NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (July 2020): Kino have transferred Jean-Jacques Beineix's Diva to Blu-ray. The past DVDs had issues - either being digitized, cropped, stretched - we have documented many of those errors in the DVD comparison HERE. It was also on Criterion LaserDisc. So, as well as avoiding the transfer errors of the DVDs - the Kino Blu-ray  has the film in higher resolution looking to be the same source as the Lions Gate and also, although less, slightly horizontally stretched? It is slightly darker, shows more information in the frame and has better grain structure support. It is not a dynamic appearance but the 1080P is sharper and the visuals have depth now. It is a much-appreciated upgrade from SD - it can look a shade clunky but this is the best we are likely to get on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. Colors aren't rich but they are more pure without the digitization issues of the DVDs. Bottom line - best I have seen Diva look.

NOTE: We have added 68 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE.

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track (16-bit) in the original French language. The film's audio does have effects - moped, subway (chase scene), an arcade and aggression. The score is by Vladimir Cosma (The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe). Of course, we have two operatic pieces performed by Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez; Alfredo Catalani's L'air de la 'La Wally' , Charles Gounod's Tous droits réservés and a pastiche of Erik Satie's Gymnopédies composed Cosma. It sounds beautiful in the lossless. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray has all the extras of the US Lions Gate (the introduction by Professor Phil Powrie - author of JEAN-JACQUES BEINEIX, and interviews with many including a two-part-er with Beineix - his first feature as director!) plus there is a new commentary by film critic Simon Abrams (author of Guillermo del Toro's The Devil's Backbone and an admitted Opera fan.) He discusses themes of Diva including technology and art, the 'Cinema du look' genre - as a rejection of French New Wave - see Luc Besson (Subway, The Big Blue, Nikita and Leon) and Leos Carax (Lovers on the Bridge, Mauvais Sang). Diva discussed as a 'Comic Book movie', how the film was ahead of its time, Thuy An Luu (who I believe was only 14 or 15 at the time the film was made but her character is 13 in the book) and he reads many interviews including comments from Pauline Kael and John Simon (ex. negative sexism.) He apologizes for the brief fire-engine siren in the background. I thought it was great - seeing the film on much deeper levels than I was aware.

Many film fans just love Jean-Jacques Beineix's Diva - myself included. I wish it had spawned a whole series of Daniel Odier's eccentric Gorodish and Alba characters in film. It's fun, artsy, sexy and a thriller all at once. The Kino Blu-ray commentary helped me understand by I enjoy 'Cinema du look' so much. The improved a/v and multitude of extras make this essential, imo. A very strong recommendation!

Gary Tooze

ON THE DVDs: ADDITION: Lions Gate - Region 1 - NTSC June 08':

NOTE: My Canadian Lionsgate DVD edition differs from other reviewers in the US. MINE CATEGORICALLY HAS FRENCH ONLY MENUS AND NO ENGLISH (SUB or DUB) ON THE EXTRAS. I obviously received some sort of 'Quebecois' edition but the exclusion of English options is ridiculous.