Product Description Nicolas Roeg's chilling film, based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier, follows a married couple as they attempt to recover from the death of their young daughter. John Baxter (Donald Sutherland) and his wife, Laura (Julie Christie), are staying in Venice in an attempt to find relief after the drowning of their daughter, Christine (Sharon Williams), in a tragic accident. However, the city appears to have an unfortunate effect upon the grieving John, who begins seeing a red-coated figure who resembles the dead child flitting around the local canals. The couple also happen across a pair of sisters who claim to have had visions of their daughter. According to the sisters, the child has been trying to contact John in an attempt to warn him that something terrible is about to happen... From .co.uk Don't Look Now was filmed in 1973 and based around a Daphne Du Maurier novel. Directed by Nicolas Roeg, it has lost none of its chill: like Kubrick's The Shining, its dazzling use of juxtaposition, colour, sound and editing make it a seductive experience in cinematic terror, whose aftershock lingers in daydreams and nightmares, filling you with uncertainty and dread even after its horrific climax. Donald Sutherland plays John Baxter, an architect, Julie Christie his wife: a well-to-do couple whose young daughter drowns while out playing. Cut to Venice, out of season, where the couple encounter a pair of sisters, one of whom claims psychic powers and to have communicated with their dead daughter. The subsequent plot is as labyrinthine as the back streets of the city itself, down which Baxter spots a diminutive and elusive red-coated figure akin to his daughter, before being drawn into an almost unbearable finale. Don't Look Now is a Gothic masterpiece, with its melange of gore, mystery, ecstasy, the supernatural and above all grief, while the city of Venice itself--which thanks to Roeg and his team seems to breathe like a dark, sinister living organism throughout the movie--deserves a credit in its own right. Not just a magnificent drama but an advanced feat of cinema. --David Stubbs
A**S
NOW..LOOK.,AGAIN..
"Don't Look Now"(1973):Optimum/Studio Canal:Bluray edition. As my old DVD copy has 'gone missing', I 'upgraded' to Bluray('steelbox cover' 2015).The disc is the same bluray edition that was issued in 2011. Since I got a DVD copy over 10 years ago there has been an improved 'restored version' of the DVD as many people were critical of the audio & image on the early DVD issue. And it appears some people are unhappy with the image quality of this Bluray edition.......I can only say(on my 32"-non HDTV) I've found the colour range,depth & clarity mostly excellent .There are a couple of scenes that are not 'perfect', but much of this was filmed with mostly natural lighting in a difficult range of locations ,with the tools available ,while trying to mute naturally occurring reds(when not used in various essential scenes),while making an 'out of season' Venice look natural, beautiful, ugly, beguiling, sinister, stark, ornate,dangerous & dreamlike ,& that's before getting round how to film Julie Christie,Donald Sutherland & the rest of the cast. I think whatever 2or4K remaster or HD etc process is used you can't fundamentally alter the 'quality' of the original film print. This subject is addressed in various sections in the extras that comment on the cameras used & the qualities of a 50 ASA film speed. The Film.- of importance I think is that many years have passed since its release & its (in)famous 'controversial love making' & 'Shocking death scenes'. This has given the film (& viewers) time to 'breathe' & truly watch this afresh & appreciate it far beyond 'A Classic 70s British psychological/mystery/horror film'. I feel this film is now & will be viewed as- Nic Roegs greatest achievement & simply one of 'THE Great British Films'that improves on repeat viewings largely due to the many intricacies & excellent editing that take the linear nature experience of viewing a film into a different realm.(e.g. the 'Venice in Peril' sign on the church that Sutherlands character is working on is one of the more obvious 'warning signs' to the future..) The film is 110mins approx, 1.85:1ratio with 'HD standard 1080p' & 'mono LPCM'audio (that sounds good to me) .With optional English subtitles -The Extras(some available on previous DVD issues) are: A rather low key commentary with Nic Roeg talking to Adam Smith. An informative& on occasion very amusing(23min) take on the film with Donald Sutherland. A(14min)feature with screenwriter/producer Alan Scott-very entertaining. Danny Boyles passionate & astute(15min) declaration of what this film means to him + D.Boyles somewhat odd 'D L N compressed into a 4&half mins'(!)'BFI Roeg tribute'. 'Death in Venice'-a feature on composer Pino Donnaggio(18mins) .An interesting(24min) feature on cinematographer Tony Richmond. Alan Jones 'introduction' to the film(7mins) really is a well informed feature in itself & for those that haven't seen this film previously I would advise watching after viewing the film.'Looking Back' a 20min 'mini-doc' with N.Roeg ,editor Graeme Clifford & Tony Richmond .'Nothing is as it seems' is an unusual archive feature with Psycologist/author Colin Murray Parkes intercut with scenes from the film & finishing off with the original 3min trailer(+ a striking3min trailer for M.Powells 'Peeping Tom',50th anniversary)- the only very minor gripe from me is that the extras apart from the Italian Pino Donnagios section(with very clear English subs) are not available with subtitles. So a great film,& in my eyes a very good print-although I accept image 'quality' IS subjective,& also greatly influenced by your home viewing 'set up' .All with some 'extra' extras-that's why I bought this on Bluray..
B**R
Nothing Is As It Seems
Nicolas Roeg's moody atmospheric psychic thriller Don't Look Now is one of the most unique explorations of the subject of grief that I have seen in quite a while. Controversial upon release in 1973 the film holds up quite well and is recognized as a classic of the English horror genre.After the drowning death of their young daughter the Baxters (Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie) leave their English home for Venice where John has found work restoring a church. His wife Laura meets there two old women, Heather(Hilary Mason) and her blind sister Wendy(Clelia Matania). Wendy claims that she can receive messages from the deceased daughter who is now happy but feels that her father is in danger.What follows is a showcase of the unexpected and the movie fits together like an elaborate puzzle with the viewer having to piece together the clues in order to get to the ensd of the journey. The director's desire was to present a realistic view of how a couple deals with grief and how it can force them apart even while they remain together. The film was extremely controversial upon its release due primarily to an explicit love scene between the couple that is intercut with scenes of the couple preparing for dinner.The film uses both editing and location work in Venice to create a mood of impending doom. The other key feature here is represented by the line:"Things are not always as they seem." The film is filled with twists and in order to get the most out of the film it takes a careful viewing or several repeat viewings.The Optimum Releasing Corporation Blu Ray that I viewed was encoded for Region B and presents a pristine transfer of the film. The sound is good for the most parts but some fluctuations in dialogue make some parts of the film harder to understand than others. This is not a real concern but more a minor annoyance. There are a ton of special features including a commentary track with Roeg, two featurettes, and quite a few interviews with the crew. This is a well put together package of a great film that is unfortunately not often seen. One only hopes that a comparable Region 1 release makes its way to the market soon.A must see.
M**N
A classic horror thriller.
I hesitate to call this horror as it’s far more subtle than that. If I can start with the cast, Sutherland and Christie are superb and apart from the now rather dated love scene they make for a very believable married couple. A couple that have that constant deep sadness of losing a child in tragic and possibly avoidable circumstances. This sadness permeates through the whole movie and it’s this deep seated feeling of longing and parental failure that, I believe, drives both the plot and in particular Sutherland’s actions towards it’s climax. The constant referencing to the colour red is in some ways misplaced, being the signifier of anger. Rather there is a real feeling of guilt and regret, could they have avoided their daughter’s death if they had fenced off the lake, been more observant or at the very least told the children not to play anywhere near the lake?There are some red herrings, such as the blind, second sighted woman and her sister laughing maniacally, leading you to believe they have some sinister motive, but these are clever motifs adding to the increasing feeling of unease. Likewise the scenes where Sutherland goes down dead ends, blocked off by the ever present Venice waterways. The problem with many films of this era, particularly horror, is their reputation precedes them, and for the younger viewer, they may wonder what the fuss is all about, lacking the visceral thump of Saw / Hostel type movies. However, it’s beautifully filmed and creates a real sense of dread and unease that many slasher movies don’t ever get near. The 4K print is only OK but it does help make Sutherland and particularly Christie even more attractive. Highly recommend.
