Review of Don't Look Now (1973) by Paul Z — 10 Aug 2008

Donâ??t Look Now accomplishes one of the deepest and most difficult fears humans have. If your instinct tells you something that society, logic, reason, and ego all tell you are ridiculous, what do you do? When you take notice of something that no one else believes, the same things that tell you your instincts are ridiculous are again in question. It is no surprise to me that the filmâ??s concept was created by Daphne Du Maurier, the author of the famed gothic psychological thriller Rebecca, which was adapted into a movie by Hitchcock, for Donâ??t Look Now seems very likely to attract Hitchcock to the helm, with its ominous suspense, glimpsed details, sudden moments of tension, and the plot itself. Only Nicolas Roeg directs instead, and not so incomparably to the aforementioned master.

This disturbing, cerebral drama tells the story of a couple, Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland, whose young daughter has recently drowned in a tragic accident at home, the grief from which applies tension to their marriage. In search of a change of scenery and a chance to work through their pain, they take a working vacation to Venice, where Sutherland has been contracted to restore an ancient church. While he works, Christie is befriended by two strange elderly sisters. One of the sisters is blind and claims to be in psychic contact with her dead daughter. Christie is drawn to the sisters, but Sutherland finds their influence on her unsettling and suspects them of deceit. The ensuing drama is set against a subplot involving a serial killer who has eluded the police. You have no idea where it goes from there. Or at least I hope you donâ??t.

An appealing motif of Roegâ??s sad, grim composition is his dream-like ambiance and his patient attention to the heartbroken couple. Even apart from flashback sequences, flash forwards, elements of clairvoyance and premonitions, and other such individual considerations, there is definitely an impressionistic melody, remarked upon in part by one of Pino Donaggioâ??s best scores, and Roegâ??s seemingly unostentatious, courageous sex scene between Sutherland and Christie is an extensive episode wherein subtext can either be found or felt, because instead of stagnance, the scene brings flavor.