A supremely stylish, genre-hopping delight, 1 February 2005
9/10
Author: jono-73 from United Kingdom
One of the best films of the eighties, “Diva” seamlessly maneouvres across as many genres as it’s possible to imagine in a single movie. For starters, it’s an elegant romance, as the young postal messenger Jules (Frederic Andrei) haplessly woos his operatic idol Cynthia Hawkins (Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez) against the dreamy backdrop of rainy Paris. Then, it’s also an invigorating action thriller as this same Jules, who has made a much sought-after bootleg recording of Ms. Hawkins for his own personal enjoyment, finds himself on the receiving end of more unwanted attention when he accidentally comes into possession of another tape revealing corruption in high places. In the blink of an eye, fledgling director Jean-Jacques Beineix transforms his exhilaratingly romantic vision of Paris into a hard-edged city of neon and nocturnal menace. The action sequences and twists and turns of the plot are handled with a great deal of panache and humour, both visual and verbal, so much so that there are several laugh out loud moments. If it doesn’t quite qualify as a full-on comedy, “Diva” is nevertheless a film one certainly watches with a smile on one’s face.
I think the reason why this film stands up so well today, even though its super-cool insouciant ambiance has been so often imitated, is not merely due to the freshness and quality of Beineix’ direction, or indeed of the performances, but especially because the production values are so staggeringly high for what was basically a modestly budgeted debut feature. The striking, innovative design of Hilton Mc Connico (Jules’ loft apartment is a masterpiece) and the cinematography of that superb craftsman Philippe Rousselot (either gritty or lustrous, depending on the mood), are beautifully accompanied by Vladimir Cosma’s memorable score. The film is bookended by Fernandez’ lovely rendition of the haunting aria from Catalini’s “La Wally”, and features flawless performances. I particularly enjoyed Richard Bohringer’s omniscient zen-like existentialist Gorodish, and Thuy An Luu as his playful chilled-out shop-lifting sidekick Alba.
Thanks my!