Don't Look Now - Special Edition [1973]

Customer Reviews:

Definitely Do Look Now.......2008-01-22

Why Don't look now is frequently referred to as a horror film is something I've never understood. "Psychological thriller' is perhaps more accurate although the horror of losing a child, which is the basis for this superb film, is indisputable. The director Nicholas Roeg referred to it as 'an exercise in film grammar', and that is probably the most accurate description.
This film had a profound effect on me when I first saw it on release and its power has never left me, in fact it's still up therre in my top five films of all time. The threads of the story are pulled together in the first sequence, a masterpiece of cross-cutting, but nothing is revealed until the very end.
Roeg and cinematographer Anthony Richmond have crafted a beautiful and powerful essay on grief, love and the supernatural and I've always felt that it was also about communication: it's breakdown is suggested in many of the scenes. Venice here is painted with a cold and chilling palette which probably few visitors have seen and the feeling of foreboding is almost tangible. The use of colour is paramount in the film's narrative and with repeated viewing, new aspects of this code are revealed.
Enigmatic and perhaps a little pretentious, it does look a little dated now but this is not something which should let affect us. It will stand up to repeated viewing and if you are studying film it is certainly one to watch and discuss. There's never really been anything like it since.

Atmospheric and Brilliant, With a Chilling Twist Ending............2007-12-13

Set against a dreary Venice backdrop (strange, as Venice is usually portrayed as a rather idyllic and peaceful place), this bleak horror film is overflowing with an eerie atmosphere which builds and builds to a raging climax. While featuring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie as a husband and wife who's young daughter Christine drowns, leaving them depressed and detached from each other. However, on this trip to Venice, Christie's character meets two elderly sisters (one of them blind) who claim to have powers and tell her they can see Christine. Christie's character then becomes adamant that Christine is still with her parents. Sutherland's character John is unconvinced, until he sees a small figure in the same sort of red mackintosh his daughter used to wear. Yet, there is a serial killer on the loose, and is John playing into their hands? There are many different confusing plot points which keep your mind thinking all the way through, and you are not guaranteed to 'get' this film the first time you watch it. However it should be watched just because of that shocker ending. Even if you know what is going to happen, it still packs one Hell of a punch. Five stars, indefinitely.

Don`t Look now.......2007-11-26

If you have the attention span of a gnat ,sound like a cast member of neighbours when you end your sentances when you speak them by making them sound like your asking a question and cant sit through a film if theres 2 minutes of meaningful dialogue in between explosions , car chases and blood guts and snot horror murders don,t bother .If however you think the old version of The Haunting was scary as hell because of what you did`nt see this is for you . Yes it is a little dated but still has chill factor in bucket loads . This is achieved because all the way through your required to put 2 and 2 together and because the viewer reaches the conclusion for his or herself the ending has all the more impact.Having lost their daughter in a tragic accident a couple try to get on with their lives. Accompanied by his wife the husband is working in Venice. His wife meets a pair of sisters 1 of whom is a medium and claims to be able to contact the dead child but whilst the wife draws comfort from this it angers her husband who feels its damaging the healing proccess.The plot unravels against a moody backdrop of an out of season Venice in which a serial killer is on the loose and plot and sub plot run along side by side with equal intrigue ,The end is gut wrenching ! watch and enjoy you won,t be dissapointed

Slow but fascinating.......2007-10-28

After wathcing this film for the 4th time last night, 14 years after I first watched it, I finally felt I got it! That's not to say that I understand it entirely, but at last the general sequence of events and what they mean make a kind of sense to me.

Although slow, I found this film interesting and fascinating enough to perservere with it over a period of years. It undoubtably deserves its status as a classic. I'd watch it again for the cinematography alone, which looks stunning on a widescreen TV.

And yes, the sound on this version is bad.

moving ahead of its time.......2007-10-27

This had been on my must-see list for some time and formed part of my hasty preparation for a trip to Venice. The sound quality was what I now come to expect of 'old' films - poor. The story is a simple one and the end probably a tad predictable for those of you who watch a lot of horror films. Both Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland are great in their roles, although I am surprised that their overlong and slightly tedious sex scene allows it to be a 15 rating. The tension is slowly but surely escalated throughout and there a clever use of red as really the only splash of colour in a world of beige, brown and black.

Did it prepare me for Venice? It did in a way as it added to the darker side of the city but, try as I might, I did not see any red dwarves darting round the alleys.....

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