Diva (Blu-ray)

Director Jean-Jacques Beineix (Betty Blue) launched the Cinema du look movement with this stylish cult thriller that remains as innovative today as when it premiered in 1981. Jules (Frederic Andrei), a young postal carrier, illegally tapes a concert of a reclusive opera singer (American soprano Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez). Jules’ attempts to woo the diva are interrupted when Taiwanese bootleggers come after the recording. His problems worsen when a prostitute slips another tape, one that incriminates a police chief, into his bag. Now, Jules must escape the police chief, the cop’s henchmen and the bootleggers to keep both precious tapes safe—and to stay alive. Featuring a celebrated chase through the Paris Metro and an early appearance by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie) favorite Dominique Pinon, Diva earned Cesar Awards for Beineix, Vladimir Cosma’s (Le Bal) sumptuous music and Philippe Rousselot’s (Henry & June) eye-popping cinematography.