Out now from STUDIOCANAL is a new 4K restoration of 1981 French neo-noir cult hit DIVA – the audacious debut feature and visual masterpiece from visionary director Jean-Jacques Beineix (Betty Blue).

I have seen Betty Blue, its not a film that’s fresh in my mind though as it would have been on VHS when I saw it, so I definitely should revisit that at some point (the film, not the VHS) But lets get back to present day. Arriving on Blu-Ray and 4K UHD for the first time as part of the Vintage World Cinema collection, this highly stylized, high art work became a hugely influential landmark film in modern French cinema, lighting the fuse on the Cinéma du look movement in France in the 1980’s. Winner of four César Awards including Best Debut & Best Cinematography (Philippe Rousselot), but what did I think of the film?

Loved it! Diva is a mesmerizing growing education into French cinema for me and another film that I wasn’t sure what to expect going in to my first viewing, but quickly discovering a film that drew me into its style, energy and quirky characters and there are a lot of bizarre characters in this film.  Diva masterfully blends genres. Its part thriller, its part romance, its part ‘visual poem’ and those ingredients all work so well together. The cinematography is stunning (by Philippe Rousselot, who would also film An Interview With A Vampire, Big Fish, and Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find them, to name just a few)  Every frame feels meticulously shot and composed and there are so many small yet super arty shots in this film that it makes you want to pick up a camera and start filming your own movies. The film’s visual style reminded me why French cinema has such a distinct identity, beautiful, artistic and yet the story can be dark and dangerous. I cant write about Diva without talking about the epic soundtrack. there operatic tracks are breathtaking and beg for your sound system to be up at a loud setting rather than quiet so no one hears.

What I appreciated most, though, is how Diva deepened my appreciation for French cinema as a whole. Im certainly no expert on European cinema but having watched Diva this week, and also Port of Shadows (which has also just been released on bluray) I definitely have more of a love for French cinema than I did before I watched these two films. Its Elegant yet unpredictable, intellectual yet full of emotion. Watching Diva felt like stepping into a different cinematic language, its very different from the Hollywood cinematic language and whilst I still of course love to dive into a Hollywood blockbuster. Its such a refreshing change to not only jump into a film from a different country, but its very refreshing to jump into a film that takes me on a different journey.  Diva is not just a film; it’s an experience, yes I know that might sound a bit strange, but its true. Theres something very unique about this movie,

Diva is a hidden gem for true cinephiles, order your copy of this must-see on UHD or Blu-Ray now.

I am a sucker for special features (I love them) and whilst this disc doesn’t contain too many. That’s fine, for me as both the features on the blu ray are a great length and so it doesn’t matter how many special features you get, its about the quality of them. 

The Special Features Are:

“Blue as Diva: Memories of a cult film (running time 71 minutes)

Diva, about the film by Denis Parent” (running time 44 minutes)

AVAILABLE ON 4K UHD & BLU-RAY