Don't Look Now Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Don't Look Now
Year: 1973
Director: Nicholas Roeg
Country: UK
Language: English

Released in Britain in 1973, Nicholas Roeg's Don't Look Now was the main feature of a double bill which also consisted of Robin Hardy's The Wicker Man. Hardy's picture went on to achieve cult status and be remade into an awful sequel starring Nicholas Cage ("Not the bees!'")  Don't Look Now became considered one of the greatest British films of the Seventies and one of the greatest British films of all time. Adapted from a 1972 short story by Daphne du Maurier, the woman who provided Hitchcock with material for two of his masterpieces (Rebecca and The Birds) Roeg's picture was, and still is, a masterpiece. 

A married couple, played by Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie, are grieving the recent death of their little daughter. They encounter two elderly sisters in Venice, one of whom is psychic and brings a warning from beyond.

The protagonist of this picture is a rational man who does not believe in the supernatural despite reconstructing old churches for a living. He has an analytical mind and does not jump to conclusions. As the film progresses his skepticism slowly evaporates, his inability to cope with his daughter's death comes to surface and it ultimately brings him to his doom. The old British "stiff upper lip" saying becomes a burden for man, perhaps it is much more healthy to deal with one's emotions instead of run away from them. Don't Look Now is frightening, but not in the traditional sense. It is the atmosphere that is chilling, not an an unseen boogeyman.

Roeg's film has a remarkable fragemented visual style, cutting from one unsettling image to another, accumulating into a moment we will never forget. Few films do a remarkable job at putting is into the mind of another, even less are this great at dissecting the nature of grief, dread and denial. The picture's visual style, acting and mood capture us and keep its audience on the edge of their seat. Only Shakespeare could portray the feeling of doom better. Don't Look Now is truly a rich film, with an unsurmountable amount of depth. 

In conclusion, there is no wonder to why many cinephiles consider Don't Look Now their favourite film of all time. It was innovative, shocking and controversial at the time (mainly due to the rapidly edited love scene) and it still holds up today. It is a rather bold vision that deserves a new generation of audiences.  Praise it! 5/5