French thriller hits right notes
By Brian Offenther |
January 17, 2013, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
LIKE all proper French films, "Diva" (1981) begins with the shot of a shabby guy on a scooter. He is like each of us: artistic but unappreciated; expressive but misunderstood; inspired but shackled by a confused world.
This is Jules (played by Frédéric Andréi), a postman and our surrogate through the stylish world directed and co-written by Jean-Jacques Beineix (based on a novel by Delacorta).
Like the film noirs it was clearly influenced by or the Quentin Tarantino films that resemble it, the plot serves more as a vehicle to explore this unique world than as a source of enjoyment in itself. When you're having this much fun though, this is more than acceptable.
The Tarantino parallels are strong. "Diva" shares his knack for edge-of-society, over-the-top characters: whether a barefoot prostitute; a pair of gangster heavies; or a cute but sassy teenage thief. It also has Tarantino's attention deficit characteristic of changing camera styles to suit the mood and whim of a story, a technique extremely annoying in lesser hands but effective here.
With all it's Tarantino parallels, the differences then become more remarkable. In this case the most significant being the culture "Diva" aspires to: opera. The postman is so infatuated with diva Cynthia Hawkins (real-life opera star Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez in her only film role) that he stalks her, and even steals her dress. In an er ... operatic twist, this leads to a love affair. Like much of the film, it seems simple but done in a compelling way.
Whatever its influence on later filmmakers, "Diva" is a great achievement in its own right.
This is Jules (played by Frédéric Andréi), a postman and our surrogate through the stylish world directed and co-written by Jean-Jacques Beineix (based on a novel by Delacorta).
Like the film noirs it was clearly influenced by or the Quentin Tarantino films that resemble it, the plot serves more as a vehicle to explore this unique world than as a source of enjoyment in itself. When you're having this much fun though, this is more than acceptable.
The Tarantino parallels are strong. "Diva" shares his knack for edge-of-society, over-the-top characters: whether a barefoot prostitute; a pair of gangster heavies; or a cute but sassy teenage thief. It also has Tarantino's attention deficit characteristic of changing camera styles to suit the mood and whim of a story, a technique extremely annoying in lesser hands but effective here.
With all it's Tarantino parallels, the differences then become more remarkable. In this case the most significant being the culture "Diva" aspires to: opera. The postman is so infatuated with diva Cynthia Hawkins (real-life opera star Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez in her only film role) that he stalks her, and even steals her dress. In an er ... operatic twist, this leads to a love affair. Like much of the film, it seems simple but done in a compelling way.
Whatever its influence on later filmmakers, "Diva" is a great achievement in its own right.
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