Diva 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Diva 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 23, 2026

Jean-Jacques Beineix's "Diva" (1981) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include vintage interviews with actors Frederic Andrei, Richard Bohringer, Anny Romand and Dominique Pinon; multiple archival audio commentaries; promotional materials; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Note: The text below was first used in our review of Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release of Diva, produced in 2020.

A few months before the lockdowns made it impossible to organize events in my neck of the woods, I attended a rather large reunion party. I was a guest there and for the bigger part of it felt like an outsider, but towards the end, I got lucky and met a very nice couple who had a seemingly never-ending supply of hilarious stories. One of their stories mirrored an experience I had a long time ago, and I would like to share a short version of it because it sums up rather well how I feel about Jean-Jacques Beineix’s directorial debut, Diva. I will address the couple only as Mr. A and Mrs. B, for obvious reasons.

Mr. A and Mrs. B fell in love while they were attending college. Apparently, they noticed each other during their freshman year, but it took another year before they finally went out on a date and then officially became a couple. One reason they could not connect right away was the fact that they had to take classes in different buildings on opposite ends of the campus, so the only time they could see each other was when they went to the library. Another reason was that they both assumed the other was already seeing someone else, so for about a year, they essentially hung out with other people who had better relationship potential. Then one day, fate finally intervened, and the two attended the same party with different groups of friends. (Here comes the crucial part of the story, so pay attention now). Mr. A gathered the courage to approach Mrs. B, but before he did it, he quickly put together a winning strategy -- engage Mrs. B in a long conversation, impress her with his manners and wit, and at the right moment ask for a phone number so that later on he can take her out on a date. So, Mr. A went to work confident that he knew exactly what had to be done, but then spent so much time talking and impressing Mrs. B that by the end of the night, she began wondering whether she was the target of a strange game he and his buddies might have chosen her for. Then this fictional, strange game just about materialized when one of Mr. A’s far less sophisticated buddies decided to prove to a group he had arrived with that straight talk is a lot more effective than a winning strategy and boldly approached Mrs. B as well. He quickly took over the conversation, Mr. A became seriously frustrated and soon after walked away, and approximately ten minutes later, Mrs. B gave her phone number to the wrong person. Two weeks after the party, Mr. A and Mrs. B finally went out on their first date and began deconstructing Mr. A’s winning strategy, and both could not stop laughing because it had gotten just about everything wrong. Its biggest flaw was that Mrs. B did not need to be impressed because she had already seen enough from Mr. A to know that she would love to go out with him, so the more he behaved like a person she had never seen before, the more perplexed and suspicious she became of his intentions. All she needed was a simple and clear sign that he wanted to go out with her as well.

Beineix’s film goes to work to impress with a very similar winning strategy that can be quite perplexing because it ends up unnecessarily complicating its identity, frequently eroding its integrity as well. It tells a story about the repeated misplacement of a cassette with a recording of opera star Cynthia Hawkins' (Wilhelmenia Fernandez) latest concert, which is supposed to be so valuable that mob assassins would kill innocent people to obtain it. When a fan (Frederic Andrei) of Hawkins accidentally becomes the owner of the cassette, his world suddenly spins out of control, but because he can’t immediately grasp the seriousness of the situation, he is transformed into the ‘star’ of quite possibly the most bizarre chase ever staged on the streets of Paris.

There is plenty to like in Diva, but most unfortunately, its stylization is seriously overdone. Indeed, Beineix uses the big chase as a ruse to sell a hugely attractive image of Paris as a giant playground where just about anything could happen, and initially, the trick works quite well. However, as the chase intensifies and the twists become more outrageous, Diva becomes very arty, routinely emphasizing stylization choices which ultimately leave the impression that Beineix is doing a great deal of showboating. As a result, the end product looks and feels a lot like a kitschy action opera, though it is quite clear that the original intent was different.

A few years after Diva premiered in French cinemas, Luc Besson completed Subway, which sells a very unique image of Paris as well. However, its stylization is controlled much better and balanced with a very attractive causal sense of humor. Also, Subway features a classic ‘80s synth-pop/jazz/rock soundtrack by Eric Serra that transforms it into a pretty cool time capsule.

Diva 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Diva is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-22 are taken from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #27-39 are taken from the 4K Blu-ray.

The combo pack release brings to America StudioCanal's new 4K restoration of Diva. In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with HDR. The 4K restoration is also made available on A standalone Blu-ray release.

In America, Diva made its high-definition debut with this Blu-ray release in 2020, which was also produced by Kino Lorber. The original Blu-ray release was sourced from an older master, which was used to produce various earlier DVD releases of the film.

The new 4K restoration brings meaningful improvements that are easy to appreciate in native 4K and 1080p. For example, now all visuals boast better delineation, clarity, and depth, and if viewed on a large screen, the 4K restoration makes it easy to appreciate its superior density levels. (On the previous Blu-ray release, many darker areas frequently struggled with loose noise, and various darker nuances routinely collapsed). Fluidity is better as well, so when the camera zooms or pans, it does not look like the visuals stutter. Color reproduction and balance are convincing. The prominent primary blue in particular looks terrific. I viewed the native 4K presentation with HDR and feel that some darker areas are a tad too dark, but a lot of visuals, especially where primary blue dominates, look a little bit better in native 4K. For this reason, I think that the native 4K presentation is the most satisfying one. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks spotless as well.

