TotalTelly.co.uk

Devoted to Popular, Cult and Retro TV

Don't Look Now - Special Edition [1973]


RRP: £17.99
Our Price: £4.08 (subject to change)

A TRUE classic for TRUE horror fans!
Review date: 2008-10-26 Rating: 10 out of 10

I endorse everything said by previous reviewers in acknowledging the power, beauty and sheer creepiness of this film classic, hence the 5 stars. Equally, I am appalled at this new DVD version that can offer such poor quality sound and would give it only 1 star if it were possible to rate the sound separately. The earlier release from Warner in 2002, though not brilliant sonically, is still preferable to this travesty. The message is - if you have the previous version, hang on to it. If you haven't, try to get one.

As for those who want to dismiss this movie in favour of the 'new horror' such as SAW or HOSTEL - all I can feel is pity for them. I am a long-standing fan and collector of the genre, going back to the silent classics, taking in everything from Universal, through Hammer, and including the slasher cycle. But I WILL NOT include the likes of SAW in my collection - they are NOT true horror, they're just exercises in disgust and poor taste. It's all prosthetics and CGI, doncha know? For heaven's sake, grow up and acknowledge that stuff like DON'T LOOK NOW and THE HAUNTING (original version) are the real stuff of nightmares. SAW just sickens you while you watch it, DON'T LOOK NOW haunts you for the rest of your life!

Similar Products

Reviews


Completely ruined by the soundtrack
Review date: 2008-07-14 Rating: 6 out of 10

Well this classic thriller certainly looks good, the editing is crisp and the mood sombre and threatening BUT, and it's a huge but, the film is completely ruined by the appalling soundtrack: only one word in ten is clear. The actors' words swoop, boom and drop to an inaudible whisper. It sounds as if it was recorded on a faulty dictaphone in a public lavatory. No reputable company would release this and expect people to pay good money to buy it. I cannot imagine what Nicholas Roeg's reaction would be if he knew his film was being treated like this.

Gothic Masterpiece
Review date: 2008-06-04 Rating: 10 out of 10

Hitchcock used an example to explain the difference between surprise and suspense. If people are seated at a table and a bomb explodes, that is surprise. If they are seated at a table, and you know there's a bomb under the table attached to a ticking clock, but they continue to play cards -- that's suspense. There's a bomb under "Dont Look Now" for excruciating stretches of time.


I was expecting this slow-moving movie to descend into routine shock and horror movie,but it doesn't. Most of the movie is all waiting, anticipating and dreading. The jolts that come about midway are of a similar magnitude to movies such as Sixth Sense or The Exorcist.


The film is slow moving, but it manages to expertly linger to create atmosphere, a sense of place, a sympathy with the characters, instead of rushing into cheap thrills. Dont Look Now stands as one of the most beautiful and moving "horror" movies in the 1970s...even though it is not really a horror movie; it's more of a psychological thriller.


As it gears up for a truly unexpected, emotionally draining finale - destined to please or frustrate depending on how nihilistic you like your horror - this elegant ghost story ignores genre conventions to deliver a touching tale of motherhood and fatherhood, love and what may or may not lie on the other side.

what the hell happened to the soundtrack?
Review date: 2008-04-12 Rating: 8 out of 10

A classic film, doubtless. But as for this DVD - well, the picture quality is lovely, but the sound is AWFUL - harsh, trebly, distorted! Is that really the best available audio track for this film?! What went wrong? It really is poor enough to make the dialogue hard to understand at times - and to make things worse, the DVD has no subtitle option.

Definitely Do Look Now
Review date: 2008-01-22 Rating: 10 out of 10

Why Don't look now is frequently referred to as a horror film is something I've never understood. "Psychological thriller' is perhaps more accurate although the horror of losing a child, which is the basis for this superb film, is indisputable. The director Nicholas Roeg referred to it as 'an exercise in film grammar', and that is probably the most accurate description.
This film had a profound effect on me when I first saw it on release and its power has never left me, in fact it's still up therre in my top five films of all time. The threads of the story are pulled together in the first sequence, a masterpiece of cross-cutting, but nothing is revealed until the very end.
Roeg and cinematographer Anthony Richmond have crafted a beautiful and powerful essay on grief, love and the supernatural and I've always felt that it was also about communication, the breakdown of which is suggested in many of the scenes. Venice here is painted with a cold and chilling palette which probably few visitors have seen and the feeling of foreboding is almost tangible. The use of colour is paramount in the film's narrative and with repeated viewing, new aspects of this code are revealed.
Enigmatic and perhaps a little pretentious, it does look a little dated now but so what? Films only look dated if you compare them to contemporary works - good films remain good no matter how old they are. It will stand up to repeated viewing and if you are studying film it is certainly one to watch and discuss. There's never really been anything like it since, so watch it and allow it to work its magic on you. But don't go expecting a horror film.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Donald Sutherland
Julie Christie
Hilary Mason

Creators:
Donald Sutherland (Primary Contributor)
Julie Christie (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Optimum Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Optimum Home Entertainment
EAN: 5060034577164
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2006-11-13
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 110 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1973
Language: English (Original Language)

Add to Cart

© 2006 Darren Hester, DesignsByDarren.com, Some Rights Reserved.
Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional