Refreshingly Frightening - despite a 1973 release date

Don't Look Now (1973) - dir. Nicolas Roeg - 4 stars

I got the opportunity to see this incredible horror film from 1973 on the big screen thanks to the BFI. It was part of the Julie Christie month, but the film really shines due to Donald Sutherland's acting, the refreshingly frightening script, visuals and audio. This film makes many recent horror films look child's play, and this is an incredible accomplishment considering the film doesn't rely on special effects, heavy make-up or a Japanese script.

It all starts when an American couple, the Baxters, lose their girl in their own backyard as she drowns in the river in her red rain cloak. Taunted by this horrific event, the couple move to Venice to recover. Unfortunately, two old ladies in Venice, one of whom claims to be psychic, don't leave the couple in peace. The ladies' ominous claims of seeing their deceased daughter drives Christie's character into half madness whereas it throws Sutherland's character into more dangerous territory.

The brilliancy of the film is in its cinematography, for which it received a BAFTA award, and editing. The setting, Venice, is used to full effect in the film as every shot is carefully planned out with the city in mind. The juxtaposition of Sutherland's character with the gargoyles of the church he's reconstructing are fantastic. As for the editing, it's highlighted to most meaningful impact in perhaps one of the best sequences I've seen in my entire life. As the Baxters are recovering from their daughter's death, there comes a time when they eventually feel 'fine enough' to embrace life by finally acknowledging each other sexually for the first time since their loss. In this sequence, the images of the couple taking their clothes off and embracing each other naked is intertwined with shots of them getting dressed up. This editing technique in this sequence almost visually proves that the Baxters can only start putting on their new clothes and hence their new life by first taking them off and accepting each other again as man and wife.

This beautifully shot film is surprising in its script and really frightening. Director Roeg doesn't use any cheap scares and special effects to get the job done. He actually relies on the script, acting, locale, cinematography and editing to do the job. I wish more modern directors would follow Roeg's lead and create more refreshingly frightening films.