Diva

There was something off-putting about this movie that made me not excited to see it.  I guess because today if you hear "diva" you think of some teeny bopper movie or pop star who thinks the world revolves around her.  But apparently the word was originally meant to mean, as it does in the move Diva, a great female opera singer.

Diva brings together the titular great opera singer and a postman who is her undying fan and who surreptitiously records her performances.  They, and the postman's tapes, get mixed up with a tape recorded by someone looking to expose corruption in the Paris police department and the people willing to kill to keep that tape secret.

The Diva lets Jules listen in as she rehearses.

This is a beautifully shot movie, with a great mix of class, humor, and action.  It's refreshing to see someone go gaga over an opera singing diva rather than the pop tarts kids go crazy over now.  If I knew Paris better, I probably would have better appreciated the setting, but still enjoyed the variety of settings: the opera house, fancy hotels, seedy neighborhoods, the subway chase.

Diva is 30 years old, but still has a fresh, timely feel to it.  Enjoy!

Bottom line, 3 1/2 stars.