Almost didn't buy it!
Added 11/22/2009
After reading the reviews of the Lionsgate issue of Diva, I almost didn't buy the DVD. I looked at the price of other issues, and decided on Lionsgate because it was less expensive, offered extra features, and I knew I could return it if the quality turned out to be poor.
I'm so glad I bought this. The picture had very minor graininess which was not distracting. The thing was made in 1981! The sound is good. The subtitles are clear and easy to follow. The features are wonderful for any film buff, with interviews with the director, other people involved in the production, as well as a few cast members. There is also scene specific commentary by director, Jean-Jacques Beineix. All interviews and commentary have English translations.
The story has been summarized by other reviewers. I did not see in the other reviews any note of the link with the real-life diva, Jessye Norman. Shirley Verrett stated in her autobiography that the story, Diva, was inspired by a very dedicated fan of Norman's. Norman said in an interview that this French fan--now deceased--was a messenger by trade. He traveled all over Europe to attend Norman's performances. She knew him, speaks of him by name (Alain), and was fond of him--though there was no close friendship. That's where the resemblance between him and Diva's protagonist, Jules, ends.
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Diva rocks (symphonically)
Added 11/1/2009
A slightly dated gem. Edgy and punk before the words were coined. Wilhelmina Fernandes is divine, and the cinematography anticipates trends seen 20 years later.
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Unusual but pleasing
Added 10/26/2009
The Bottom Line:
A flashy and fun thriller with a rightly-famous chase scene through the Paris Metro that heralded (for better or for worse) the advent of the Cinema Du Look mini-movement in France that went away from realism and steered Gallic cinema towards the slickness of directors like Luc Besson, Diva is winding and twisting in a good way, always interesting to look at and follow; though some of the supporting characters remain ambiguous because they're reoccurring characters in the novel the book is based on, there are few other flaws in this unique film.
3.5/4
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Tres Chic Thriller
Added 9/14/2009
Set in Paris, "Diva" is not only visually suberb but the diverse soundtrack is also very special. Several stories get twisted and braided together and one is not sure how it will play out until the very end. Even then, one is not sure how it was all accomplished, yet one is more than satisfied.
I don't know what these other people are talking about when they say it's a bad transfer. Mon Dieu! Les miserables should be grateful such a stylish film is available at all. I consider myself blessed every time I watch the film. The montage in the park in the rain takes me to a place in my soul which I want to remember. The vision is there no matter how it was remastered.
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Dripping with style; this film will keep you more than entertained...
Added 5/6/2009
The French just have a way with making really cool noir type films. I've recently raved `Le Doulos' and have continually praised `Le Samourai'; both 60's films, but even 1981's `Diva' is an extraordinary example of the perfect mood to compliment the intricate story. Director Jean-Jacques Beineix masterfully weaves an interesting and engaging tale of opera, mobsters and police corruption, all the while maintaining a steady feeling of `coolness', a coolness that pervades each scene.
In `Diva', Frederic Andrei plays Jules, a young mail carrier who is obsessed with the beautiful and talented opera singer Cynthia Hawkins. Truly a diva, Hawkins refuses to record any of her music, only performing live where she can feed off the energy of her audience. Jules, being a huge fan of hers, sneaks in a recorder to her concert, so that he can listen to her whenever he wishes. When his recording gets mixed up with a tape made by a witness from an ongoing police case, Jules finds himself being pursued from all ends; by the police, by mobsters and even by Taiwanese bootleggers who want his Hawkins `recording'.
The story is really three or four stories interwoven in a way that makes them feel like one story. You have the story of Jules obsession and subsequent relationship with Cynthia; you have his relationship with Alba and Gorodish, young thieves; you have his pursuit by the aforementioned and then you have the story of the police case and it's relation to Jules. All four of these sub-plots are handled in such a fluid manner than none ever feels detached from the other. They all coincide in perfect harmony.
The acting is very good from everyone involved. Frederic Andrei delivers nicely as Jules, capturing his adoration as well as his confusion as he handles all that is happening around him. I also really liked what Richard Bohringer did with his small role as Gorodish, and I only wish that he had more screen time. The two standouts here are the two ladies in Jules' life; Wihelmenia Fernandez (who plays Cynthia) and Thuy An Luu (who plays Alba). Fernandez is stunning and very controlled as the diva herself, commanding each screen and bleeding forth her characters personal agenda. Luu is also a stunner here, managing to caress each frame with a dominating sensuality and gripping manner. They are two completely opposite ends of the equation, and together they equal perfected unity. Someone once told me that the acting in this film plays against realism, that it feels almost fake but on purpose. I agree. The film is played out someone like a fantasy, like a surreal dream and so the actors take on that same tone with their performances. There is a level of human detachment here that is subtle enough not to detract from the film but obvious enough to actually create another layer, another element to the films already engrossing and unique atmosphere.
So, in closing, I consider this a definite `must see' film; a stunning and engrossing and beautiful film noir that covers every base perfectly.
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Almost didn't buy it!
Added 11/22/2009
After reading the reviews of the Lionsgate issue of Diva, I almost didn't buy the DVD. I looked at the price of other issues, and decided on Lionsgate because it was less expensive, offered extra features, and I knew I could return it if the quality turned out to be poor.
I'm so glad I bought this. The picture had very minor graininess which was not distracting. The thing was made in 1981! The sound is good. The subtitles are clear and easy to follow. The features are wonderful for any film buff, with interviews with the director, other people involved in the production, as well as a few cast members. There is also scene specific commentary by director, Jean-Jacques Beineix. All interviews and commentary have English translations.
The story has been summarized by other reviewers. I did not see in the other reviews any note of the link with the real-life diva, Jessye Norman. Shirley Verrett stated in her autobiography that the story, Diva, was inspired by a very dedicated fan of Norman's. Norman said in an interview that this French fan--now deceased--was a messenger by trade. He traveled all over Europe to attend Norman's performances. She knew him, speaks of him by name (Alain), and was fond of him--though there was no close friendship. That's where the resemblance between him and Diva's protagonist, Jules, ends.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Diva rocks (symphonically)
Added 11/1/2009
A slightly dated gem. Edgy and punk before the words were coined. Wilhelmina Fernandes is divine, and the cinematography anticipates trends seen 20 years later.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Unusual but pleasing
Added 10/26/2009
The Bottom Line:
A flashy and fun thriller with a rightly-famous chase scene through the Paris Metro that heralded (for better or for worse) the advent of the Cinema Du Look mini-movement in France that went away from realism and steered Gallic cinema towards the slickness of directors like Luc Besson, Diva is winding and twisting in a good way, always interesting to look at and follow; though some of the supporting characters remain ambiguous because they're reoccurring characters in the novel the book is based on, there are few other flaws in this unique film.
3.5/4
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