Posted in
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Donald Sutherland
Hilary Mason
Julie Christie
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Genre
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Horror
Thriller
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Media
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DVD
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Studio | Warner Home Video | ||
Language | English | ||
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Reviewer
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Gareth
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Description
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.
Review
A poignant look at the heartbreak following the loss of a child; The haunted streets of Venice provide the perfect backdrop for this moving and unforgettable film.
Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie give beautiful and moving performances as the parents of little Christine, who drowns at the start of the film in a red mac. They move to Venice to escape the pain -the film is filled with tragic ironies like this, and is one of the reasons why I love it so much; it works on so many different levels!- but tragedy seems to follow them as John Baxter (Donald Sutherland) is constantly haunted by images of a small girl running round in a red mac. He's told that all the time he is in Venice he is in danger, but he ignores the warnings until it becomes too late.
This film is an exercise in mood and is so subtle that most of what is happening is just below the surface, barely tangible. The opening scenes of the film are just an example of this - never have I seen such deliberate editing that encapsulates the entire film -and that mirrors so perfectly the sense shattering conclusion.
The question is, can Don't Look Now really be called a horror movie? Yes, it does have a serial killer and there is a death (well, two deaths...) but it's more about the relationship between the Baxters. The horror element is secondary -until the end and then it's inescapable - so it's not a horror film in modern parlance, but I', not sure what category or genre it comfortably sits in.
This film haunted me for weeks and is an emotionally powerful film, as well as being bleakly beautiful -mainly due to it's watery setting. This is a definite must and, to me, really highlights everything that is missing from modern film.
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