Diva (film)

The producers considered the debut of Benex unsuccessful and the film was almost put on the shelf ^[1] , since there was confidence that it would fail. In France, “Diva” received a cool press and four “ Cesar ”: for the best debut (director), the work of a sound engineer, composer and cameraman. The film was a success in the USA. In 1981, “Diva” was included in the competitive screening of the Moscow Film Festival and, despite being defeated by Soviet critics, received two awards: for music and a visual solution. In the Soviet film distribution "Diva" was shown with bills and distorted color. At film festivals in Toronto, Houston and Los Angeles, the film received audience prizes.

There is an opinion that the debut film of Benex is his most perfect work, which accurately reflected the spirit of his time and determined the path of cinema of the 1980s.

Later, for the style professed by Benex, film critics coined the term "neo-baroque", and the director himself, along with Luke Besson and Leo Carax, was called the "French neo-baroque trinity" ^[2] .

Fredrik Jamison called Diva "the first post - modern film." ^[3]

According to producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier ( fr: Daniel Toscan du Plantier ), Benex “stirred up the cinematic landscape with the film Diva, and today we can say that the conquering world of Amelie is the legitimate child of Diva.” ^[four]

Jules (Frederick Andre), a mail courier, is fond of Cynthia Hawkins (Wilhelmina Wiggins Fernandez), an opera singer who stubbornly refuses to record her voice. Jules secretly records her recital, two Taiwanese witness this. Without suspecting it, Jules turns out to be the owner of yet another record compromising Saporta (Jacques Fabry), the police commissioner and concurrently the head of a large prostitution network. The young man is simultaneously pursued by the Taiwanese - representatives of the record company and Saporta's assistants. Jules takes refuge with his new acquaintance Serge Gorodich (Richard Borinzhe) and his girlfriend Alba. Gorodich helps Jules to get out of a difficult situation.

• Frederick Andre - Jules
• Wilhelmina Wiggins Fernandez - Cynthia Hawkins
• Roland Bertin - Weinstad
• Richard Borinje - Gorodich
• Gerard Darmon - Antilles
• Chantal Derois - Nadia
• Jacques Fabry - Jean Saporta
• Patrick Florsham - Flood
• Thuy An Liu - Alba
• Annie Roman - Paula
• Dominic Pignon - Cure
• Jean-Jacques Moreau - Krantz

• Aria Ebben? Ne andrò lontana from the opera The Valley (1892) Alfredo Catalani - performed by Wilhelmina Wiggins Fernandez, accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra , conductor Vladimir Cosma.
• Promenade sentimentale - composer Vladimir Cosma, performed by Vladimir Cosma (piano).
• Ave Maria - composer Charles Gounod , performed by Wilhelmina Wiggins Fernandez.

• "CESAR" in the nomination " Best debut film " (1981);
• "SEZAR" in the nomination "Operator" (1981);
• "SEZAR" in the nomination "Composer" (1981);
• "SEZAR" in the nomination "Sound engineer" (1981)

A. Plakhov. Total 33: Stars of world filmmaking. - Vinnitsa : Akvilon, 1999. - (Series "Studio" 1 + 1 "") - ISBN 966-95520-9-5

• Diva on the Internet Movie Database
• Official movie website
• "Exhaustion of daylight." An article by A. Plakhov in the newspaper Kommersant
• on the website of the RSUH