Don't Look Now

 (1973)

Don't Look Now Blu-ray features mediocre video and reference-quality audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
John and Laura Baxter are living in Venice when they meet a pair of elderly sisters, one of whom claims to be psychic. She insists that she sees the spirit of the Baxters' daughter, who recently drowned. Laura is intrigued, but John resists the idea. He, however, seems to have his own psychic flashes, seeing their daughter walk the streets in her red cloak, as well as Laura and the sisters on a funeral gondola.

For more about Don't Look Now and the Don't Look Now Blu-ray release, see the Don't Look Now Blu-ray Review published by Dr. Svet Atanasov on July 6, 2011 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.0 out of 5.

Starring: Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland
Director: Nicolas Roeg

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Don't Look Now Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, July 6, 2011

Recently named by Time Out magazine the Best British Film of all time, Nic Roeg's "Don't Look Now" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; new video interviews with director Danny Boyle, screenwriter/producer Allan Scott; cinematographer Tony Richmond; and Donald Sutherland; making of featurette; audio commentary with director Nic Roeg and film critic Adam Smith; and more. In English and Italian, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Donald Sutherland as John Baxter

After the tragic death of their daughter, John (Donald Sutherland, Threshold, Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and Laura Baxter (Julie Christie, The Go-Between, Doctor Zhivago) arrive in Venice where he is going to assist a group of specialists restoring an old church. The two try not to talk about the tragedy but it is clear that they are constantly thinking about it.

While having lunch in a local restaurant, John and Laura encounter two elderly sisters. One of them is a blind psychic (Hilary Mason, TV's Nicholas Nickleby), who tells Laura that she has seen her daughter - on the other side. Initially, Laura ignores the psychic, but later on, intrigued by the woman's accurate description of her late daughter, she decides to meet her again.

Meanwhile, John begins working inside the church, and nearly gets killed after a scaffold collapses. Later on, while wandering around Venice, he sees a little girl wearing a red raincoat that reminds him about his daughter. When he tries to approach her, she disappears.

Based on Daphne Du Maurier's short story, Nic Roeg's Don't Look Now shares the same suffocating atmosphere Sidney J. Furie's The Entity has – the feeling of uncertainty gradually takes over and becomes a lot more important than the narrative. In other words, the film is not so much about what the main protagonists go through but how they do it.

The disconnect from reality which they experience occurs in cycles - first they reject what they cannot comprehend, then they begin to question it, and finally they confront it. John's experience, however, is a lot more intense than Laura's.

The film is very effective because it links the real with the surreal and never favors one over the other. Instead, it offers different points of view that force the viewer into a guessing mode literally until the final credits roll. Even then, after all of the scattered pieces have been aligned, the film remains a fascinating enigma that could be successfully deconstructed in a variety of different ways.

The majority of the film takes place in Venice, Italy. This is one of a handful of films, however, where this enormously beautiful city looks incredibly unattractive, unfriendly and depressing. The long shots with the dirty canals (the scene with the rats truly sticks out), old buildings and especially the dark streets where the girl with the red coat appears give the film that unique gothic flavor many of the classic films about Jack the Ripper are known for.

Sutherland and Christie are outstanding. There are a couple of scenes where Sutherland looks straight into the camera that are very unsettling. He has the appearance of a man who has been possessed by something, something very powerful. Christie's nervous breakdowns are also very effective. The famous sex scene still looks incredibly real but inoffensive.

The film is complimented by a strong soundtrack courtesy of Pino Donaggio. After winning Best Soundtrack of the Year Award from the British Films and Filming magazine, Donaggio went on to score some of Brian de Palma's best films, including Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Blow Out, and Body Double, amongst others.

Note: In a recent Time Out magazine poll conducted amongst 150 industry experts, including directors Sam Mendes, Mike Leigh, Ken Loach and Wes Anderson, actors David Morrissey, Sally Hawkins and Thandie Newton, newspaper and magazine critics, Don't Look Now was named the Best British Film of all time.

Don't Look Now Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Nic Roeg's Don't Look Now arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment.

