Don't Look Now
A Psychic Thriller
Working with elements of the traditional horror genre- second sight, ESP, warnings from the dead, a mad killer- and cinematography of disquieting beauty with a dreamlike sense of dislocation, director Nicolas Roeg weaves a fabric of anxiety that questions all reality. The evocative use of the back streets of Venice is a sinister participant in the action based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier. This intensely erotic and macabre film boasts outstanding performances by Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland.
Member Reviews
enjoyed the slow paced and creepy feel - tbird
i liked how the film made me feel dread and fear without showing visual graphic details of anything violent. i also enjoyed the scenery of venice shot in a 1970's style.the film had this visual look of the 70's which is so different than what you see today.donald sutherland has an amazing voice and i thought all the actors were well chosen.i am glad i found this film and i recommend it.A perfect combination of brooding mystery and bone-chilling atmosphere - adnanz
By consistently maintaining "Don't Look Now" as a character-driven script with recurring themes and motifs the writers of this film, Allan Scott and Chris Bryant who adapted their screenplay from the short story by Daphne DuMaurier (Rebecca), ensure that the 'jump moments' are never hollow or empty. Really, there are many moments here where you see a fleeting glimpse of creepy imagery that so frequently come off as desperate and stupid, but in "Don't Look Now" the same moments are so tied to the mythology the film develops and the thematic content of the film that they are actually meaningful and essential.
Anthony B. Richmond, a once great cinema photographer (gone from working on "The Kids are Alright" to "Dumb and Dumber: When Harry Met Lloyd" these days) photographs this film beautifully with the strong creative involvement of director Nicolas Roeg. The score by Pino Donaggio is creepy, evocative, interesting, and sometimes even unpredictable. The unusual and innovative editing of the film is a crucial part of its resounding success, creating creepy moments out of nothing. Some of the acting is (deliberately) exaggerated for effect and mostly excellent.
With its creepy atmosphere, innovative editing, strong characters, good writing, and brilliant, unsettling final montage, "Don't Look Now" is director Nicolas Roeg's finest accomplishment and is deservedly regarded as one of the finest British films of all time, but I'd go a bit further and say it is likely a strong contender for the title of best British film, period.
10/10Past or Future? - RoddyPiper
I always confuse the title of this great movie of suspense and dread with the famous words of Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige. He is remembered for his “Rules for Staying Young,” of which the last two were: “#5) Avoid running at all times; # 6) And DON’T LOOK BACK, something may be gaining on you.”
Something is gaining on the married couple at the centre of this movie. They had a horrible tragedy happen to them years before. Its memory inserts itself repeatedly into their present.
But how to interpret this film? Should we all be taking Paige’s advice, to proceed calmly into the future, to never look back? Or is the film saying that there are some past events so significant they are unmistakably gaining on us, so we should turn all the way around and look directly at them? -- even though the shock of looking at them squarely terrifies us: could they make an even bigger impact the second time around?
Doesn’t it make more sense to concentrate all our attention on the future, so that any possible tragedy can be spied when it is far away from us -- ideally at the horizon itself -- so that then we can calmly make the most invincible plans for avoidance and protection?
But can we recognize the danger? – shouldn’t we just stop all thought of the future and come to grips with the past before it surprises us again, jumping out in front of us before we can do anything at all to avoid it?
Past or future -- just don’t look now.
Member Reviews
Read All...
enjoyed the slow paced and creepy feel - tbird
i liked how the film made me feel dread and fear without showing visual graphic details of anything violent. i also enjoyed the scenery of venice shot in a 1970's style.the film had this visual look of the 70's which is so different than what you see today.donald ...A perfect combination of brooding mystery and bone-chilling atmosphere - adnanz
By consistently maintaining "Don't Look Now" as a character-driven script with recurring themes and motifs the writers of this film, Allan Scott and Chris Bryant who adapted their screenplay from the short story by Daphne DuMaurier (Rebecca), ensure that the ...Past or Future? - RoddyPiper
I always confuse the title of this great movie of suspense and dread with the famous words of Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige. He is remembered for his “Rules for Staying Young,” of which the last two were: “#5) Avoid running at all times; # 6) And DON’T ...