Don't Look Now

What most people remember about Nicolas Roeg's 1973 "psychic thriller," based on the story by Daphne Du Maurier, is that beautifully edited, torrid yet also heartbreaking, sex scene between costars (and offscreen lovers) Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie, who play John and Laura Baxter, a grieving couple struggling with the recent accidental drowning of their young daughter. Slightly trimmed for American audiences, Paramount's new DVD release presents the European "uncut" version of the film (which still retains an "R"-rating today, even with the addition of a few extra frames of frantic coupling). In any case, Don't Look Now has much more to offer than mere titillation, as John (the rationalist) and Laura (the spiritually hopeful) respond in different ways to the startling message from a blind psychic who not only claims to see the Baxter's dead daughter but accurately describes the red raincoat the little girl was wearing on the day she died. The faithless John dismisses the woman's vision, throwing himself into his work (which, ironically, is restoring old churches), while Laura becomes obsessed with learning about her daughter's new life in the spirit world. Stirred into this already emotionally potent mix is a subplot involving a serial killer loose along the canals of Venice, where the action is set. Released, unfortunately, without any extras, the DVD nevertheless sports a pretty decent transfer considering the film's age. Recommended. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Feb. 10, 2015—Criterion, 110 min., R, DVD: 2 discs, $29.95; Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1973's Don't Look Now features a fine transfer and an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include a 2003 Q&A with director Nicolas Roeg (48 min.), a new conversation with editor Graeme Clifford and film writer and historian Bobbie O'Steen (44 min.), the new “making-of” featurette “Something Interesting” (30 min.), a “Death in Venice” 2006 interview with composer Pino Donaggio (18 min.), a “Nicolas Roeg: The Enigma of Film” piece with interviews of filmmakers Danny Boyle and Steven Soderbergh (18 min.), a 2002 retrospective featurette (10 min.), a trailer, and an essay by film critic David Thomson. Bottom line: Roeg's cult classic looks good on Blu-ray.]