Don't Look Now...

The second film we watched in our class screenings was Don't Look Now (Nicolas Roeg, 1973). Click here for a full synopsis of the film.


Cast

Laura Baxter - Julie Christie
John Baxter - Donald Sutherland
Heather - Hilary Mason
Wendy - Clelia Matania
Christine Baxter - Sharon Williams
Inspector Longhi - Renato Scarpa
Detective Sabbione - Bruno Cattaneo
The Dwarf - Adelina Poerio

I'd seen this film before when I was a bit younger, but did get a little bit more out of it this time. The film is scary because you don't know what's going to happen next. There are certain sections of the film with a fast-paced cutting together of very different images, playing with past, present, and future, but put together meaningfully. It is disorientating and confusing for the audience in the same way that it is for John Baxter as he receives a number of different signs and visions. This helps the audience to empathise with him.
The film explores the themes of love and grief in a unique way, and despite being a horror film, the only blood-and-gore moment is at the end of the film, with John Baxter's bloody death. This makes the scene even more memorable and horrifying.
The use of colour within the film is also really interesting, with all the colours bar red being muted, making the red ever more vivid. As the film progresses and John's frustration increases, the colder tones of grey and blue become more prominent.
I found the idea of using colours in such a way really interesting and useful, and we may come to use it when we begin the production of our opening. It's the type of thing that can help to create a strong branding and association with a film, as well as connoting particular things - such as red connoting love, passion, or danger.