#27 - Don't Look Now (1973)

Don't Look Now (1973)

(dir. Nicolas Roeg)

After the tragic accidental death of their daughter, John and Laura travel to Venice.  There they encounter a pair of elderly sisters, one of whom is psychic and warns them of some imminent danger.  Meanwhile, a series of murders have the local police baffled.  This isn't strictly a horror movie, although it does contain many of the elements of one.  Like most of Roeg's films (The Man Who Fell to Earth, Walkabout, etc) it is very difficult to classify - it's a drama about grief and a supernatural thriller at the same time, with a giallo film going on in the background.

This is a really great film.  Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie are totally believable as a couple who are trying to move on after the death of their child, and their intimacy and shared pain feels incredibly real.  The Venice of this film seems old and decrepit, but beautiful at the same time, and it makes a great backdrop for the events of the film.  There isn't much in the way of scary scenes, and really it doesn't feel much like a horror film at all until the ending, but what a great ending it is.

If you are a fan of 70's cinema, this one is essential.  Roeg's films are in a class of their own, with their own sort of flow and logic that few other directors possess.  If you are looking for a straight horror movie, you'll be disappointed, but this is probably one of the best British films of it's time.