The high-definition transfer that has been used for this much anticipated Blu-ray release is a rather frustrating one. Don't Look Now has been recently restored, and from the materials I was sent it appears that director Roeg personally supervised and approved the new restoration. Unfortunately, I must speculate that after the restoration was completed and during its transition to Blu-ray additional corrections were performed that have affected its integrity. Specifically, a layer of occasionally thick machine noise has been applied, possibly to sharpen the image and reduce film grain, which has a tendency to degrade detail and clarity. For example, the sharpening and machine noise are fairly easy to see on screencapture #1 (notice how the shadow under Donald Sutherland's left eye breaks up and looks smeary). Elsewhere, some of the panoramic vistas (see screencapture #2) lack depth and have a rather unpleasant electronic look. All of this is very frustrating because it is incredibly easy to see that what is under the machine noise is of very high quality -- color reproduction, shadow definition, and depth are obviously superior to that of previous SDVD releases of the film.

This being said, in motion these image degradations are not always as extreme as they might appear on the screencaptures provided with this review. In fact, I would speculate that mostly viewers who project their films on very large screens (100'+) would find the presentation to be unacceptable. On medium size screens (52'-55'), the majority of the subtle image degradations would likely remain unnoticed by most viewers, though the sporadic harshness of the image would still bother those who are sensitive to post-production sharpening. Regardless, given Optimum Home Entertainment's very impressive record with Blu-ray releases of classic films (see Cross of Iron, The Cruel Sea, and Ice Cold in Alex), it is very frustrating that the post-restoration corrections were made. My advice to you is to find a way to rent this release and see if you are bothered by the presentation before considering a purchase. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Don't Look Now Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0 (with portions of Italian). For the record, Optimum Home Entertainment have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

Unlike the video treatment, the audio treatment is outstanding. The English LPCM 2.0 has a terrific dynamic amplitude that effectively puts to shame the Dolby Digital Mono track from the R1 SDVD release of the film. The dialog is crisp, clear, and exceptionally easy to follow, as well as superbly balanced with Pino Donaggio's famous score. I specifically would like to point out that the sudden dynamic fluctuations/dropouts that plague the R1 SDVD release of the film have been effectively addressed.

Don't Look Now Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 

• Introduction - a short introduction to Don't Look Now by film critic Alan Jones. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, PAL).

• Looking Back - in this featurette, director Nic Roeg discusses the production history of the film and the unusual story it tells, while director of photography Anthony B. Richmond explains the significance of specific scenes in the film, including the famous sex scene. Editor Graeme Clifford also recalls his work on the film. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, PAL).

• Interviews - a series of interviews with:
  
  -- Composer Pino Donaggio - in Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (18 min, PAL).
  -- Danny Boyle - in English, not subtitled. (16 min, PAL).
  -- Screenwriter/producer Allan Scott. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, PAL).
  -- Cinematographer Tony Richmond. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, PAL).
  -- Donald Sutherland. In English, not subtitled. (24, PAL).

• Compressed Version of Don't Look Now - a fascinating short version of Don't Look Now prepared by Danny Boyle for a BAFTA tribute to director Nic Roeg. Music only. (5 min, PAL).

• Nothing Is As It Seems - Dr. Colin Murray Parkes, psychiatrist, analyzes Don't Look Now. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, PAL).

• Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for Don't Look Now. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, PAL).

• Commentary - in this fascinating audio commentary director Nic Roeg, joined by film critic Adam Smith, discusses how key sequences in Don't Look Now were filmed, the polarizing emotions the film harbors, the complex narrative, the specific atmospehere and relationship between the real and the surreal, etc. A superb commentary, indeed.

Don't Look Now Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

It is obvious that Optimum Home Entertainment (and Studio Canal) wanted this Blu-ray release of Nic Roeg's legendary Don't Look Now to be a special one. Not only did the film undergo a meticulous restoration, but exclusive new supplemental features were also prepared for the Blu-ray release. This makes the issue addressed in the video section of our review that much more frustrating because this easily could have been one of the year's best releases. My advice to you is to rent it first and see how the film looks on your system before considering a purchase. RENT IT.

Optimum Home Entertainment has announced that on June 27 it will release Don't Look Now in a special-edition Blu-ray. This acclaimed 1973 atmospheric thriller, starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie, is widely acknowledged as perhaps Nicolas Roeg's finest ...