Diva (Widescreen)

Most films are produced by professional production houses and have elements of the formulaic. They are action thrillers, romances, horrors or mysteries. Production companies will use teams of writers a bank of directors and hire actors who have some star quality. Some films from production houses are good, most are mediocre and some are bombs. However most tend to be reasonably simple in construction and use the same tools of audience manipulation.

Diva is a film that is different from the main stream. It is in reality simply a mystery thriller with a well-written comic plot. From that point of view it can not be said to be an intellectual film it is very much a main stream production. However whilst not an intellectual film it is a intelligent film.

The plot is multi dimensional. A courier secretly tapes the performance of a reclusive opera star. The opera star has never allowed her work to be copied so that the tape is immensely valuable. At the same time a dying woman puts into the couriers bag a tape which holds the clue to a major corruption scandal. The film is about the pursuit of the courier by two lots of villains, one chasing the recording the others chasing the tape.

Introduced into the mix is the character of a detective figure who is unlike the conventional action hero as one can be. A character who is obsessed with a Zen like philosophy, who lives in a huge bar apartment and does incredibly complex jigsaw puzzles and who makes strange speeches on the art of buttering the baguette.

Rather than the film being powered by a simple plot each scene is carefully crafted both to develop the narrative of the film and also to illustrate the feel of the film and to define the characters. The opening scene is a glorious aria from the rather obscure opera La Wally. The aria is one of subtle beauty and gravity and it is sung by the Diva of the title who is a woman of incredible attractiveness.

The key of course is that the film is entertaining and keeps one interested, as it does not use the normal formulas and resolutions of conventional mysteries. It is rather an entry into a slightly strange surreal world. Although France makes its share of dud films, films like this give it the reputation of a country which makes films which are more enjoyable than those released by the mainstream.

In the same way 'The Breakfast Club' defined a certain kind of 1980s
US filmmaking, and 'Blow Up' defined 1960s hipness, 'Diva'
defined a certain kind of 1980s European cinema.

That doesn't mean it's great, just seminal. It marked a turning away
from deep psychology, philosophy, politics or even plot, and marked an
emphasis on style, energy, colors, etc. The movie is about being a cool
movie, with cool sets, cool shots, a cool car chase, etc. The plot is
just enough to hold it all together.

All that said, it is great to look at, the chase is fun, and the film
is fun too, in an empty calorie, music video sort of way. It's
frustrating. If the acting was a little better (the leads range from
pretty good to very awkward) and the story had a little more heart and
brains, it could have kept it's grand style, and been a great film, not
just an entertaining, great looking film.

The new Meridian version is disappointingly weak. I actually
prefer my old Anchor Bay copy (I believe the same version
is the hgv edition in Canada), which was itself far from
perfect, but seems to be stronger both visually and aurally.
Read the in depth analysis on DVD Beaver comparing the
Meridian, the Anchor Bay and the Fox Lorber and you'll
get some interesting details on the differences.

I have also heard (but not yet personally seen) that
the 2004 region 2 WB and similar 2007 Region 2 Optimum
release may actually be the best version around, and currently
sells pretty cheap on Amazon UK, so if you have
a region free player, you might want to check that out.

Diva (Widescreen)

One of the best movies from the early 80's. This movie is filled with visual beauty and vivid colors. The story is good and kinda reminds me of the present times with the illegal music downloads (sort of).
It could have done with a better score, but this was the 80's and most movies were riddled with synthesized scores. The singer who plays the Diva has an awesome voice and this movie was my introduction to opera and great classical music.