DON'T
LOOK NOW (1973)Director: Nicolas Roeg
Paramount
DON'T
LOOK NOW (1973)Ghosts and haunted houses have always fascinated me. I'm not quite sure if I fully believe in them or not, but the fact that people continue to tell stories of ghosts and haunted houses absolutely fascinates me. I've seen most of the "big ones" in the ghost/haunted house sub-genre. Stuff like THE HAUNTING (1963), THE UNINVITED, POLTERGEIST, THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, THE CHANGELING (my personal favorite), and the list goes on. With the exception of POLTERGEIST and THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, the unspoken rule of ghost movies is that they almost always come off best if they're a bit slow-moving. Even THE SIXTH SENSE follows this little-known rule. DON'T LOOK NOW follows this rule, sometimes a little too closely, but ends up being a truly unique horror thriller.
While on a trip to Venice, Donald
Sutherland and Julie Christie run into a blind psychic woman and her friend
while eating dinner. They then begin seeing what they believe is the ghost of
their deceased daughter running through the streets of Venice. As they try to
figure out what is going on, the mystery keeps getting more and more bizarre,
culminating in a truly shocking and unexpected climax.
Let me start off by saying that DON'T LOOK NOW was quite a bizarre movie. Until I watched it, the only thing I knew about it was that it was supposed to have a shocking ending and that it was a ghost movie. While I wouldn't quite call it a ghost movie, I suppose that's the closest sub-genre of horror film that it indeed fits. As for the ending--it's just bizarre. But it's bizarre in a good way. It hits you like a ton of bricks and is just downright freaky. It confused me a little, but that's nothing another time or two or watching the film can't cure. The only real flaw with the film is that it is at times, almost unbearably slow. I have nothing against films that take time for the plot to develop, but this one moved at a snail's pace from time to time, and I have to admit, I occasionally got bored.
The scene that the film is most
notorious for, however, is a graphic, realistic sex scene between Christie and
Sutherland. It's been rumored for years that the two stars actually did the
deed for the cameras. Well, it certainly looks real enough to me. I've also
been hearing lately that the print that Paramount used for this release is the
fully uncut print, despite the "R" rating on the box. Considering
Paramount has never released an uncut horror film (despite a wealth of possible
titles) I'd say this was most likely an accident. The uncut print might have
been in the best condition when they went to prepare them for transfer. I'd
never seen DON'T 
LOOK
NOW before seeing the disc, so I can't comment on any newly seen footage that
may have been added during the sex scene, but it does look quite steamy (although
this would easily get an "R" rating if released today. It's graphic,
but not THAT graphic of a sex scene).
DON'T LOOK NOW has been presented
on DVD Anamorphically, in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1:85:1, and
looks very good. The film quality is sort of grainy at times, but this is an
older film. On the whole, it is impressive. Only every now and then does the
transfer sort of make you take notice that it's not entirely perfect. The audio
for DON'T LOOK NOW contains an effective Dolby Digital English mono track, as
well as a French mono track. English subtitles have been included for those
who are hard of hearing. A film like this could've really benefited from a 5.1
audio track, but the mono track serves its
purpose well.
Unlike APRIL FOOL'S DAY, DON'T LOOK NOW's DVD cover uses the original VHS artwork, but with no flashy color alterations at all. Although the title font has been changed, it looks good. The only special feature that has been included on the disc is the original theatrical trailer. I hear the R2 version contains interviews with the director. Why couldn't Paramount give us the same thing or at least a behind the scenes featurette? Once again, Paramount allows another potentially great disc sputter off into mediocrity.
In fact, I believe I've uncovered
the secret behind Paramount's high-pricing and their bland added value treatment
of discs. You pay $25 bucks a pop for the studio logo and the copy protection
warning at the beginning--the movie i
tself
is the special feature. If you'll notice, the studio logo and the copy warning
are the only two things you HAVE to watch. You can't fast forward or click through
them. So maybe Paramount has been giving us all special editions each and every
time and we just haven't realized it. Heck, considering we get the movie AND
the trailer on this disc makes it look packed compared to their other recent
horror releases, in which you just get the movie extra.
So, in light of this new revelation, I must say the studio logo looks pretty crisp, although the falling stars thing--well, it just wasn't needed. I liked their logo before the whole 90th anniversary came along. It was better paced when it was just stars gliding across the water and then around the mountain. Now you get stars flying in from space and landing in a circle around the Paramount mountain and its just a little much. The copy protection warning is crystal clear and well-written. Do not break the law, folks.
DON'T LOOK NOW is worth watching. It's tense and creepy at times and is a well-touted forgotten classic of the genre. However, it's the logo and copy warning you pay for and if you miss the old Paramount animation, you may be disappointed. If you're a horror completist, pick this one up. Otherwise, I'd suggest renting first. It's not for every horror fan, but I suspect many will enjoy it. I enjoyed it and can't wait to watch it again to see if I understand it a little better. Don't look now? Bah! DO look now! (Wes Ray)