Diva (1981)

November 16, 2022 10:16 AM

A young postman makes a secret recording of his favorite opera singer then attracts the attention of the mob when his tape gets mixed up with another incriminating the local police. Trailer.

96% on Rotten Tomatoes; JustWatch listing

posted by johnofjack (4 comments total)

This film reminds me of Fingers (and of course its remake The Beat That My Heart Skipped--neither, sadly, available streaming at the moment) in that it mixes two elements which seem like they might not go well together, and pulls it off with a fluorish.
posted by johnofjack at 10:20 AM on November 16, 2022

My all-time favorite film. It's the reason I drive a Citroën (though merely a 2CV and not two matching white Traction Avants), butter my bread while wearing scuba gear whenever possible, worked as an extra in opera for twenty years, and aspire to bathe in freestanding clawfoot bathtubs in huge open spaces. My sister cajoled me into watching it, back in '84 when I was a sullen, alienated teen, and Cinema Du Look broke my brain in the best possible way and freed me.

When life rubs me the wrong way, I can always drive out to the lighthouse and recover.

It's literally the embodiment of the idea of a film where every frame is a painting unto itself, matched with a perfect soundtrack.
posted by sonascope at 10:43 AM on November 16, 2022 [8 favorites]

Same here.

La Wally. Acte Un. Cynthia Hawkins.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 2:02 PM on November 16, 2022

That aria from La Wally STILL gives me goosebumps whenever I hear it.

I love this movie.
posted by Archer25 at 8:44 AM on November 17, 2022 [1 favorite]