Review of Jean-Jacques Beineix's Film: Diva

Screenshot from Diva, directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix
(Courtesy: www.servimg.com)

The movie Diva by director Jean-Jacques Beineix, was a mystery and a crime film that told the story of a mail carrier obsessed with an opera singer's voice. His obsession turned into a nightmare when one of his recordings of her becomes mistaken for a cassette that would incriminate the police chief on criminal charges.

I found the movie to be a little cheesy as the characters were doing things that seemed unrealistic or unnecessary. The scene where Nadia gets killed off in public seemed unrealistic as not many people reacted to it despite being in broad daylight, and in front of witnesses, two of whom were detectives.
Another scene that seemed unrealistic was when the detective was chasing Jules by car than on foot. Despite being a "track star" it is highly unlikely that the detective would've been able to keep up with Jules on his moped.

Despite these details, I thought that the movie was decent for a movie produced at its time. Preferably I would have liked more action or a more in depth story following the protagonist. The character of Gorodish was perhaps the best of all of them for his ominous background and witty thinking.

The recording device portrayed in the film was sophisticated technology at the time and was used to capture as well as feature the art of opera. The opera singer Cynthia Hawkins was reluctant to have her voice recorded, however, after the threat of bootlegging and meeting Jules, her stance changed to accommodate it. It was also the fact that she was in her 30's and her voice would not always be as it once swayed the change in decision. At the end it can be seen that the once stubborn "diva", embraced innovation and that her legacy would live on far past her existence without being tainted.

In the film it can be seen that the characters often use pay phones and radio transistors, now with mobile phones being so popular these products are now less commonly used. Overall, I saw a variety of uses for technology at the time and how it impacted many of the characters' decisions much like how our decisions are also influenced by modern technology.

Coldplay by Mike Tompkins

Mike Tompkins' A Capella cover of Paradise by Coldplay
(Courtesy: www.tedeschi.mx)

The Youtube video by Mike Tompkins performing Paradise by Coldplay in A Capella was astounding. His voice is extremely versatile and is able to prove he can compose a song on his own. I have seen a few songs performed in A Capella, however, this is by far one of the more eye catching and involved out there. The addition of the multiple camera appearances definitely increases the engagement with viewers. With all of the sounds and movements his mouth makes, viewers can watch all of the effort that went into the making of the song.

The art of opera singing has evolved drastically since its creation in 16th century. Nowadays singers must reach and exceed new heights as they expand their talents far beyond just singing. Mike Tompkins displays this well as he demonstrates his skill beatboxing, singing and creatively imitating instruments as seen in his other videos. The singer of today seems to be well versed in a variety of fields, in addition to drawing inspiration from other talented artists. Even today's artists are somewhat of a technological genius. For someone whose main talent is singing, his videographer skills are impressive proving a true blend of technology and art in this modern age.

With the assistance of Youtube, millions of people are able to broadcast their talents and shared skills with the world. This expanded audience opens up many opportunities that they otherwise would not normally have. Many Youtube stars with a million or more followers started just like any other amateur user did when originally creating an account, with a minimal fanbase and a desire to reach thousands of viewers around the world. If opera in the 16th century had the ability to attract such a vast crowd for free, like Youtube has done for vocalists such as Mike Tompkins, then it would have been bigger in other countries than just Europe. Every culture has their own take on performance art and singing, yet all do not stem from opera itself, rather takes influences from each other and their traditional roots.

Overall, the modern day singers have evolved since Italian theatre and moved to an electronic stage than can be viewed by everyone at all times.