Maria, the new biopic being released in cinemas and on Netflix, is the third in Pablo Larraín’s cinematic trilogy of remarkable women. The equally astounding Angelina Jolie portrays the late, great soprano Maria Callas – one of the most talented opera singers of the 20th century. But Callas’s career is known for being as brief as it was revered.

Maria Callas in holographic form with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in December 2023. Photo supplied

She made her debut in wartime Athens – in Tosca, aged 18. Her willpower was founded on insecurity. She came from a humble background and was judged fat and unattractive by her own family.

Some considered her extensively trained voice beautiful. Others thought it was anything but, finding it to have a rather dry, even ugly quality. There was also no consistent agreement as to which notes on her impressive three-octave range were her finest. Some critics thought her best at the highs of a musical scale, others at lows.

Even Callas disliked her own voice, describing it as something she had eventually come to accept. Yet she forged a successful career in opera based on...