Great piece. It’s an astonishing film, managing to be mournful, sinister, stylish, sexy and in many ways profoundly European. Sutherland and Christie are magnificent, and pull off that rare feat of not really seeming like actors, as if Roeg is somehow eavesdropping on real people.
The 70s,the least 'elegant' of decades, but filled to the brim with vigour. The films of the era reflect that. I suppose the polished rounded version of the Everett film lacks exactly that. Vigour.
Brits abroad, understatement, intimation of horror, all that is of particular interest to me, as I am writing a novel told from the perspective of an English woman in Greece, where things...well,start to happen. It may not be in the 70s, have no newfound wonder for formica (that revolution all the way from the States), but it does discuss such issues as home, the Engishness of England one carries with them. And hopefully does it with similar Vigour!
And, yes, the English have this thing about Venice, don't they? Finding Venice especially Gothic. cf the cosy domesticity of the nicer parts of London or the Home Counties? You get this in DLN and the Comfort of Strangers. And there must be others...
You’re right about the Brits and Venice. I have 3 watercolours of Venice very much with the same atmosphere as in Don’t Look Now. It’s the decaying grandeur that attracts me. I hadn’t associated the paintings with the film till now but I wonder if my attraction was subliminal.
All the above could not not be elegant if they tried. But what about the anonymous crowd? Sideburns, bell bottoms, Fluorescent eye shadow, twilrling-patterned orange tiles? My money is on the 20s to 60s. Then of course came the eighties!!!
I know... funny! But don't you think the 70s image is hammed up a bit by modern day designers? If you watch the films of the time, tie knots seem quite slim, interiors are pretty understated (Milanese white)- it's not exactly Austin Powers?
This might amuse you. I LOATHE the mid to late 80s. It all goes wrong in 1985. Those awful very light blue baggy jeans, the permed hair, the shoulder pads, suit coats with sleeves pushed up to the elbows, Miami Vice...
I remember all this Sowell, my shoulder pads were getting bigger by the day!!!I can't help remembering this fondly, what about leg warmers on jeans and Jane Fonda's workout? Ah, the nostalgia...
Many thanks! Funnily enough, I've changed my mind about the infamous sex scene. I think it's integral to the plot- and beautifully and tastefully done. A masterclass in editing.
I'm haunted by this film in so many ways- it captures the essence and atmosphere of wintry Venice like no other, the inexpressible grief at the loss of a child and the terror of being followed down narrow streets by an unseen presence.
It's probably the best in this Venetian genre... I quite like The Comfort of Strangers, but you don't see much of Venice (but then in the book, Venice is hinted at, rather than specified). Death in Venice (1970)'s great too- along similar lines. Mists, fabulous cinematography...
Oh the twins…Christie…Sutherland…the whole shtick from beginning to end (the ending…!) . Has to be one of my all time standout movies. Just a masterpiece.
One of my favourites Luke, a film filled with beautiful dark psychological undercurrents with the additional beautiful cinematography never goes out of style indeed.
Indeed. But then as we both know this is one of the greatest films of the 70s. I need to investigate The Sunday Woman (1975)- mentioned in a previous comment and starring Jacqueline Bisset. Do you know it?
It really was one of the best Luke, it's never gone out of style in my opinion. Sinister and sensual, dark and provocative, I love it! Oh noi, The Sunday Woman, Indeed I do know it!!!!
For me the sex scene is absolutely essential to the film. I have no time for gratuitous sex in films whereas this scene is beautiful. I remember reading in a review at the time the reasons why Roeg had included it. It made total sense to me and he achieved his objective as far as I’m concerned. I saw the film in 1973 as a student. It never left me somehow. Truly haunting.
Great post. We did this one (and The Wicker Man) on Fifteen-Minute Film Fanatics if you’re interested. I still find the sex scene wholly gratuitous and doing very little for the film as a whole, which is, as you say, terrific.
Thank you! That's very kind. It has to be one of the best British films of the 70s. We may have to agree to disagree on the infamous sex or love scene... I've rather changed my mind about it. Roeg, apparently, wanted to avoid the impression that the couple spent most of the time arguing- so tt was a last minute, improvised addition- and imo, it's filmed and edited in a grown-up, tasteful way. After all that's what couples do in real life, is it not?... others may disagree.
