Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Diva Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 17, 2021

Jean-Jacques Beineix's "Diva" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage interviews with actors Frederic Andrei, Richard Bohringer, Anny Romand and Dominique Pinon; vintage trailer for the film; new audio commentary by critic and author Simon Abrams; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

In a blue state of mind

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 that 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 that 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 the film 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 a lot better and is balanced with a very attractive causal sense of humor. Also, Subway features a classic ‘80s synch-pop/jazz/rock soundtrack by Eric Serra that transforms it into a pretty cool time capsule.

Diva Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Diva arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Towards the end of the DVD era, StudioCanal replaced its existing master of Diva which it had used to produce various early DVD releases of the film with a fresh remaster, and this Blu-ray release is sourced from it. It is a pretty decent remaster with particularly good colors, but it does reveal some obvious limitations. For example, while there are no traces of problematic degraining corrections, the grain tends to be quite loose and noisy. As a result, many darker areas, but also some nicely lit indoor footage, can reveal substantial density fluctuations that negatively affect delineation. In a few cases, shadow definition begins to collapse as well. Even fluidity tends to be shaky, but this is a common limitation on many older masters and remasters that were prepared during the DVD era. While some of the supporting nuances can be expanded and improved, the overall color balance is very good. (If you enjoy Diva, this should be a big reason for you to consider an upgrade because the current trend in France is to digitally destroy the native qualities of older locally produced films after they are fully "restored"). Image stability is excellent as well. A few minor specks and blemishes remain, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Diva Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

On my system the lossless track performed very well. The audio was stable, nicely rounded, and very clean. It is impossible to tell if in the past there might have been any serious imperfections, and not only in the upper register, but anywhere throughout the film. So, my guess is that the people at StudioCanal that prepared the current master optimized the audio as best as possible.

Diva Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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

• Commentary One - an exclusive new 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 addressees it 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 significance of the color blue. In English. (7 min).

Diva Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The more time passes by, the less I like Jean-Jacques Beineix's directorial debut, Diva. Its story has plenty of potential, but it is used as a ruse to produce a large collage of overstylized visuals that routinely look very artificial and feel unbearably pretentious. In an archival interview that is included on this release, Philippe Rousselot admits that he and Beineix knowingly shot the film this way for maximum effect, which does not surprise me at all because in the early '80s 'art films' were just starting to gain steam. (By the way, the kitsch in Brian De Palma's work from the same period is directly related to this trend as well). So, Diva has its moments, but I much prefer Subway, which is a lot more organic and better controlled. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an older and mostly decent remaster that was supplied by StudioCanal. If you enjoy Diva, you should consider picking up this release because if the film is eventually restored in 4K in a European lab, there is an excellent chance that it would be regraded, and its native color scheme will be destroyed. RECOMMENDED to the fans.