Diva (1981)

Two tapes, two Parisian mob killers, one corrupt policeman, an opera fan, a teenage thief, and the coolest philosopher ever filmed. All these characters twist their way through an intricate and stylish French language thriller.

Director:

Jean-Jacques Beineix

Writers:

Daniel Odier (novel) (as Delacorta), Jean-Jacques Beineix (adaptation)

Stars:

Wilhelmenia Fernandez, Frédéric Andréi, Richard Bohringer

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 7 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wilhelmenia Fernandez	...	Cynthia Hawkins (as Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez)
Frédéric Andréi	...	Jules
Richard Bohringer	...	Gorodish
Thuy An Luu	...	Alba
Jacques Fabbri	...	Commissaire Jean Saporta
Chantal Deruaz	...	Nadia
Anny Romand	...	Paula
Roland Bertin	...	Simon Weinstadt, l'imprésario
Gérard Darmon	...	L' Antillais
Dominique Pinon	...	Le curé
Jean-Jacques Moreau	...	Krantz
Patrick Floersheim	...	Zatopek
Raymond Aquilon	...	Abdullah, le rasta
Eugène Berthier
Gérard Chaillou	...	Mortier

Storyline

A young opera-loving mailman, Jules, becomes inadvertently entangled in murder, when a young woman fleeing two mob hit men drops an incriminating cassette into his mailbag. Jules has just recently recorded opera star Cynthia Hawkins' latest concert, something of a coup as Hawkins refuses to make recordings of any kind. Soon Jules finds himself the target of the hit men, who want the voice recording, and also of another couple of ominous and mysterious agents.

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Plot Keywords:

france | shot to death | concert | murder | moped | 

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Taglines:

Her voice was his calling.

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Genres:

Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French English Italian

Release Date:

23 April 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Diva e os Gangsters

Filming Locations:

Opéra, Le Métro, Paris, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,672, 4 November 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$108,372, 30 March 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Galaxie,Greenwich Film Productions,France 2 (FR2)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the first film role for Wilhelmenia Fernandez. She was also featured in a television production of the opera La Bohème (1980).

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Goofs

When Nadia is just exiting the metro station and runs into Jules, he is wearing his postman's cap. Later, in the police station when Paula is recounting Nadia's death, the same scene is replayed, except this time Jules is not wearing his cap.

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Quotes

Le curé: I don't like elevators.
Zatopek: You don't like anything.

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Crazy Credits

The music continues for a minute and five seconds after the credits end.

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Alternate Versions

Lion's Gate released a DVD (under the "Meridien Collection" banner) with 6' of deleted shots (all extensions of existing scenes) that were intentionally cut in the original by the director before the initial release, with those deleted shots not as bonus material on the DVD but actually edited back into the film, and advertised on the DVD as a "restored version". The resultant timing was 123'. This is not an official version, but an unauthorized re-editing by a DVD company. The correct timing of the film is 117'25".

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Connections

References Citizen Kane (1941)

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Soundtracks

Ave Maria
Composed by Charles Gounod
Performed by Wilhelmenia Fernandez (as Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez)
© Copyright by Galaxie Musique 1981
Tous droits réservés

User Reviews

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

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.