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"Don't Look Now" by Nicholas Roeg (1973) - Maggers - 07-03-2005
I just revisited Nicholas Roeg's 1973 "Don't Look Now," starring Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland. It is one of the most visually intriguing horror/metaphysical movies I've ever seen.
If you are looking for 21st century horror, where blood and gore is splashed everywhere and spooks jump out from corners just to get a scream from the audience, where you've got to leave your brain at the door, this movie is not for you.
It's very much of its time. I remember being confused and baffled throughout much of the first viewing 32 years ago. Of course, I was in college at the time and purposefully watched movies in state of...befuddlement, shall we say. In retrospect, I wasn't sure if my fractured memories of the movie were due to the director or me.
But even after all these years, I remember the visuals of that film and the editing, which appears at first glance to jump over all the place. But there is a cohesiveness within this jigsaw puzzle of a movie.
Can I give unreserved praise for this film? I don't think so. The look of the film, the wonderful use of color and a dreary Venice in winter, all remained with me. It was the story that didn't. I vaguely remembered the plot but not specifics, so seeing it 32 years later was like watching anew. Somehow, there is a taint of hokiness in the ending, which I'd forgotten completely.
If you want to see the ultimate sex scene, graphic but shot and edited with such love, respect and understanding of the relationship between husband and wife, check out this movie. I'd forgotten all about that scene, believe it or not. It created quite a stir way back when. Compare that scene to sex on screen nowadays and you'll see how far we've fallen.
If you're a cineaste and can enjoy a film that builds slowly, check it out.
Here's the worst news; I just heard someone is doing a remake. Why oh why?
"Don't Look Now" by Nicholas Roeg (1973) - Keith the Elder - 07-03-2005
Does that take place in Venice? I vaguely remember it, JC being on a funeral gondola I think. I liked that ending
k the e
"Don't Look Now" by Nicholas Roeg (1973) - Mick C. - 07-04-2005
I remember seeing it when it first came out and feeling the same way. I liked it and will have to watch it again soon. Cinema in the 1960s and 1970s, even fairly major releases, seemed a lot more willing to deal with ambiguity than today.
Maggers, did you see Roeg's "The Man Who Fell to Earth"? Another one that I like more and more in retrospect.
"Don't Look Now" by Nicholas Roeg (1973) - Maggers - 07-04-2005
Mick C. Wrote:I remember seeing it when it first came out and feeling the same way. I liked it and will have to watch it again soon. Cinema in the 1960s and 1970s, even fairly major releases, seemed a lot more willing to deal with ambiguity than today.
Maggers, did you see Roeg's "The Man Who Fell to Earth"? Another one that I like more and more in retrospect.
Mick,
"The Man Who Fell to Earth" is a movie I've always wanted to see but never did. It's now on my Netflix queue. I'm a big Bowie fan, so I think I will enjoy it, ambiguous though it may be.
I understand the director's cut is the version to view. What do you think?
Maggers
"Don't Look Now" by Nicholas Roeg (1973) - Mick C. - 07-04-2005
I'm not sure if I've seen the Director's cut on DVD or not. It's definitely worth a look, one of those movies that's worth repeat viewings. Scenes from it continue to pop up in my memory over the years. The last scene in particular.