leonard Bernstein Biopic "Maestro" Released on U.S. Netflix

Bradley Cooper is both the film's main character and director

"Maestro," a new biopic starring Bradley Cooper as the renowned American conductor Leonard Bernstein, is now available on Netflix in the United States.

The film, which focuses mainly on Bernstein's marriage to Felicia Montealegre, also stars Carey Mulligan.

In preparation for the role, Cooper received conducting coaching from Yannick Nézet-Séguin — for a scene featuring a 1976 performance of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony.

All three of the couple's children — Jamie, Nina, and Alexander Bernstein — have worked closely alongside Cooper to ensure the film is as accurate, sensitive, and detailed as possible.

"We’re very touched actually, that it’s not a biopic, strictly speaking, it doesn’t tell the story of Leonard Bernstein from birth to death," said Jamie Bernstein. "It’s not that kind of a film at all."

"It’s a portrait of our parents' marriage so it’s about something very specific and very personal for us," she added. "We’re really struck by the fact that this was the aspect of the story that Bradley decided to focus on and we’re very excited about [Carey Mulligan], who is going to play our mother."

Details of Bernstein's life are still being uncovered today. For instance, in 2021, it was announced that a string quartet written by the 18-year-old Bernstein had resurfaced. The quartet has recently been recorded, and you can listen to a short excerpt of it, here.

You can view the trailer for the film below.