A truly eerie film, based on a story by Daphne du Maurier. John Baxter (Sutherland) travels to Venice with his wife, Laura (Christie), after the accidental drowning death in England of their young daughter. While completing restoration work on a church, Baxter discovers he has certain
psychic abilities--abilities nourished by two very strange sisters, Wendy (Matania) and Heather (Mason), who have visions of the couple's dead daughter. Baxter refuses to believe in his powers, but he begins to relent when he sees a small figure darting around Venice dressed in the same red
raincoat that his daughter wore. These sightings, coupled with his haunting visions of a funeral boat drifting down a Venetian canal, make for a puzzling and mysterious atmosphere in which "nothing is what it seems."
Making wonderful use of Venice locales and boasting two fine performances from Sutherland and Christie (including one of the most convincing lovemaking scenes ever), DON'T LOOK NOW is one of director Roeg's finest and most accessible films. Among many memorable scenes, Baxter's near-fall in the
church and his final encounter with the red-cloaked figure are particularly memorable. While the vagueness of the plot may frustrate viewers at first, the payoff is considerable for patient audiences. A film which more than gets by on its directorial style, unforgettable imagery, and striking
music alone, DON'T LOOK NOW also manages to be a haunting meditation on fear, death and the beyond. leave a comment
