Jean-Jacques Beineix’s Diva Getting A 4K restoration

Studiocanal UK will release a new 4K restoration of 1981 French neo-noir cult hit  Diva, the audacious debut feature and from filmmaker Jean-Jacques Beineix (Betty Blue).  Set to arrive on Blu-Ray and 4K UHD for the first time as part of the Vintage World Cinema collection in October.

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).  Diva is a haunting tale of obsession and beauty which boasts unforgettable imagery alongside a truly atmospheric score.

Adapted from the 1979 crime novel of the same name by Daniel Odier aka Delacorta, the film stars Frédéric Andréi (Paris Minuit) as the enigmatic postman Jules, opposite real-life opera soprano Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez as the eponymous diva herself. A hidden gem for true cinephiles.

Synopsis
Jean-Jacques Beineix’s wonderfully stylish thriller was largely responsible for the renaissance of foreign language film in the UK in the early 80s.

The story of Jules (Andréi), an opera-obsessed courier whose bootleg recording of a rare concert by American diva Cynthia Hawkins (Wiggins Fernandez) is believed to be a tape connecting the chief of police with a Parisian vice ring precipitating a frantic search for its whereabouts by two murderous thugs (Dominique Pinon and Gérard Darmon).

DIVA marks Beineix’s debut from the impressively taut novel by Delacorta creating a hybrid of genres: noir, new wave, and fairytale romance.

This new 4K restoration of Diva was produced from the original 35mm negative and the sound negative. Scanned in 4K by TransPerfect Media, the image was then digitally graded and cleaned to remove imperfections from the original elements.

Extras:

–       Blue as DIVA: Memories of a cult film DIVA

–       About the film by Denis Parent

French language with English Subtitles / Cert: 12A TBC  / Running time: 118mins / Aspect Ratio 1.66:1

Following on from its UK Premiere at Bologna’s Il Cinema Ritrovata and Bristol’s Cinema Rediscovered, a handful of 4K screenings of the film will also take place at the BFI Southbank in August.

Diva will be released in the UK and Ireland on 4K UHD as well as Blu-ray from 6th October.

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The founder of The People's Movies, started the site 20th November 2008.The site has excelled past all expectations with many only giving the site months and it's still going strong. A lover of French Thrillers, Post Apocalyptic films, Asian cinema. 2009 started Cinehouse to start his 'cinema education' learning their is life outside mainstream cinema. Outside of film, love to travel with Sorrento, Guangzhou and Manchester all favourite destinations.Musically loves David Bowie, Fishbone, Radiohead.

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