A classic that manages to combine sweet romanticism with upbeat and intellectual humor.
The original release of “Diva” in 1981 took the world by storm. Sort of. Actually it was somewhat of a flop to begin with, what with the crazy graphics, the off-beat sound track and the whacko mo-ped chase scene through the subways. But it picked up steam, along with four French Césars, and went on to become a cult classic that made good.
The first film to be labeled “cinema du look” it explodes onto the screen with bright colors and outlandish sets. The characters are perpetually looking for answers, suffering from their own limited perspectives, while the audience is free to enjoy the big picture.
The Césars include Best Cinematography for Philippe Rousselot, Best First Work for director Jean-Jacques Beineix Best Music for Vladimir Cosma and Best Sound for Jean-Pierre Ruh. In commenting on the photography and the sound of the film, it is hard to know where to start with the superlatives. Filming a mo-ped speeding and bumping up and down escalators isn’t easy. Nor is it easy to record the sound. But the best part of the sound track is the easy combination of opera with pop and jazz themes.
Which leads to the characters. Frédéric Andréi plays Jules, the slacker postman who loves opera. His apartment is, literally, a junkyard. It is filled with wrecked cars. This is the sort of mis-en-scene that is dropped on the audience as a throw-away--they are free to laugh or not as they like. Jules has a collection of the best sound equipment and he boot-legs recordings. But only when he has to. He meets street urchin Alba (Thuy An Luu) who steals records. A bond is formed with hints of sexuality.
But as in any good romance, the sexuality is held at arms length. Jules also adores opera star Cynthia Hawkins (Wilhelmenia Fernandez) whose performance he has stolen. As Alba steals records, Hawkins has stolen Jules’ heart. But cruel capitalism creeps in when dastardly Taiwanese enforcers try to steal the tape. Even without their reflective sunglasses, you know these guys mean business. Will love find a way? You bet your mo-ped it will.
The third story is the sex-drug-slave ring, with its accompanying thugs and murders. Another three or four superlative characters actors, headed by awl-wielding Le curé (Dominique Pinon) who is presented as a neo- James Cagney, a ruthless baby-faced Billy the Kid who throws an awl like James Bond throws a look. But he, like most of the characters, is saddled with a tunnel vision that always lets the audience have the upper hand. Although the film make a pretense of being a mystery thriller, the audience is always told more than the characters—it is one long joke on the bad guys.
The mixing of the opera with the cool jazz and up-tempo mood music is unmatched. The photography manages to create a rich textural graininess that actually shimmers in its iridescent blue backgrounds---an amazing effect and completely in keeping with the outrageous color scheme of the film. We don’t see enough good elevator shaft falls any more---especially when the body falls into that Z shape we used to see painted on sidewalks. Or snarky thugs in sun glasses. The Citroen 11CV?
The extensive use of dolly shots is masterful, as are the fascinating combinations of close focus and long focus. The camera work is some of the last real virtuoso composition to be seen. The simultaneous zoom/crane and/or zoom/dolly shots are not used often, being left behind in favor of studio special effects that don’t require the precarious and risky set-up. A marvelous retrospective of times pre-digital when optical illustration, or optical illusion, was the name of the game. James Bond, Monte Python and Dr. Strangelove rolled into one.
Release: November 2, 2007
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