Fun fact: "giallo" (yellow) came originally from the yellow covers of early detective stories published in Italy, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_fiction: In Italy, early translations of English and American stories and local works were published in cheap yellow covers, thus the genre was baptized with the term libri gialli or yellow books. The genre was outlawed by the Fascists during WWII, but exploded in popularity after the war, especially influenced by the American hard-boiled school of crime fiction. A group of mainstream Italian writers emerged, who used the detective format to create an antidetective or postmodern novel in which the detectives are imperfect, the crimes are usually unsolved, and clues are left for the reader to decipher. Famous writers include Leonardo Sciascia, Umberto Eco, and Carlo Emilio Gadda.
Thanks for this incredibly useful explanation. Funnily enough, never had Umberto Eco down as a giallo writer? I'm currently- seriously- into giallo films... the fun thing is that there are so many of them to get your teeth into... I need to see 'Who Saw Her Die?' with George Lazenby, set in Venice. Music by Ennio Morricone. Not everybody's cup of tea, but uber stylish.
Eco's "The Name of the Rose" is a giallo! I want to see that film too, heck, I want to see all the films you so spellbindingly talk about.
If you don't know it yet, you might enjoy "The Sunday Woman" by Italian director Luigi Comencini, a 1975 film based on the excellent giallo novel "La donna della domenica" by Fruttero and Lucentini, two great writers. The woman of the title is a splendid Jacqueline Bisset.
Great piece. It’s an astonishing film, managing to be mournful, sinister, stylish, sexy and in many ways profoundly European. Sutherland and Christie are magnificent, and pull off that rare feat of not really seeming like actors, as if Roeg is somehow eavesdropping on real people.
The 70s,the least 'elegant' of decades, but filled to the brim with vigour. The films of the era reflect that. I suppose the polished rounded version of the Everett film lacks exactly that. Vigour.
Brits abroad, understatement, intimation of horror, all that is of particular interest to me, as I am writing a novel told from the perspective of an English woman in Greece, where things...well,start to happen. It may not be in the 70s, have no newfound wonder for formica (that revolution all the way from the States), but it does discuss such issues as home, the Engishness of England one carries with them. And hopefully does it with similar Vigour!
And, yes, the English have this thing about Venice, don't they? Finding Venice especially Gothic. cf the cosy domesticity of the nicer parts of London or the Home Counties? You get this in DLN and the Comfort of Strangers. And there must be others...
You’re right about the Brits and Venice. I have 3 watercolours of Venice very much with the same atmosphere as in Don’t Look Now. It’s the decaying grandeur that attracts me. I hadn’t associated the paintings with the film till now but I wonder if my attraction was subliminal.
Henry James, The Aspern Papers
But I think the 70s were entirely elegant! At least for the rich. Yves Saint Laurent? The Mulliner Park Ward Rolls Royce? Diane von Furstenberg?
All the above could not not be elegant if they tried. But what about the anonymous crowd? Sideburns, bell bottoms, Fluorescent eye shadow, twilrling-patterned orange tiles? My money is on the 20s to 60s. Then of course came the eighties!!!
I know... funny! But don't you think the 70s image is hammed up a bit by modern day designers? If you watch the films of the time, tie knots seem quite slim, interiors are pretty understated (Milanese white)- it's not exactly Austin Powers?
I absolutely agree!
This might amuse you. I LOATHE the mid to late 80s. It all goes wrong in 1985. Those awful very light blue baggy jeans, the permed hair, the shoulder pads, suit coats with sleeves pushed up to the elbows, Miami Vice...
I remember all this Sowell, my shoulder pads were getting bigger by the day!!!I can't help remembering this fondly, what about leg warmers on jeans and Jane Fonda's workout? Ah, the nostalgia...
Well, thanks a lot for the nightmares, Luke and Maria!
Enjoyed this. It’s a fab film, that red rain Mac, the musical score, the acting….
I’ve never been good at watching sex scenes and that one seemed like forever to the viewer. 😂🤷♀️
Thank you for your celebration of it.
Many thanks! Funnily enough, I've changed my mind about the infamous sex scene. I think it's integral to the plot- and beautifully and tastefully done. A masterclass in editing.
