(France/1981) Directed by Jean-Jacques Beieneix

Just one simple mistake, and suddenly postman and opera fanatic Frédéric Andréi is on the run all across Paris – including a hair-raising car-and-moped chase through the Métro – hotly pursued by a mob honcho’s hit squad, ruthless Taiwanese music pirates, and the obviously outmanned flics themselves: all because he pirated a recording of the woman of his dreams, the NEVER-recorded opera super-star Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez (in her legendary, sole film role), as she wraps up a recital with a stunning aria, and, well, maybe also because of the incriminating tape a hooker on the run from the aforementioned hit squad slipped into his mail pouch. Director Beineix’s debut was an international arthouse sensation, playing for over a year in some cinemas, nabbing four French Césars (including Best Film and Cinematography), and singlehandledly launching the cinéma du look, an explosion of visually stunning, punk-inspired, super-cool French movies in the early 80s. And super-cool Diva still is, from its color scheme to its haunting soundtrack. In French with English subtitles. (123 min.) Fri. and Sat. at 7:00; Sun. at 4:00 and 7:00

“Everything once new about Diva seems new again! Audacious, gorgeous and madly exciting.”   -Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly