Diva

Rating:
Summary: As good today as it was in the 80s
Review: "Diva" is a great film, though it was never a blockbuster. So often we skewer movies for their "pretentiousness" and their unique pacing. Too bad, because savoring "Diva" is like a stroll on the Left Bank. Don't expect action of the home variety. The plot is as far-fetched as any: a young postman, besotted by an American opera singer, secretly records her performance one evening, although he and everyone else knows of her refusal to make records. A pair of Taiwanese thugs see him in the act of taping, and scheme to steal the tape in order to blackmail the diva into a recording contract. At the same time, another tape containing incriminating evidence against a corrupt police official falls into the postman's possession (although he is unaware of it). Soon he is pursued by the Taiwanese pirates, the police, and the corrupt official's minions. The postman is aided by a very precocious Vietnamese street urchin and her Zen-seeking mentor. All the while, he pursues a romance with the diva whose voice (and dress) he's "stolen", and it adds up to a cleverly directed and photographed film. Paris never looked so cool or so menacing. The abandoned car garage where the postman lives, the underground spaces where the action unfolds, the gritty feeling of a big city are contrasted with romantic glimpses of L'Arc de Triomphe, a sumptuous hotel room, an elegantly decaying opera house. The music is also evocative, taking form in opera, meditative piano, ambient washes and staccato rock. The acting is great, though viewers who don't appreciate French film will mistake understatement for boredom. Don't overlook this film. After all, it did inspire the texture of much of American cinema in the 80s. Plug in the espresso maker and sit back as the big blue wave flows over your senses.

Rating:
Summary: Do NOT buy DVDs from Fox Lorber!
Review: Amazon asks us to rate the DVD, not the film. Anyone who is a fan of French film should stop buying DVDs produced by Fox Lorber. "Diva" is a wonderful film produced and ruined by Fox Lorber. Once again the company has demonstrated it knows nothing about cinema as an art form and cares little about exploiting the inherent advantages of the DVD medium.

The film's visual quality has been severely compromised, with a noticable lack of sharpness in details and a hazy, filtered feel to all but a very few shots. I have seen this film many times on both 35mm film and on VHS videotape, and the picture of this DVD is by far the worst of any format.

I have little to add to what has been said below about the poor sound quality, except to say that even on the best stereo equipment the sound remains god-awful. Imagine, a film about a star opera singer in which the sound is so bad that's it's not worth listening to! There is no excuse for Fox Lorber's actions (or inactions) in this domain.

In addition, Fox Lorber shortchanges foreign-film aficionados and language teachers by allowing no user control of the film's subtitles. Finally, this DVD lacks a chronometer (time remaining, time elapsed) for easy scene/shot retrieval. The "extras" Fox Lorber gives users are not worth mentioning, and were not worth the very tiny effort Fox Lorber made to include them.

In short, "Diva" is a wonderful film that is definitely worth seeing (try renting it through Facets if your local video store doesn't carry it), but this Fox Lorber-produced DVD is definitely NOT worth spending your money on.

This is not the only DVD that Fox Lorber has decided to cut corners on. When Fox Lorber decides to start devoting care, effort, and money to its DVDs, then people should reward this through their purchases. Until then, as long as Fox Lorber gives us second-rate (or in the case of "Diva" third-rate) products, we should refuse to give them our money.

Rating:
Summary: Great film, but the worst quality DVD I have seen
Review: An excellent French thriller, just starting to show its age - I love the film. However, the transfer to DVD is appalling. I saw the film on public service TV in France recently and the quality of that was vastly superior. The DVD quality reminded me of some pirate videos I have seen taken by a handheld in a cinema ... that bad.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Film of All Time.. BUT
Review: DIVA is and will always be my all time favorite film with its glorious cinematography and soundtrack HOWEVER the DVD transfer is the worst I've ever seen and its a pure travesty! Some of the scenes were kind of blotchy and the sounds were awful. It hurt me watching DIVA in that awful condition.

Rating:
Summary: Le Meilleur!!!
Review: DIVA is my favorite French film of all time! It is full of nail-biting intrigue, beautiful scenery, superb music, fabulous acting... have I said enough? The Jardins des Tuilleries will never be the same for you after seeing it in this film veiled in the early morning Parisian mist- to die for! Extremely romantique!!!

Rating:
Summary: At the Top
Review: Diva is one of my all-time favorite movies. I have been looking to replace my very old and very worn VHS version with a DVD, but alas, it seems that the quality is not up to par for this excellent film. I still remember the first time that I saw it. I was transformed. I have seen it probably about 25 times and it never loses its impact, its freshness, its greatness.

I hope that another version is released soon. I plan on having some type of version for the rest of my life.

Rating:
Summary: Diva audio disappointing
Review: Diva is one of my favorite international movies with spectacular surrealistic cinematography and French-style action mixed with beautiful bel canto singing. Unfortunately, the producers of the DVD version of the movie really didn't know what they were doing on the audio track which is mono and seems to suffer from severe compression and distortion effects. The effect is that the sound track sounds muffled and occasionally even drops out altogether. Unfortunately, the audio quality is so bad that it really ruins the movie, and ultimately makes one want to fast-forward through Wilhelmenia Fernández's beautiful singing. What a shame.

Therefore, although I highly recommend the movie, I would definitely NOT recommend this DVD. Perhaps the video version or French-only release is better.

Rating:
Summary: I'm one of the few who didn't like the film.
Review: Gorodish and Alba play gods in Jean-Jacques Beineix's Diva. Gorgeous photography, especially the way that Wilhelmenia Fernandez is illuminated and shot against contrasting backgrounds. Envision American Beauty's Mina Suvari shot against the velvet richness of rose petals and Annie Leibovitz's portrait of Whoopi Goldberg submerged in a milk bath. This film is almost flawless, excepting the Parisian, Marilyn Monroesque panty shot just for the sake of a panty shot and the miscasting of the female detective.

Rating:
Summary: Divalicious
Review: Gorodish and Alba play gods in Jean-Jacques Beineix's Diva. Gorgeous photography, especially the way that Wilhelmenia Fernandez is illuminated and shot against contrasting backgrounds. Envision American Beauty's Mina Suvari shot against the velvet richness of rose petals and Annie Leibovitz's portrait of Whoopi Goldberg submerged in a milk bath. This film is almost flawless, excepting the Parisian, Marilyn Monroesque panty shot just for the sake of a panty shot and the miscasting of the female detective.

Rating:
Summary: Looking for the film
Review: Here it is, 2003, and I still remember this film that I saw in Washington, D.C., in the early 80s. I am still haunted by the opera piece that Ms. Fernandez sang over and over and which permeated the film, so I have lately been trying to get a copy of it and am disappointed to learn the DVD isn't up to standard. With this particular film it would be a shame since her singing was so stimulating. If anyone recalls the song, please email me at [e-mail]! I recommend the film highly, by the way.