Diva 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The French track is excellent and has always been the one I have used to view Diva. On StudioCanal's British 4k Blu-ray release, there is a lossless English track, but it is quite silly and not the right option to experience the film. On the French track, clarity, sharpness, and depth, plus there is fine range of nuanced dynamics. The English translation is excellent, but the English subtitles are too small.

Diva 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - an archival audio commentary recorded by critic and author Simon Abrams. It is a nicely researched commentary that offers a very fair assessment of Diva, particularly while it addresses its style and reception. I am in full agreement that while it is often quite beautiful to look at, the film could appear rather pretentious as well. Also, there are some pretty interesting comments about Jean-Jacques Beineix's perception of art (and neo-punk) as well as his directing methods.

• Commentary Two - scene-specific audio commentary by Jean-Jacques Beineix. This is a vintage commentary that appeared on the R1 DVD release of the film from Lionsgate Films. In French, translated into English. (42 min).
  
  1. Duality
  2. Staging
  3. Symbolism
  4. Subtext
  5. Graphics
  6. Enigmas
  7. Full Circle

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - an archival audio commentary recorded by critic and author Simon Abrams. It is a nicely researched commentary that offers a very fair assessment of Diva, particularly while it addresses its style and reception. I am in full agreement that while it is often quite beautiful to look at, the film could appear rather pretentious as well. Also, there are some pretty interesting comments about Jean-Jacques Beineix's perception of art (and neo-punk) as well as his directing methods.

• Commentary Two - scene-specific audio commentary by Jean-Jacques Beineix. This is a vintage commentary that appeared on the R1 DVD release of the film from Lionsgate Films. In French, translated into English. (42 min).
  
  1. Duality
  2. Staging
  3. Symbolism
  4. Subtext
  5. Graphics
  6. Enigmas
  7. Full Circle

• Introduction - archival video introduction by Professor Phil Powrie, author of Jean-Jacques Beineix, and co-producer Eric Grinda. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Interview with Composer Vladimir Cosma - in this archival program, composer Vladimir Cosma discusses his working relationship with Jean-Jacques Beineix and contribution to Diva. In French, translated into English. (11 min).

• Interview with Casting Director Dominique Besnehard - in this archival program, casting director Dominique Besnehard addresses the evolution of his career and involvement with Diva. In French, translated into English. (8 min).

• Interview with Star Frederic Andrei - in this archival program, actor Frederic Andrei explains what he learned while working with Jean-Jacques Beineix on Diva and how the experience benefited his career. Also, there are some curious comments about a "fight" the director had with producer Serge Silberman during the production process. In French, translated into English. (6 min).

• Interview with Actors Anny Romand and Dominique Pinon - in this archival program, actors Anny Romand and Dominique Pinon recall their initial encounters with Jean-Jacques Beineix, their preparation work for the characters they were cast to play, and work on the film. In French and English, with portions translated into English. (12 min).

• Interview with Actor Richard Bohringer - in this archival program, actor Richard Bohringer discusses his personal and professional relationship with Jean-Jacques Beineix and the director's working methods, and explains how he was cast to play the character of Serge Gorodish. In French, translated into English. (7 min).

• 'Holding Ground' with Jean-Jacques Beineix - in this archival program, Jean-Jacques Beineix discusses the conception of Diva, the film's innovative style and appearance, and its narrative construction. In English. (11 min).

• 'In the Cafe' with Jean-Jacques Beineix - in this archival program, Jean-Jacques Beineix discusses the purpose of "double meaning" throughout Diva as well as the film's stylistic appearance. In English. (9 min).

• Interview with Cinematographer Philippe Rousselot - in this archival program, cinematographer Philippe Rousselot discusses his collaboration with Jean-Jacques Beineix on Diva and how together they broke a number of conventional cinematic rules. Also, there are some quite interesting comments about the film's influence on other filmmakers and their work. In English. (7 min).

• Interview with Set Designer Hilton McConnico - in this archival program, set designer Hilton McConnico discusses some of the creative work he had to do to meet Jean-Jacques Beineix's expectations during the shooting of Diva. There are some particularly interesting comments about the significance of the color blue. In English. (7 min).

• Trailer - vintage French trailer for Diva. In French, with English subtitles. (3 min).

Diva 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you have acquired the gorgeous recent 4K Blu-ray release of Luc Besson's Subway and are now determined to explore Cinema du Look, it is practically guaranteed that Jean-Jacques Beineix's Diva is already on your radar. It is a curious film, certainly worth seeing, but it is not true that it is Beineix's best. Beineix's Betty Blue, for instance, is a vastly superior film, and Cinema du Look has even more ambitious gems that dazzle with special visuals and unbridled creativity. I am not trying to steer you away from Diva. Rather, I wish to encourage you to seek some of the less talked-about Cinema du Look films as well, because quite a few of them have unjustifiably remained in the shadow of the 'big' ones that mainstream critics have overhyped over the years.

Kino Lorber's combo pack brings to America StudioCanal's new, very good 4K restoration of Diva, with a massive selection of archival bonus features. A separate Blu-ray release of the 4K restoration is available for purchase as well. RECOMMENDED.