Description
"Diva", Jean-Jacques Beineix's first film became a cult classic movie such as this soundtrack internationally acclaimed which received several awards and numerous gold records.
For the opera sequences in "Diva" Vladimir Cosma re-orchestrated "La Wally", a previously unknown work by Alfredo Catalani with the aria superbly sung by Wilhemenia Fernandez who acted in the movie.
The emotional relationship between a young postman and the diva is enhanced by "Sentimental Walk", a piano solo, pure in its simplicity of line and reminiscent of the Erik Satie's "Gymnopedie". The versality of the composer is discovered in the mystical music accompanying various scenes in the film, such as his research of Tibetan chant and exotic instruments bringing a mysterious atmosphere to the film.
This CD presents the entire musical score as well as "Le Chien de Monsieur Michel" a nostalgic valse musette using a dance-hall piano, accordion and tuba with a constant reassuring carousel movement yet secretly underlying Monsieur Michel's solitude...
The bonus track features a recording of Sentimental Walk done by the composer with Chet Baker...
Diva is a thriller film directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix, adapted from the novel Diva by Daniel Odier. As the movie made a successful debut in France with more than 2 million admissions, it became a cult classic and was it internationally acclaimed.
Jules (Andrei) is a postman who falls in love Cynthia Hawkins (Fernandez), a famous opera singer whose voice has never been recorded. At one of her concerts, Jules records a bootleg copy that soon becomes the focus of a dangerous pursuit of said recording by Taiwanese bootleggers. Meanwhile, a prostitution ring is also being uncovered, and an completely different and incriminating recording falls into Jules' mailbag, complicating matters further.
Diva belongs on a list of films that showcase a wide variety of production elements. Everything from the production design to the sound and lighting is done with artistic mastery. On one hand, this is very much an arthouse film, with stylized compositions, mysterious relationships, a wide palette of color temperatures, and unconventional relationships between characters with very particular personalities. On the other hand, for much of the second act, Diva turns into a thriller that feels unexpectedly contemporary.
Between Beineix's sense of urgency and Philippe Rousselot's photography, Diva is a parade of stylized motion. The chase sequence that takes place on Parisian streets and within a subway must be included as one of the best chase scenes of all time. The camera movement conveys great urgency, blending handheld footage with smooth tracking shots and interesting angles.
For a few decades, the French New Wave set the tone for French cinema as a body of work largely interested in realism, while this film acts as a bridge between Jean-Luc Godard and Luc Besson. Given the history of French cinema heading into the 1980's, there is something very refreshing about watching a French film featuring prominent Asian and African American characters. The fact that a white character is in love with a black character is not a storyline that was common then. Along with its timeless artistic quality, Diva holds up in a major way.
Adding to its appeal as a film that feels relevant today is the fact that a significant amount of the plot deals with the issue of piracy, although it explores its implications in a way that seems unlikely, definitely unthinkable in today's world of ubiquitous recording devices. In a world filled with violence, prostitution and hustle, Diva not only captures beautiful moments of connection, it elevates them into something magical.
