Don't Look Now

Introduction

Don't Look Now, released at the same time as The Exorcist but put on a double bill with The Wicker Man, is generally thought of as a horror film. It's not, of course, anything like the definition of that genre. If anything, it would be part of a genre known as Eerie. It's a gripping examination of grief, loss and guilt that is just as compelling to watch today as it would have been back in 1973.

Directed by Nic Roeg, also responsible for Walkabout, Performance and The Man Who Fell To Earth, this film was built upon the foundations of a short story by Daphne du Maurier and brought together the acting talents of Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie. Don't Look Now is about to be released on blu-ray for the first time and thus has undergone something of a picture and audio restoration that has been supervised and approved by the director.

Don't Look Now opens with a rather stunningly edited and quick cut sequence that culminates in the drowning of a child. Architectural restorer John Baxter (Donald Sutherland) is busy examing slides and details of a potential project with his wife Laura (Julie Christie) reading a book in their Hertfordshire country house. Sensing some imminent tragedy, John suddenly rushes out of the house and plunges into their pond, retrieving the corpse of their drowned daughter Christine.

Some time later the Baxters are in Venice, John Baxter having been commissioned to oversee the restoration of an old church. The couple encounter a pair of elderly sisters after dining out one night, one of whom claims to be psychic and has apparently seen Christine sitting between the couple and happily laughing. Laura is intrigued with the possibility that their daughter has not gone completely and is drawn closer to the sisters. John, however, is unimpressed with the idea despite the fact that he is also starting to have his own visions or hallucinations, and a warning comes that his life may well be in danger if he stays in Venice...

Picture

The picture is a bit of a mixed blessing. Some of it looks incredibly sharp whereas some sequences are a little grainy. There are also shots that look as if they've been painted over in some way, it's mainly both John's and Laura's hair that gives this impression, but I just wonder if this is some kind of hallucination I'm having myself. Regardless, overall the picture is quite superb and quite detailed. The location of winter Venice is also stunning. Rather than the glossy touristy summer Venice, the city is seen sans tourists and is almost deserted and silent. Most of the shots are also well off the beaten track and gives the imperssion of a decaying city with battered and bruised brickwork with night shots full of shadow that give off an air of mystery and suspense.

Audio

It's only a 2.0 Stereo soundtrack but again sounds superb with a simply stunning soundtrack by Venitian Pino Donaggio. Prior to working on this film, Donaggio was more famous as a singer and had already had a huge hit with the song You Don't To Say You Love Me, later made a huge International hit by Dusty Springfield and seen by many as a Springfield classic. Donnagio's soundtrack is both embracing and unsettling at the same time, helped by the fact that the main theme includes some almost discordant piano playing by the composer. Donaggio was a concert standard flutist but Roeg made him play the piano for the main theme despite the fact the composer wasn't that great a player, something that comes through strongly when listening but is actually perfect for the piece.

There are subtitles for this release but only for the English dialogue. All Italian dialogue is left unsubtitled and untranslated. It works but I'm curious as to whether my understanding of the missing dialogue would enhance my overall understanding of the depicted events.

Extras

There's no skimping of extras on this release, which really does us proud. To start with, there's a Nic Roeg commentary and also introduction to the film by Alan Jones - don't watch this if you've never seen the film before as he talks about the film in some detail and gives away some major plot points, although he also looks as if he's reading from an auto cue rather than talking off the cuff.

There are two documentaries. The first is a Making Of called Looking Back with lots of interview footage with Roeg and the other is an excerpt from a documentary called Nothing As It Seems. Also included is a four minute compressed version of the film made by Danny Boyle for a BAFTA tribute.

Finally there are five rather long and detailed interviews with Donald Sutherland, Danny Boyle, composer Pino Donaggio, screenwriter Allan Scott and cinematographer Tony Richmond.

Overall

There is no doubt that Don't Look Now is an impressive film, ranked as it is by the BFI at number 8 in its list of 100 top British films. The Times also ranked it at number 18 in its list of 100 greatest films and as a piece it certainly holds up nearly 40 years after its original release. This is a haunting film and one that will continue to resonate long after you've seen it. Part of this could be because Roeg is a very visual and expressive director, more an artist in how he presents his story and thinks about recurring motifs that hold his story together. Here he uses water, shattered glass and the colour red - the latter recently pilfered by M.Night Shyamalan for The Sixth Sense.

Now you can't comment on Don't Look Now without discussing the infamous love scene, so let's get that out of the way first. For a start, it's not really a love scene, at least not in the traditional film sense. What happens here is a reconnection of a distraught couple, finding themselves able to overcome the tragedy in their life and emotionally reconnect through the act of sex. It's hinted at, but not explicitly mentioned in the film, that this is the first time the couple have had sex since the death of their child and the way it's filmed certainly makes it look and feel that way. Roeg also edits the scene with quick cuts to the couple getting dressed afterwards to go to dinner. I honestly don't think that there is a love scene that really holds as true as this one, and despite the fact that Sutherland and Christie has only just met prior to filming this, it has an air of authenticity to it, feeling very real.

The acting is strong in this film with rather dynamic leading performances by both Sutherland and Christie. They are enhanced by their co-stars, especially Hilary Mason and Clelia Matania as the two sisters. The thing is, and this must have been deliberate by Roeg, you never really understand quite how everyone fits into the story outside of the Baxters. Shot design, small sequences and dialogue all help to maintain a complete air of mystery, so you're never really quite sure what's going on or what any of the other characters are really thinking.

Rather superb film and highly recommended.