Don't Look Now

Italy, United Kingdom

1973

110 Min

Color

1.85:1

Italian, English

Currently 4.0/5 Stars.
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SCR Daphne Du Maurier, Allan Scott, Chris Bryant

CAST Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason, Clelia Mantania, Massimo Serato, Renato Scarpa, Giorgio Trestini, Leopoldo Trieste

Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now once seemed radically new with its kaleidoscopic imagery, dreamlike editing, and willingness to let mystery be mysterious on several levels of reality/illusion—plus art-house darling Julie Christie in a long, nude love scene! Nowadays, this 1974 adaptation of a Daphne du Maurier ghost story looks almost classical. Following the drowning of their child in England, Laura (Christie) and John Baxter (Donald Sutherland) have come to dank, eternally dying Venice, where he is supervising the restoration of a moldering church and she is either slipping into or climbing out of madness with the help of a pair of creepy spinster sisters, one of whom can “see” even though blind. John may share this psychic power, though he resists accepting it as the canals fill with murder victims, surface realities turn shimmery as water, and a red-coated figure—the daughter’s ghost?—keeps flickering in the corner of our vision. Though surrealand perplexing, the film does eventually add up, and the ending remains a real throat-grabber. —Richard T. Jameson, Amazon

Director

Nicolas Roeg

London-born Nicolas Roeg served in the military as a projectionist, and entered the movie industry immediately after World War II as a gofer and apprentice editor. He joined MGM’s British studios in 1950, and eventually became a cinematographer in 1959, working on a multitude of films of all types, from second unit work on Lawrence of Arabia (1962) to primary photography on the rock & roll exploitation films Just for Fun (1963), Every Day’s a Holiday (1965), and The System (1966). He moved into the director’s chair with Performance (1970), which he co-directed with Donald Cammell, and made a major impression with the low-keyed, eerily compelling drama Walkabout (1971). By the mid-‘70s, Roeg was one of England’s most respected filmmakers, responsible for the unsettling thriller Don’t Look Now (1973), and the sci-fi drama The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976). With the possible exception Insignificance (1985) and the compellingly obscure Track 29 (1988) Roeg’s output throughout the 1980s unfortunately failed to maintain the inspired creativity of his output in the previous decade.
In 1990 Roeg showed promise for the new decade with what was perhaps his most successful film to date, the visually lavish family fantasy The Witches. A wonderfully creative take on acclaimed author Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s book, the film showcased Roeg’s remarkable visual flair in a format suitable for the whole family. Unfortunately the film wasn’t a true indicator for his output in the remainder of the decade. Despite the fact that his pace lagged somewhat after The Witches, 1994’s Heart of Darkness did offer an interesting take on Joseph Conrad’s novel, and those who suspected Full Body Massage was nothing more than made-for-cable softcore were actually treated to a thoughtful meditation on intimacy and human relations. In 2004 Roeg was set to make a return to the horror genre with the philosophical chiller Adina. Nicolas Roeg’s son has gained fame in the film industry in his own right as the producer of such efforts as The Matchmaker (1997) and Spider (2002).—allmovie guide

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roger o. thornhill

30Dec11

really enjoyed this film although the ending still is puzzling......

Tony Zhou

21Nov11

I'm having a tough time with this one. I honestly hate the editing, even in the celebrated sex scene and the opening sequence. But the atmosphere of Venice is great stuff and the buildup to its final moments is well worth your time.

Halomoan Sirait

13Nov11

Memakai opening atmospheric dalam tiap sekuens gambar. Dimana tragedi tenggelamnya seorang putri di kolam menjadikan ibu korban menjadi paranoia. Ah kaget benar apa memang benar si ibu yang sedang tidak waras dipandangan sang suami? disini Kota Venice yang seksi itu tampak kumuh sekalii.