"Nothing is what it seems." (Don't Look Now (DVD))

Member Name: mmintfresh

Product:	Don't Look Now (DVD)
Date:	21/09/02 (188 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Direction, Editing, Acting,Story

Disadvantages: None

Laura and John Baxter (Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland) are spending a day at home whilst their two children Johnny (Nicholas Salter) and Christine (Sharon Williams) are playing outside. Christine is throwing a ball around whilst Johnny rides around on his bike. Inside Laura is researching an answer to a question Christine asked her and John is looking at some slides of a church he is to restore. In one of them he notices a small figure with a red coat on, that looks like Christine's. He spills some water on it and the figure seems to leek red ink all over the slide like blood. John then gets up and runs out he senses something is wrong. When he gets outside he discovers that Christine has drowned. Her tries to revive her but it's too late.

Cut forward in time and John and Laura are temporarily living in Venice whilst John restores a church. One day, whilst sitting in a restaurant John notices that they are being stared at by two old women, Heather (Hilary Mason) and Wendy (Clelia Matania). Wendy gets something in her eye and Laura helps them to the bathroom. Whilst in there she learns that Wendy is blind but psychic. She tells Laura that she saw Christine sitting in-between her and John in the restaurant. Laura goes downstairs shocked but intrigued and faints. She goes to hospital and John goes to see her. She tells him of her encounter with the two sisters but he dismisses it . He sets into restoring the church while Laura starts seeing more of the sisters. She is told that John has the same gift as Heather and he ignores it. They also tells Christine is there to warn John because something bad is going to happen. John starts to see a small figure in a red coat running around Venice, is it Christine? and will he acknowledge it or ignore it.

I got this film on video ages ago because of it's reputation of being an outstanding piece of filmmaking and a great genre movie. I watched it and didn't think it was all that and forgot

about it really. Then last week in film studies for our season on auteur and modern classics we watched it again. It was this second time I watched it that I realised what a brilliant piece of filmmaking this is. There are many things that this film scores highly in, directing, acting, plot, and editing.

Firstly the acting. Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland have big hand in making this film so great. They but in truly outstanding performances. Their characters are a couple of grief stricken parents trying to forget the death of their daughter and they make it truly believable. One thing that makes their performance so outstanding that they look and act like a couple in love but they always seem to remind us that their is something not right. They draw a loot of sympathy. Then we have Christies performance of a woman drawn in by a psychic because she misses her daughter and Heather allows her to hold onto her daughter somehow. Sutherland also is brilliant in his denial of Heather's power but doesn't come across as ignorant, but as hurt because he too is still scarred by Christine's death. It is also significant that he restores buildings, he fixes broken churches but can't fix himself. The other two great performance is from Hilary Mason who plays Heather. She does the psychic thing well and doesn't come off as a mad person trying to lead someone on but as a person who is generally concerned and wants to help.

The next great thing about this film is the plot. It is billed as a horror but is not your generic slashed story but more of a domestic horror, coming to terms with the loss of a child. That in itself is the main plot of the film but their is also the sub plot of Heather and also of the small hooded figure and the murders in Venice. I liked the way that throughout the film the their were a lot of plot strings that didn't quite fit together but at the end you suddenly realise the connection and that makes the fil
m all
the more outstanding. The story itself also creates a haunting and foreboding atmosphere that drenches every scene and puts the viewer on edge. The pace of the film is slow and that is not a bad thing (although some will hate it) it allows us to know the characters well and connect with them. Another great thing about the plot is the setting itself. Venice has the reputation of a beautiful romantic place but seems to trap the two in the film because of the vast maze like streets, it also creates the feeling of isolation because you can't just easily leave because of the water and this also leads to entrapment. These feelings both brilliant echo John and Laura's feelings. The best thing about Venice is the fact that there is so much water so we are always reminded of Christine’s death because she drowned, this also goes to making John and Laura's pain seems so fresh because they are constantly reminded. This combines well with the haunting soundtrack that fits perfectly in the film.

The directing and editing is truly magnificent in this film. Nicholas Roeg plasters every scene with symbols that remind you of Christine(you will probably have to watch the film a few times to notice them all) for example in the hospital one of the child patients has a ball just like Chrsitines. Also the use of red is spectacular. Firstly Roeg has removed almost all the red in every scene and then uses it a few times. When you see it you are immediately drawn to it because it is so bright. This again is a reminder of Christine. The colour purple is also quite important, John's coat and Heather's head scarf are purple and this acts as a visual link between them because they are both psychic. One of the best, and now one of classic scenes from the film is the opening. It is carefully constructed and composed from hundreds of shots. It sets up the whole haunting premise. We get Christine being reflected in the water happily skipping along. Then
immediatel
y cuts to inside with John and Christine. Roeg also doesn't show Christine drowning just her face submerging and this works extremely well. Then when Sutherland picks her up and screams in agony, then tries to carry to the house and slips over is moving and poignant. The editing in this and the rest of the film is also brilliant. Roeg and editor Graeme Clifford use a cross editing effect so we see Christine throwing a ball then John catching something, this is repeated and works wonderfully throughout the film.

This is truly one of the greatest British horror/supernatural thriller films and is a must see. It is a breath of fresh air from Hollywood horrors and even Hollywood films and is truly a gem. The only down side to this film is that it was virtually ignored in America on release and is not as well known as a master piece should be.

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