Don’t Look Now (1973)
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Don’t Look Now Movie Review
Don’t Look Now is a 1973 British horror film directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie. It is such a strong, effective movie.
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“This one who’s blind. She’s the one that can see“
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It is about a grief-stricken couple who lose their child and go to Venice where the man begins to have visions of her and of his future. Having recently been to Venice, this movie was a really rewarding experience for me as it utilizes on the Venetian setting magnificently. Venice here is unlike any portrayal in any other film as it is creepy and filled with danger and ominous presence.
The movie features very strong drama about grief and it is an effective horror film. I disagree with the notion that it is a thriller because it has supernatural stuff, quick editing and a creepy twist that all belong to the horror genre. It could have been even scarier, but still the film features excellent atmosphere and a respectable final twist which is simply unforgettable. That entire final chase is so well filmed and it stole the show here.
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Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland are both superb in their roles. They gave excellent performances and in my opinion the relationship between the characters seemed honest and real and the troubles they go through are so well explored. I liked their conversations and the evident care for each other and I even did not mind their infamous sex scene. It may have been controversial in filming, but in the movie itself it is actually rather mild, at least in my opinion, and it serves its purpose at reestablishing the strength of their relationship.
Those two older women also serve the plot so well and are basically a plot device, but a strong one nonetheless with a couple of standout sequences. Of course the dwarf is unforgettable and very creepy and I really liked all of the supernatural scenes in the movie. The twist worked so well, it was well explained and in particular the scene where he sees his wife on the boat is the most unsettling and brilliantly crafted.
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So Don’t Look Now is excellent in its mystery and the ending explains it so well with a great use of quick editing. Sometimes the editing was too on-the-nose and there was too much cutting in the movie, but for the most part it did work well and the film did have that more urgent feel to it owing to that technique.
The use of the color red is familiar by this point and that point, but it was surprisingly effective and solidly used nonetheless. The cinematography is truly excellent and, as I said, Venice looks splendid. I loved seeing its different streets and canals explored here and they are put to great horror effect, especially the churches, the water and those smaller streets. Nicolas Roeg directed this movie magnificently and he is the man responsible for the overall competence of the film which is a further proof of how amazing 1973 was for horror with the likes of ‘The Wicker Man’ and ‘Leptirica’ as well.
Don’t Look Now utilizes its Venetian setting to amazing horror effect with wonderfully shot and superbly explored narrow streets and canals while also benefiting from an interesting editing technique and great ominous atmosphere. The performances from Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie are excellent, the film is so well crafted across the board and its mystery is beautifully crafted and ending on a high note with such an effective, creepy twist.
