The Bottom Line
Pros
- An enjoyable, visually scintillating, playful film that combines thriller elements with other genres
- A highly stylized movie with an intricate plot, eccentric characters and odd locations
- There's an originality to the filmmakers' vision that sets this movie apart from others
Cons
- Not much character development and film doesn't have much emotional punch
- Plot is farfetched and the resolution of the thriller part via deus ex machina is weak
- DVD could use some pedagogical materials to help viewers better appreciate the movie
Description
- Lionsgate's Meridian Collection DVD containing French-language drama Diva (1981)
- Movie directed and co-written by Jean-Jacques Beineix
- DVD provides 41 minutes of scene-specific audio commentary by the director
- DVD contains 74 minutes of cast and crew interviews, preceded by a six-minute introduction
- Feature film is in French with English and Spanish subtitles, while bonus materials are in English
- Feature film runtime: 1 hour 57 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- DVD release date: June 3, 2008
Guide Review - 'Diva' (Meridian Collection) DVD Review
A visual delight, Diva was innovative when it was released in 1981 and is still fun to watch today. The film is breezy and more about how great everything looks than it is about story, but its brashness is enhanced by bizarre characters and odd incidents. This is a movie that has panache.
The protagonist is an opera-obsessed mail carrier named Jules (Frédéric Andréi). He is about 20 and lives in a loft reached by taking a huge freight elevator, then walking past a bunch of wrecked cars. Much of the film chronicles the improbable relationship that develops between him and a 32-year-old soprano (Wilhelmenia Fernandez). A high point of the movie is Fernandez singing an aria from the seldom-performed opera La Wally.
But the film's narrative is driven by two sets of thugs and the police going after Jules because of a pair of audiotapes. At least eight people die violently, and there's an exhilarating chase through the Paris Métro.
Also, Jules makes friends with a shoplifting adolescent Vietnamese girl named Alba, who is the ward of Gorodish, a mysterious guy who's pushing 40. They live together in a big, blue, sparsely furnished space containing a kinetic sculpture that sloshes water while Gorodish works on a jigsaw puzzle depicting a giant wave and Alba roller skates around him. Gorodish also has another residence in a lighthouse.
The Diva DVD contains some extras. Director/co-writer Jean-Jacques Beineix provides scene-specific audio commentary for about 41 minutes of his movie, covering topics such as duality, symbolism and subtext. Also, the DVD has 74 minutes of video interviews with cast and crew, and there's a six-minute introduction to the interviews. Although the feature film is in French, the extras are in English.
