Diva [Meridian Collection]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

The diva of the title is a famous black opera singer (Wilhelmina Wiggins-Fernandez) who steadfastly refuses to be recorded. The singer is idolized by young French mail-carrier Jules (Frederic Andrei), who sneaks a tape recorder into the theater and records her performance. This is witnessed by a pair of Taiwanese criminals, who unlike Andrei wish to profit from the bootlegged recording. They begin to pursue the boy, as do a couple of home-grown hooligans who believe that Jules is in possession of some murder evidence. The serpentine plot leads to a warm friendship between Jules and the reclusive diva - and to a brilliantly photographed (by Philipe Rousselot) motorcycle chase through the subway tunnels of Paris. Diva marked the directorial debut of Jean-Jacques Beineix, whose obvious fondness for the more esoteric techniques of the Nouvelle Vague never impedes his willingness to simply entertain his audiences. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 (Vistavision)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Features:
  • Digitally mastered transfer approved by director Jean-Jacques Beineix
  • Scene-specific audio commentary with Jean-Jacques Beineix
  • Interview with Jean-Jacques Beineix
  • Interview with director of photography Philippe Rousselot
  • Interview with set designer Hilton McConnico
  • Additional interviews with cast and crew
  • Introduction to interviews by Phil Powrie, author of Jean-Jacques Beineix
  • 16x9 widescreen
  • Remastered French Dolby monaural audio
  • English and Spanish subtitles

AWARDS

• French Academy of Cinema

•     Won Best Cinematography - 1981 (Philippe Rousselot)
•     Won Best First Film - 1981 (Jean-Jacques Beineix)
•     Won Best Music - 1981 (Vladimir Cosma)
•     Won Best Sound - 1981 (Jean-Pierre Ruh)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Frederic Andrei - Jules
       Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez - Cynthia Hawkins
       Richard Bohringer - Gorodish
       Thuy An Luu - Alba
       Dominique Pinon - Le Cure
       Jacques Fabbri - Jean Saporta
       Roland Bertin - Weinstadt
       Anny Romand - Paula
       Gerard Darmon - Spic, I'Antillais
       Bernard Robin

• Director:

  Jean-Jacques Beineix

• Producer:

  Irene Silberman

• Dialogue Writer:

  Jean-Jacques Beineix

• Screenwriter:

  Jean-Jacques Beineix, Jean VanHamme

• Book Author:

  Delacorta

• Cinematographer:

  Philippe Rousselot

• Composer (Music Score):

  Vladimir Cosma

• Featured Music:

  Charles Gounod

• Editor:

  Monique Prim, Marie-Josephe Yoyotte

• Production Designer:

  Hilton McConnico

• Set Designer:

  Hilton McConnico

• Costume Designer:

  Claire Fraisse

• Production Manager:

  Ully Pickard

• Conductor:

  Vladimir Cosma

REVIEW:

• A stunning debut for director Jean-Jacques Beineix, Diva is a pulsating, eccentric slice of post-modernism. Shocking to many audiences, Diva blends violence, wit and punk style in a manner that later would be appropriated by Quentin Tarantino and other admirers of updated, jazzed-up film noir. The plot concerns a black Parisian soprano, some recording pirates who want to profit from her voice, corrupt policemen and a chief who runs a prostitution ring, and other seedy scenarios. More important than any of this is the frenzied, bold atmospherics, aided by an eclectic sound track. Cinematographer Philippe Rousselot's work earned him several critics' awards. Beneix failed to live up to the dazzling promise shown in Diva, a film whose attitude was widely imitated in the rest of the 1980s and the 1990s. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi