Diva (1981) User Reviews

She's the queen of the night.

[lastliberal · 8/10 · 31 May 2007]

I can relate to the star (Frédéric Andréi as Jules) in this film, as i have had a love affair with an opera star. Ever since I heard and saw Julia Migenes in Carmen, I have loved her, but not to the extent that Jules loved Cynthia Hawkins (Wilhelmenia Fernandez).

Jean-Jacques Beineix who won a César for this, his first job as director, really presented two stories. First, the obsession that Jules had for opera and for Cynthia; and a second story of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This is actually a police drama in the middle of a love story. It will be slow to those who do not like opera as it frames the story. The music is divine as Wilhelmenia Fernandez is truly an artist of note.

A superior French actor, Richard Bohringer, and an enchanting Vietnamese actress, Thuy An Luu, provide support to Jules as he evades capture by those who want a pirated tape of Cynthia's concert that he made, and another group that wants a tape that fell into his lap that revels the head of a prostitution ring between Africa and Paris.

He is just trying to spend time with Cynthis, but wherever he turns, someone is waiting.

All's well that ends well, and this ends well, but how it gets there is suspenseful and full of twists and turns.

Ebben! Ne andrò lontana

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 16 August 2016]

Two tapes, an opera lover, thugs, and a corrupt official are the center of "Diva," a French film from 1981.

When a woman being chased drops a tape into a mailman's pouch, an opera-loving postman, Jules (Frédéric Andréi), finds himself involved in murder and mayhem.

Jules has recently secretly recorded his opera idol, Cynthia Hawkins (Wilhemina Wiggins Fernandez) in a concert. She has never been recorded and refuses to make any. Apparently she only sings one aria in this concert, "Ebben! Ne andro lontana" (I will go far away) from La Wally, or at least that's all we hear her sing and all Jules listens to on tape.

Jules becomes a target for men who want the tape the woman put into his mailbag, which incriminates a government official in prostitution. Fortunately, before his place is trashed; he asks a new friend, Alba (Thuy An Luu) to keep the Hawkins recording for him.

Really excellent film with great chase scenes, including an exciting motorcycle chase which even involves the French subway.

The Paris location adds an atmospheric layer.

Fernandez is a stunning diva, and a good actress, but I had some trouble with her vocal production. It's a beautiful voice, but I've heard the La Wally aria sung better. She did a much better job on the Ave Maria and the part of "O patria mia" she sang, which were easier and more lyrically sung.

Highly recommended for the acting, its intricate plot, its dark Parisian streets, and beautiful music.

"It creates a nice ambiance."

[morrison-dylan-fan · 8/10 · 10 May 2016]

Looking round for articles online about the history of French cinema, (as you do!)I found out about a French film movement that appeared in the 80's called cinéma du look.Looking round for details about what titles were from the movement,I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I had unintentionally picked up one of the movies from the movement recently, which led to me getting ready to take a look at du diva.

The plot:

With opera singer Cynthia Hawkins saying that she will never record an album,a super fan (and post office worker) called Jules decides to go to a concert and make a bootleg recording.After making the recording,Jules gets the chance to go backstage and meet Hawkins.Walking out from the backstage,Jules decides to steal Hawkins performance gown as a memento to the concert.

Just before Jules starts up his moped to get away from the venue,a prostitute called Nadia slips a cassette into Jules rucksack containing a recording which reveals that the head of police is corrupt,just before two gangsters kill her.Driving off unaware of Nadia,Jules soon finds the law and the underworld to desperate to hear his secret recordings.

View on the film:

Rolling out as one of the first cinéma du look titles,co- writer/(along with Jean Van Hamme)director Jean-Jacques Beineix & cinematographer Philippe Rousselot glaze the film in exploding primary colours.Following Jules attempts to outrun the cops/gangsters with ultra-stylised tracking shots giving the title an on the streets urgency, Beineix and Rousselot unveil a lush pop- art world,where freshly squeezed red,yellows and blues give the film a chic comic- book atmosphere.

Focusing on the surface in their adaptation of Daniel Odier's novel, (the first in a series of books) Beineix and Jean Van Hamme make sure to keep the glitter lit by taking Jules run-ins in deliciously quirky directions,from the two sun-glass wearing "amateur" hit men,to Hawkins being an "Artist" diva.Showing Jules to be a bit of a stalker,the writers stay away from darkness to whip up a light and fluffy connection between Jules and Hawkins,as Jules fandom brings out a sweet sensitivity in Hawkins.

Performing the songs with her own incredible voice, Wilhelmenia Fernandez gives a terrific performance as Hawkins,whose strongly held perfectionist side is given a wicked playfulness,as Hawkins uncovers Jules fandom.Driving over a sea of pulp colours, Frédéric Andréi gives a very good performance as Jules,with Andréi giving Jules a deer in the headlights appearance over everyone being after his secret recording,as Jules meets his dream diva.

Super cool thriller/art film. One of the most stylish movies ever made.

[Infofreak · 21 February 2003]

I watched 'Diva' the other day for the first time in at least fifteen years and it really held up. Long regarded as a pivotal 1980s art film, it has influenced many subsequent film makers, in advertising, and music videos. I'd say Ridley Scott was aware of it when he shot 'Blade Runner' and that opens up a whole can of worms. One could argue that 'Diva', though by no means science fiction, was a strong influence on William Gibson and other cyberpunk writers. Director Beineix is probably best know for the erotic classic 'Betty Blue', but this is a much more original and interesting movie. Beineix uses every trick in the book to make this movie visually stunning, but the plot is also strong, concerning the confusion between tapes of an Opera singer who abhors recordings, and evidence which can nail a corrupt cop. A young messenger (Frederic Andrei) gets caught up in this mistake and his life is soon at risk. Along the way he also comes to have an odd relationship with the singer in question (Wilhelmenia Fernandez), as well as a strange art student cum shoplifter (Thuy An Luu). Nothing is straightforward in 'Diva' but it is consistently watchable. Keep an eye out for Jean-Pierre Jeunet regular Dominique Pinot as a cool looking punk thug, and also the outstanding motorcycle sequence. A very good movie. Recommended.

Diva

[jboothmillard · 6/10 · 8 October 2015]

The book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die is where I found this French film, it had a good sounding title and was rated well by critics, so I looked forward to what it would offer. Basically in Paris, France, young postman Jules (Frédéric Andréi) lives a bohemian lifestyle, and he has a small circle of friends, but more than anything he is a great fan of opera, especially the beautiful, celebrated and exceptional American opera singer Cynthia Hawkins (Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez). Cynthia has never had her voice or performances recorded, and refuses to do so, Jules attends her latest performance, and being obsessive secretly and illegally records it on cassette tape, he also steals the gown she wore from her dressing room. One night Jules is travelling on his moped, prostitute Nadia Kalonsky (Chantal Deruaz) drops another tape into his bag, it contains the prostitute's testimony about high-ranking police Inspector Jean Saporta (Jacques Fabbri), as the boss of various rackets, she is murdered after the drop. Jules is now in danger from Taiwanese gangsters seeking the Hawkins tape, and from Saporta's enforcers who want the testimony, inadvertently tangled in a conspiracy of murder he finds refuge with his new friends, mysterious bohemian Serge Gorodish (Richard Bohringer) and his muse young Vietnamese-French woman Alba (Thuy An Luu). Feeling guilty, Jules returns Hawkins's dress, she is initially angry, but does forgive him and is intrigued by his adoration of her, they form a kind of romantic relationship, she meanwhile is being blackmailed by the Taiwanese into recording for them, claiming they have a copy of her performance. Saporta sends his henchmen to take care of Jules and the testimony tape, there is a chase through the PArisian subways, Jules is rescued by Gorodish, but he is almost killed by Saporta himself when returning home, but Gorodish saves him again and forces Saporta to fall down an elevator shaft. In the end Jules plays the tape of Cynthia's performance for her, she is nervous as she has never heard herself sing, and all the crime gangster and corruption stuff seems to disappear and things settle. Also starring Roland Bertin as Simon Weinstadt, Gérard Darmon as Spic, Dominique Pinon as Le Curé, Jean-Jacques Moreau as Krantz and Patrick Floersheim as Zatopek. It is a simple story, a bootlegged recording tape and a tape containing incriminating evidence getting mixed up, and the innocent bystander caught in the middle, it does get a bit in experimentation of style, but it has great camera-work and imagery throughout, and the operatic music is always a joy to listen to, all in all it is a compelling cult crime drama. It was nominated the BAFTA for Best Foreign Language Film. Very good!

Great, weird plot - and everything else is even better

[RWiggum · 10/10 · 11 June 2003]

Today, most films have a structure so simple, you can abstract it in one mere sentence. Diva is not such a film, it has so much plot that I don't know where to begin. Maybe I'll begin with the two tapes the film is all about. Tape one is the bootleg record of the beautiful aria Ebben ne andro lontana from Alfredo Catalani's opera La Wally, taped during the recital of the famous opera singer Cynthia Hawkins. On tape, two Nadja, a prostitute, discloses who is the man behind a prostitution ring. The man who possesses these two tapes is Jules, a postman; tape one because he's the one who recorded it (for private use only, of course), tape two because Nadja slipped it into his bag just seconds before she's killed. Not really knowing why, Jules finds himself fleeing from the police and from the mob because of the latter tape - and since Cynthia Hawkins always refused to make tape recordings of her voice, two guys from the Taiwanese mafia, who sat just behind Jules when he recorded his bootleg, see their chance to make a fortune with it, try to get it and blackmail the diva.

Meanwhile, Jule becomes friends with Cynthia Hawkins when he brings her back a dress he stole after her recital (but not after having sex with a hooker wearing it) and they spend a day together. He also encounters Alba, a nice, glib girl with a talent for shoplifting (she developed a technique that makes you wish you're the guy behind the counter) and Gorodish, the man she lives with, two people who will help him a lot in the course of the film. All this is handled by director Jean-Jacques Beineix with virtuosity. But I'm only talking about the twisted plot here, whereas Diva is so much more.

It is its pop-art style, it is its unique genre-mix of Thriller and Romance, it is Jules' apartment, which looks like combination of a studio and a garage, it is its two killers who look like they escaped a Jeunet-film (and indeed Dominique Pinon, who plays one of the two killers, went on to star in Delicatessen, La cité des enfants perdus and Amélie), it is that wonderful chase scene where Jules drives down the stairs and takes the Métro with his moped, it is that absurdly funny scene with the blue Beethoven bust, it is Thuy An Luu, playing Alba as a cheerful girl that makes you wish you had a girlfriend like that, it is Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez, a real-life opera singer in her only film role, playing a wonderful Cynthia Hawkins (how I love that look she gives when someone reminds her of her age), it is Gorodish ingeniously solving two problems at once, it is its wonderful ending I will not reveal her with the perfect last words (Shhhh, listen...)... I could go on with this list forever. With its hilarious story, its beautiful images, its weird characters and its joyous direction, Diva could open the door to the cinema of the rest of the world for those whose Top 10 list consist only of films as Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, The Usual Suspects or The Godfather. It is a film I immensely love and could watch over and over again.

Effective crime thriller en Francais

[Samiam3 · 7/10 · 6 November 2010]

Overambition is always risky. Diva is so plot heavy that it almost cracks, but it is delicious and entertaining. As far as genre is concerned, this movie flirts with several, but I think it is safe to label Diva as essentially a neo noir. It is darkly romantic, full of corruption, and photographed in spectacular fashion. The colours are rich and the camera work is exquisite. The movie is almost great but not quite. In an attempt to bring everything together, it has a little climax trouble.

A tape of evidence with exposes the Chief inspector of Paris as crooked ends up in the moped satchel of a mail boy named Jules, who suddenly finds himself being hunted down by goons with guns. But that's not his only problem. Jules has made a secret recording of his favourite opera singer live in concert. This singer has blatantly refused to do any recordings, and when word gets out that such a recording exists, different people are going after it. It is ever more essential that Jules keep it hidden, considering, that he and his singer friend have become intimate friends.

Even though Diva enjoys piling it up by the pound, it does so in a compelling fashion. It is a good balance of bold and slick. There are a few clichés buried beneath the labyrinth plot that a picky person may be drawn to pick out, but I enjoyed Diva for its sense of non- convention. It puts character before character type, and tension above twist.

Cinematography plays an exceptional role in this motion picture, which captures Paris in a far more exuberant way than I am used to seeing (and I've been there). One item about the city which has never appeal to me is that it is very grey, with not enough green. Grey is the last of the colours on Diva's colour pallet (execpt when necessary). This motion picture prefers something a little more romantic or expressive. like a jazzy blue, or a fiery red.

I can easily give Diva a pass, and I can recommend it on numerous grounds. As a non-Hollywood thriller, Diva is exceptional, but it is not a film for the soft minded. It gets a bit too convoluted, not too messy, but there is a sense that it could use a slight reworking. This is not a light motion picture, but it ain't a dull one either.

Stylish, charming, and always original

[Galina_movie_fan · 9/10 · 27 April 2005]

A wonderful combination of many genres - Action / Drama / Mystery / Romance / Thriller / Music/Art, this tale of two tapes may actually change the way you think about opera.

Wilhelmenia Fernandez as Cynthia Hawkins (Diva) who always refused to be recorded - is a revelation; her voice, a magic mixture of melted pure gold and crystal is a miracle.

There are so much more in this absolutely unique film - just to mention a certain shoplifting technique, or the coolest chase which started in the streets of Paris and ended in the subway's car.

The most fascinating thing for me is that Diva was released about twenty years ago in Moscow, I remember the title - but I never saw it back then. Better later than never.

Highly recommended - 9/10

DIVA deserves to be a niche in the time capsule

[lasttimeisaw · 6/10 · 13 September 2015]

If one considers this as a white-knuckle thriller contingent on its narrative coherence, DIVA, Beineix's groundbreaking feature debut, is not a qualified specimen, but by retrospect, it is a pioneer piece of work which commences a specific style in French cinema from 1980s, CINÉMA DU LOOK, where a lurid visual approach presides over the essential narrative, exemplified by Luc Besson, Leos Carax, and of course Beineix himself.

To each his own, but there is a difference between foundering on fabricating a plausible storyline and discarding the conventional narrative arc in preference to its stylish extravaganza. Unfortunately I consider DIVA is a case of former, not just because the source material, Delacorta's novel, is firmly grounded in its entangled involvements of two tapes, an intrepid postman Jules (Andréi) who is a fervid opera fan of singer Cynthia Hawkins (Fernandez), a drug cartel and prostitution ring in Paris, the inept police department, a Taiwanese gang who deals with pirate tapes and a mysterious man Serge Gorodish (Bohringer) with his young Vietnamese lover Alba (Luu), who phlegmatically keeps the upper hand of the dangerous game. More critically, it is a film deceptively imposes itself as an intriguing police procedural and cat-and-mouse chaser, only during the creative process, as if Beineix had lost the competence to juxtapose these paralleled happenings and commotions with a probable consistence, so he would opt out of the imbroglio and execute a visually-impressive strategy instead to dispatch the task, in order to shift the focus from viewers. The sentimental but fickle affinity between Jules and Cynthia is virtually has no bearing in the main plot at all, yet, it is the most enthralling part, as the title infers, we are more tempted to peek the high-strung temperament of a real diva than a shoddily- concocted heroic actioner to disintegrate a criminal cartel established by an evil police officer.

The real-life American soprano Ferandez's rendition of Alfredo Catalani's LA WALLY (the only masterpiece he made during his shortened lifespan) is divine and instantly keeps audience hooked, but as a drama actress, her bent is pretty limited, the rest of the dramatis personae is no better, save the enigmatic Bohringer, Serge is a badly written character in the story, ludicrously becomes an omnipresent last-minute saviour and a crafty criminal himself, but what is his back-story? Living in a huge apartment with an eye-opening parade of post-pop art, one might want to watch an entire movie solely based on his exotic way of life with Alba.

Equipped with a neon-lit pizazz, its fixation on opera and female nudity, all I can say is that DIVA deserves to be a niche in a time capsule for epitomising the zeitgeist of its time, when most of us have no mood to revisit, in spite of being obtrusively garish and full of far- fetched whims in its vein.

The rich colors and soundtrack make this movie great.

[Tyger80 · 9/10 · 18 June 2002]

Diva was very influential on me as a young college student. Diva represented the archetype of a foreign art film. Sure it was new, strange, and unpredictable as Avante-Garde films tend to be. But it was more than that.

I've seen Diva three times -all in the 1980's. Twenty years later, what I remember most is not the plot and the message, but the rich texture of the film. As a viewer I was submersed in a new and different reality; one that was visually stunning, intriguing, and edgy. The submersion was achieved both visually and with the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack.

The colors man, the colors... Diva included many beautiful shot scenes with intense colors and dramatic lighting. There are several shots the stills of which could be turned into farmable artwork. At the time I was thinking they would make great dorm-room posters.

I think Diva has had a lasting influence on cinematography. You may have noticed that movies, TV shows and especially advertisements have moved to be very color intense. Dramatic lighting showing sharp contrasting hues, are the norm. Diva was the first film I can remember with rich color saturation made intentionally to make this type of artistic impression.

Another movie whose cinematography was likely influenced by Diva is Betty Blue (1986).

Quintessential 80s European film-making

[runamokprods · 7/10 · 1 January 2012]

In the same way 'The Breakfast Club' defined a certain kind of 1980s American 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.

Viva Diva

[irajoel · 10/10 · 12 June 2001]

Jean-Jacques Beineix's first film is a quirky colorful pop mixture of action, romance ,music and fairy tale that is based on a pop novel by Delacorta. The story concerns a young French postal delivery boy named Jules, who is also an opera lover & a big fan of the beautiful,& eccentric African American diva Cynthia Hawkins who is performing in Paris when the movie opens. Ms. Hawkins played by opera singer Wilhelmenia Fernandez refuses to sing for recordings, and this quirk of hers is what sets the action of the movie moving. Jules decides to tape Hawkins in performance, after which he goes backstage to meet the diva, and promptly steals the gown she wore at the concert, which he sometimes uses as a scarf when its not hanging in a shrine he has made to her in his large loft filled with disgarded cars. The plot really gets tangled when Jules, while on his way to a delivery witnesses the murder of a barefooted young woman who is carrying a tape that has a lot of plot and secrets on it. Who is she, and why does she wind up with an icepick in her back is one of the movie's many enjoyable plot devices that slowly unravels as the film goes on. While on her way to the icepick the lady drops her tape (unknown to him at the time)in Jules delivery pouch, and the chase so to speak is on. Jules charmingly played by Frederic Andrei is not only in danger from the very creepy killers of the lady, but also from two shady Japanese record producers who want his pirated tape of Hawkins beautiful aria from "La Wally" that Jules recorded. Very much influenced by American crime thrillers & film noir but very much it's own film, Diva is a delight from the very beginning to the beautiful ending which takes place on an empty stage and always moves me to shed a few tears. One of the terrific things about Diva is it's lively cast of characters all wonderfully played. Thuy An Luu as the young & sexy Vietnamese model Alba, is most winning as the companion of the strange & seemingly very wealthy recluse played by the great Richard Bohringer. These are characters and performances to embrace, they make one feel good. There are many wonderful set pieces including a quite amazing chase on motorbike through the Paris metro, a stroll in the early morning hours around Paris with Jules and Hawkins, and of course the gorgous singing of Ms. Fernandez. Beautifully photographed by Philippe Rousselot this is one of the highlights of 1982, and among the very best of the decade. The newly released and happily restored DVD does justice to the film both in the quality of the picture and sound.

style beyond the skin-deep

[JMann · 7/10 · 7 November 1999]

What impressed me most about 'Diva' was the fact that it defined the style of French cinema of the 1980s but appeared very early in the decade. It has a complex plot that is followed and achieved by quirky, sometimes inexplicable characters, but most importantly, it has 'the look'. Because of this, it is difficult to see this film as what it is today: a dated, once-shiny, now-worn toy that provided memorable hours of challenge and amusement many years ago. The visual aesthetic of 'Diva' is flawlessly crafted and smooth, yet perfectly self-conscious. And it provides a curiously interesting background for a slightly bizarre plot that maintains its strange allure on subsequent viewings. The film that is composed of these elements, then, is one that is well-remembered, and for good reasons. There are few films that I have seen that have such a sleek appearance yet manage to interest beyond the superficial, and even fewer that manage to maintain this interest.

Fizzled

[hendrikdeneyer · 2/10 · 21 December 2021]

As a teenager I was mighty impressed when I watched this movie. Most of all, I was impressed by Gorodish's loft, a totally unknown type of living space, from a boy growing up in a standard flat. I was so naive that I did not even realise the lavish use of the colour blue was one of the many "artistic" gimmicks.

Watching it again, after all those years, I realised I did not remember the plot at all and I'd even forgotten some of the characters (Alba, just a touch of fluffy quirk). Even the Diva herself was a blur. The fact is, the plot is risible and main character Jules totally bland and forgettable.

This is just a soulless series of lavishly staged sketches, poorly played by mediocre actors. Only the actors playing Gorodish and Le Curé had a career of some relevance, while the other players fell through the cracks and rightly so. Even the music is boring, despite the punk/lyric pretentiousness.

One point is compulsory and one for that amazing loft.

Best movie ever about bootlegging concerts

[McGonigle · 30 May 2003]

Diva is a movie that seems just as stunning and unique to me today as it did when I first saw it 20 years ago. One of those movies that you will remember forever.

On the surface, it's an exercise in pure style, combining exciting, "hip" visuals with great music (opera as well as some great atmospheric incidental music). But there are hundreds of movies like that. What makes Diva so memorable to me is the way it combines this stylish cinematic eye candy with a suspenseful plot, good acting, a touch of romance and sex, and even a smattering of philosophy (as the title character explains her reasons for not allowing her voice to be recorded, not to mention the immortal bread-buttering scene).

It sounds like a recipe for a boring, highly stylized "European" movie, but this is a film where the excitement never flags for a minute. One of the true gems of 80s cinema. As a friend said "If you wanted to be hip in the 80s, you had to have seen 'Liquid Sky', 'Repo Man' and 'Diva'". But even today, you should see it just because it's a great movie.

Stylish but convoluted

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 25 November 2014]

Jules is a moped riding postman obsessed with opera singer Cynthia Hawkins. He secretly records her concert performance and steals her gown from the dressing room. He befriends Vietnamese girl Alba who shoplifts records. Outside a train station, he runs into a disheveled girl on the run from a couple of man claiming to be cops. They end up being dirty cops who kill her but she leaves a tape recording of evidence in Jules' mailbag. The cops come looking for the tape and trashes his place. He decides to hide out at Alba and Serge Gorodish's place. He returns the gown to Hawkins and she is fascinated by her stalker. Somehow a bootleg of her concert has gone to Taiwan and Hawkins is threatened with its release unless she signs a contract.

This movie has lots of style. It is great to have so many interesting ideas and visuals being attempted. However I don't like the convoluted unengaging story and the bland lead Frédéric Andréi. There is possibly a great action thriller here but the story is too complicated to be thrilling. I liked the movie up to when he meets up with Hawkins. I want him more of a stalker vibe which is lost when he becomes her friend. Also I rather have the opera being the background more than in the foreground. It's got some interesting stuff but the lead doesn't have enough charisma.

views from a true fan

[celito · 10/10 · 10 February 2004]

I admit having seen this picture about twenty times. To me, it's the perfect balance between suspense, love story, music film, and comedy. And then the pictures! Every single scene has been carefully built to reach maximum optical effect. There are so many details to discover that seeing the movie once is not enough. This picture is a MUST for every true movie fan...

"She's the queen of the night."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 25 June 2018]

This film has a dual plot line in which dirty cops are after the main character because they believe he has a cassette tape incriminating their boss in prostitution and drug trafficking. At the same time, Jules (Frédéric Andréi) has created his own tape of a famous operatic singer who refuses to have her own voice recorded as an affront by those who would profit from it. It's an interesting double bind Jules finds himself in, even though for a good portion of the story he's unaware that the tape he holds of a crooked chief inspector is in his possession; it was secretly dropped into his mail satchel by the mistress of Commissaire Saporta (Jacques Fabbri) while on the run from the thugs he set out after her. For whatever reason, even for all it's intrigue, I couldn't quite connect with this story. It's not hard to follow if one pays attention, and the opera star Cynthia Hawkins (Wilhelmenia Fernandez) has the most beautiful voice, but the characters and situations ultimately didn't engage me in a meaningful way. The eventual confrontation between the corrupt Chief Inspector and Jules ends in the most ignominious way when the cop falls off of an elevated landing in a warehouse when the lights go out. That just seemed so lame to me. No doubt others will find much more intrigue and mystery to the film than this viewer did, so in keeping with a time honored phrase designed to keep you invested in the story until it's conclusion, I would simply state, it's not over until the black lady sings.

A French 1980's Thriller Romance: Diva

[FloatingOpera7 · 10/10 · 25 July 2008]

Diva (1981): Frederic Andrei, Wilhelmenia Fernandez, Thuy An Lu, Richard Bohringer, Jacques Fabbri, Chantal Deruaz, Anny Romand, Roland Bertin, Gerard Darmon, Dominique Pinon, Jean Jacques Moreau, Patrick Floersheim, Raymond Aquilon, Eugene Berthier, Gerard Chaillou....Director Jean Jacques Beineix, Screenplay Jean Jacques Beineix Adapted from the novel by Daniel Odier, this 1981-1982 film from French director Jean Jacques Beineix marked a new wave of French cinema for the 1980's. Previous French films in the 1970's were darker and moodier, more pretentious in many ways and a lot more philosophical/intellectually serious in their art-house endeavor. But "Diva" is a combination of art-house, comedy and thriller made up in a colorful fabric of cinematography, nuanced acting, beautiful music and an engaging story. It's "deluxe look" employs many of the "advertisement" gimmicks from popular 1980's French magazines. It's a slow moving movie, so for anyone seeing it for the first time, it should feel as long as any foreign film usually does. The topping on the artsy cake is Italian opera - the constant use of the soprano aria "Ebben N'andro lontano" from Catalani's "La Wally" is forever linked to this movie. The French cultural signature is on this but it's nothing heavy. It does lead up to a climatic finale and has all the ingredients of the typical thriller fiction - detectives trying to locate the bad guy and bring him to justice. There are chases both by car and foot, attempted murder and a murder, and the seedier side of Paris (prostitution, drugs, white slavery, poverty) despite the genuine goodness of the lead characters. It's a movie that seems to want to emulate modern American movies, especially in its touches of comedy and comic relief, and in the attitudes of the characters, who, despite being youth of the 1980's, also seem to be reminders of counterculture from the 1960's and 1970's, free spirited, hippie-intellectuals.

Set in President Mitterand's early 1980's Paris, the film follows what appears to be an episode in the life of a poor, bohemian dreamer and postal worker Jules (Frederic Andrei). His romantic obsession for the African-American opera singer Cynthia Hawkins (Wilhelmenia Fernandez) leads him to secretly tape record her singing voice at a Paris concert. His intentions are pure. He wants to keep a memento of her and to have access to her beautiful voice from his own home. He also boldly steals one of her expensive gowns (this out of sexual longing, like stealing a woman's panties). But before long, he finds himself involved in a plot involving a murdered prostitute, two police detectives and the head of a drug cartel and prostitution ring. The recording also featured the confession of the prostitute who was murdered, who had sought to expose a corrupt Police Captain who had been operating as prostitution ring from Africa and Paris. This forces Jules to become involved in a sticky situation and he's soon being hunted by both the cops and the baddies, each trying to get that tape that's in his possession. It also calls for the eponymous diva, who has long refused to make recordings, to consider finally recording her voice to save herself.

Among the characters that compose the "good guy" group are Gorodish Richard Bohringer) and his Vietnamese lover Alba (Thuy An Luu) who is a kind of chic "thief" and bohemian girl. Gorodish is a loner, lives in a large but unfurnished loft where he is constantly meditating to low-bass New Age music and thinking of strange things like trying to stop the "ocean waves". Jules is himself an artist and collects (through theft) various objects which he uses for artwork a la Andy Warhol. Strangely enough, it's this strange poor prophet who saves Jules' lives when it's endangered by the Mafia-type men who seek to destroy the tape he made. But even these bad guys (Gerard Darmon and Dominique Pinon) are straight of comedy as Le Cure constantly expresses his hatred of garages, police and everything. The comedy is in the perfectly timed dialogue scenes. This is also a cop movie. Jean and Nadia (Jacques Fabbri and Chantal Deruaz) are a male-female detective duo who are hot on the trail of the men responsible for killing the hooker and eventually discover the police Captain's corrupt alter ego.

Perhaps the most touching aspect of the film is the romance. Jules and Cynthia Hawkins have a connection - opera. Jules is an opera connoisseur and admires Cynthia so much he followed her from Paris to Munich, always on his mini bike/motorcycle/mobilette. He is physically drawn to her but they don't engage in sexual activity, not even after what seems to be a romantic date. Cynthia is a proud black artist (probably modeled after real life 80's divas like Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle) who believes that business ought to work its way around art. She has integrity and refuses to be part of a commercial enterprise and to "sell out". A more romantic and yet restrained and sober relationship on film you'll be hard-pressed to find. I enjoyed this film and highly recommend it to any French culture class. This is one of the early masterpieces of French cinema "du look" from the 1980's.

a bit dated now (duh) but still quite fun

[steveo122 · 6/10 · 12 January 2018]

A fun French movie concerning an opera singer who never records her work and a young fan who manages to make a tape of her performing. Another tape, this one implicating a criminal boss, is mixed into the plot and a couple of nefarious types are sent to find it. It's a quirky thriller, a bit dated now (duh) but still quite fun and well done enough to keep your attention. Wilhelmenia Fernandez is/was an 'adequate' actor but she sings beautifully and the film opens with her performance of "Ebben? Ne andrò lontana" from the opera "La Wally". Even though I know it has to have been 'enhanced' somewhat for film purposes, it's not at all far from what she does when she sings it live. In any case, it still exists as one of the best versions.

Diva ***1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 8/10 · 26 February 2006]

I've been intrigued by this movie ever since I saw a still from it in one of my father's film magazines from 1982; little did I know that the menacing, short-cropped-haired man with dark shades in that photo was Dominique Pinon who would later become associated with Jean-Pierre Jeunet's films. As it turned out, Pinon seems also to have had an almost as healthy working relationship with another French maverick film-maker, Jean-Jacques Beineix. Pinon's grumpy, taciturn, no-nonsense characterization of a hit-man named "Priest" is just one of the considerable pleasures gleaned from this entrancing film.

Anyway, I was happy to confirm that Beineix's famed feature-length directorial debut is every bit as good as its reputation would suggest. I'm no fan of opera, but the repeated lyrical song in the film (and the formidable rendition of it by real-life opera singer Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez) becomes its emotional core. It must be said that DIVA does move at a deliberate pace and the complex plot-line (which at times involves six different people chasing our hero!) needs the viewer's full attention but the film is nevertheless an exciting, funny, romantic and at times magical experience, conducted with a disarming touch of irony and flawless flair by Beineix; apart from featuring a couple of breathtaking chase sequences and a plethora of other thrills, it manages to perfectly capture the drudgery of the life of an obsessive fan who, at first, is content simply to live in the shadow of his "diva", compulsively listening to his pirated recording of a live performance he had attended but, as the film progresses, gets increasingly enmeshed not only in the private life of his idol but also in the sleazy Parisian underworld of drug-dealing, prostitution, hit men and police corruption. As I said before, DIVA delivers not only in the action stakes - including the murder of a barefooted key witness that must surely be a nod to Cloris Leachman's turn in Robert Aldrich's KISS ME DEADLY (1955) - but also deliberates on the perennial battle between the integrity of an artist and the commercial exploitation of art and the illusory star/fan relationship to which us avid film-goers are certainly no strangers.

Beautiful but silly

[poc-1 · 7/10 · 25 February 2003]

Jean-Jacques Beineix has a reputation for making beautiful and stylish films with rather extraordinary plots. This film is art direction taken to extremes at the expense of story. Some scenes look as if the plot was worked around to suit the visuals. For instance, the principle character lives in an apartment styled entirely after the artwork on a packet of Gitanes cigarettes. The "Diva" plot may be just an excuse to include a haunting aria from "La Wally" on the soundtrack.

Overall an enjoyable if slightly surreal film.

Pure Hypnosis and Music

[amitaishwaryajogi · 9/10 · 25 February 2009]

This film isn't about piracy, prostitution, blackmail or even murder- although it has loads of all that. At its heart, Diva is about music- no, not the loud jarring sort but the kind that occupies the space between silences.

And we don't just listen to it; what is more, we actually see this music: in the eerie emptiness of Diva's cinematography; in the uncluttered labyrinth of Parisian urban lofts; on an enchanted castle by the sea; in the surprisingly meaningful relationships between strangers; and in the wild applause of an empty opera house.

Beineix's weaves a world that is, for lack of a better word, hypnotic. And we, his viewers, simply drift through it.

Ebben ne andro lontano

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 26 December 2009]

Catalani's opera La Wally has one of the most beautiful arias for a soprano, "Ebben ne andro lontano", which also serves as a theme for this 1981 film we saw when it first came out. The one thing it did was something akin to what happened when Jonathan Demme's "Philadelphia" showcased the aria "La mamma morta", because a lot of non operatic music lovers turn to get recordings featuring the immortal music that have delighted music lovers for ages. Not having seen it since its release, we recently took another look at this satisfying picture.

"Diva" is basically a clever thriller in which an elusive soprano, Cynthia Hawkins, is reluctant to make recordings. Because she is such a rarity in our modern world, Ms. Hawkins' disregard to share her vocal gifts with the public at large, elicit all kinds of illegal recordings because ardent fans will go to whatever extreme necessary to capture her voice for their own pleasure, or perhaps to sell it to unscrupulous merchants for a profit.

Jules, the intense young man, is seen going to the recital Cynthia Hawkins is offering. He has a hidden recording device. There are two Chinese men that are also interested in getting their hands in the material; they will stop at nothing to get what they want. When Jules meets Nadia, an adventurous young woman, she brings Jules to meet Gorodish, a strange man she has been living with. The trio go into an adventure that will take them all over Paris trying to protect Jules' treasure from falling in the wrong hands.

After gaining Cynthia's friendship, Jules confesses he is the one responsible for stealing her gown from the recital, something that elates her because she finds the young man's attention flattering. What's more, she has never heard her recorded voice, something that only Jules will help remedy.

This was Jean-Jacques Beineix's second film. We thought that after "Diva" became such an international hit, he would go to bigger things, but alas, nothing happened. His other films have not done as well. In fact, with the exception of "Betty Blue", we have not seen any of his other films. The director contributed to the adaptation of the film.

Frederic Andrei is a personable actor that kept reminding us of Jean-Pierre Leaud, perhaps a comparison to other movie watchers. Evidently, Mr. Andrei decided to go for a television career, something one wouldn't have expected based on his appearance in this movie. Richard Bohringer and Chantal Deruaz make good contributions to the enjoyment of the film. Wilhemina Fernandez Wiggins, a singer in her own right, appears as the gorgeous goddess-like figure of Cynthia Hawkins.

Diva Is A Disappointment

[ccthemovieman-1 · 3/10 · 17 September 2007]

Wow, I was sucked into renting another lemon of a film by reviews which just raved about the great visuals and style in here. Well, in 1981 when this came out maybe it was noteworthy but I've seen hundreds and hundreds and films that looked a whole lot prettier, stylish and well-photographed than this one. Philippe Rousselot is one of my favorite cinematographers and a big reason I rented this movie. This was his first film. Well, he's done a lot better since and, since most people agree the story in here is not much, it makes the whole experience NOT worth your time and expense. Skip it.

The characters are stupid and their dialog will insult your intelligence. The main characters say and do things that will leave you shaking your head. It's almost like this was a lame effort at comedy.

By a third of the way through the film, most of you will have lost your interest in any of these people and their inane dialog. Don't listen to the elitist critics who think anything European must be good.