Maestro is Netflix’s top bidder at the 2024 Oscars. It has received seven Oscar nominations, despite some mixed reviews here and there. The movie zooms in on the relationship between Leonard Bernstein, the Internationally acclaimed composer, and his wife Felicia Montealegre. The real-life Leonard Bernstein’s family’s kindness allowed Bradley Cooper to access hundreds of the conductor’s personal documents. He also shot at numerous locations integral to Leonard Bernstein’s acclaim.

Even with the wealth of first-hand resources available, Maestro failed to stay completely true to the life of Leonard Bernstein. Here are five aspects the movie overlooked, despite the exceptional access that Cooper and his team were given.

The factual inaccuracy in the engagement timeline

In Maestro Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre’s love story was shown as a case of love at first sight. While this portrayal was not entirely off base, the film missed a small detail regarding the timing and sequence of their courtship. Nowhere in the movie did it hint that they had gotten engaged shortly after meeting at a party in 1946.

Also, before their first year of engagement was up, they both realized that marriage was not their immediate goal. As a result, they opted to carry on with their relationship without the formal ties of engagement. The Netflix movie failed to touch upon this aspect as well. They had a second engagement in August 1951.

And less than a month after getting engaged at Temple Mishkan Tefilah in Roxbury, Leonard Bernstein, and Felicia Montealegre tied the knot in September 1951.

The dynamic between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre

The relationship between the main characters of the biographical drama is widely known to be complex and toxic. However, many fans felt that the movie, for some inexplicable reason, aimed to glorify it. The film only briefly brushed over the obstacles Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre encountered at the start of their relationship.

A major part of their story was omitted from the movie after the couple initially broke off their engagement as well. All these factors made it challenging for the audience to sympathize with the character’s struggles.

Felicia Montealegre’s long-term relationship with Richard Hart

Felicia entered into a five-year relationship with actor Richard Hart after breaking off her first engagement with Bernstein. While the movie did explore some parts of Montealegre’s relationship with Hart, it overlooked the deep bond they shared before the actor’s death in 1951. After Hart’s passing, the American actress reunited with Bernstein again and married him that same year.

Throughout the two-hour and nine-minute-long movie, Montealegre only briefly mentioned Richard Hart’s death during their Thanksgiving Day dispute.

Bernstein’s making of a star

In Maestro Bernstein got a call asking him to be a replacement for a conductor who was sick. He had to step in to conduct the orchestra without any rehearsal for that afternoon’s performance. However, without much worry, Lenny excitedly gave his lover a playful pat, quickly got dressed, and rushed down to the concert hall and onto the stage. It was this performance that got him noticed.

This, however, was not entirely true. Bernstein worked as an assistant conductor and, therefore, was responsible for knowing the scores for the ongoing season. Also, he got a chance to meet the regular conductor, Bruno Walter, who was down with the flu, for some impromptu coaching. So, it would not be correct to claim that Bernstein was entirely unprepared for the show.

The dramatic reunion of the couple

One of the moments in Maestro that has been a highlight of the movie was the scene featuring Bernstein conducting Mahler’s second symphony at England’s Ely Cathedral in 1973. As Bernstein finished his performance, he rushed to the backstage to share a heartfelt moment with Montealegre. However, this sequence in the movie was far from accurate compared to real-life events. In real life, this incident played out in 1973, back when the two were still a couple. And it was not until 1976 that they called it quits.

What do you think about these factual inaccuracies in Maestro? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.