Yes it is tastefully done, sensitively. It’s just my hang up. I do like the way it’s very real. The grief in the room etc
Yes, absolutely, which, I think, is very much the point...
I'm haunted by this film in so many ways- it captures the essence and atmosphere of wintry Venice like no other, the inexpressible grief at the loss of a child and the terror of being followed down narrow streets by an unseen presence.
It's probably the best in this Venetian genre... I quite like The Comfort of Strangers, but you don't see much of Venice (but then in the book, Venice is hinted at, rather than specified). Death in Venice (1970)'s great too- along similar lines. Mists, fabulous cinematography...
Yes indeed. DIV an extraordinary film and Dirk Bogarde's finest performance
And also the tricks your mind plays on you. For me that’s a massive part of the film.
Oh the twins…Christie…Sutherland…the whole shtick from beginning to end (the ending…!) . Has to be one of my all time standout movies. Just a masterpiece.
One of my favourites Luke, a film filled with beautiful dark psychological undercurrents with the additional beautiful cinematography never goes out of style indeed.
Indeed. But then as we both know this is one of the greatest films of the 70s. I need to investigate The Sunday Woman (1975)- mentioned in a previous comment and starring Jacqueline Bisset. Do you know it?
It really was one of the best Luke, it's never gone out of style in my opinion. Sinister and sensual, dark and provocative, I love it! Oh noi, The Sunday Woman, Indeed I do know it!!!!
It was such a brilliant, unforgettable film and I still always shudder when I see a little red coat.
For me the sex scene is absolutely essential to the film. I have no time for gratuitous sex in films whereas this scene is beautiful. I remember reading in a review at the time the reasons why Roeg had included it. It made total sense to me and he achieved his objective as far as I’m concerned. I saw the film in 1973 as a student. It never left me somehow. Truly haunting.
That's the way I see it too...
Great post. We did this one (and The Wicker Man) on Fifteen-Minute Film Fanatics if you’re interested. I still find the sex scene wholly gratuitous and doing very little for the film as a whole, which is, as you say, terrific.
Thank you! That's very kind. It has to be one of the best British films of the 70s. We may have to agree to disagree on the infamous sex or love scene... I've rather changed my mind about it. Roeg, apparently, wanted to avoid the impression that the couple spent most of the time arguing- so tt was a last minute, improvised addition- and imo, it's filmed and edited in a grown-up, tasteful way. After all that's what couples do in real life, is it not?... others may disagree.
Ps. If you’re interested, Criterion is currently doing a whole retrospective of films about Venice, with this as the headliner.
Another film it clearly influenced was The Brood, the David Cronenberg film.
Fun fact: "giallo" (yellow) came originally from the yellow covers of early detective stories published in Italy, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_fiction: In Italy, early translations of English and American stories and local works were published in cheap yellow covers, thus the genre was baptized with the term libri gialli or yellow books. The genre was outlawed by the Fascists during WWII, but exploded in popularity after the war, especially influenced by the American hard-boiled school of crime fiction. A group of mainstream Italian writers emerged, who used the detective format to create an antidetective or postmodern novel in which the detectives are imperfect, the crimes are usually unsolved, and clues are left for the reader to decipher. Famous writers include Leonardo Sciascia, Umberto Eco, and Carlo Emilio Gadda.
Donald Sutherland was a fine, wonderful actor.
Thanks for this incredibly useful explanation. Funnily enough, never had Umberto Eco down as a giallo writer? I'm currently- seriously- into giallo films... the fun thing is that there are so many of them to get your teeth into... I need to see 'Who Saw Her Die?' with George Lazenby, set in Venice. Music by Ennio Morricone. Not everybody's cup of tea, but uber stylish.
Eco's "The Name of the Rose" is a giallo! I want to see that film too, heck, I want to see all the films you so spellbindingly talk about.
If you don't know it yet, you might enjoy "The Sunday Woman" by Italian director Luigi Comencini, a 1975 film based on the excellent giallo novel "La donna della domenica" by Fruttero and Lucentini, two great writers. The woman of the title is a splendid Jacqueline Bisset.
OMG. Jacqueline Bisset. She- Who- Can- Do- No- Wrong. I HAVE to see this.