(aka "A Venezia... un dicembre rosso shocking" )

 

directed by Nicholas Roeg
UK / Italy 1973

 

A girl in a red raincoat, a boy on a red bike, the girl throwing a red ball into water, which reflects her red raincoat, which becomes fire by a cut from exterior to interior, where a book with a red cover is on the table, where the man watches a slide in which there is a red hood figure, cutting to the reflection of the girl with the red raincoat, cutting to interior again, where the woman is looking for her red label cigarettes, which is found by the man, who throws them to her, as the girl outside throws the red ball into the water, as the man inside tips a glass of water onto his slides, cutting himself, allowing blood to flow onto the slide of the red hooded figure, making him run out of the house as the girl in the red raincoat is drowning. And as the blood on the slide forms a whirlpool, so does the water as the man rises from below it with the lifeless girl with the red raincoat in his arms.

So opens Nicholas Roeg’s masterpiece “Don’t Look Now”.

One of the most beautifully constructed opening sequences ever, edited by Graeme Clifford, it does not only set up the theme of colour red – which throughout the film stalks the images – and of time / space disorder, linked by the colour red; Roeg even cuts in the cover of the book Beyond the fragile geometry of space, as if to stress how space, time and reality are connected in disorderly ways, a theme he so elegantly sets up thru editing, by constantly cutting back and forth between the outside and inside, and by inverting elements. The very first image of raid outside becomes light reflecting in glass spheres inside, as water outside becomes fire inside, as the woman’s tapping of her lips inside becomes the girls giggle behind her fingers outside, the boy looking for a splinter in his wheel mimics the woman searching for her cigarettes inside, and so forth. This being an intellectual montage, the images are not directly linked to create an idea, but more linked in a way, which appears unrelated, allowing for linkage by paranormal or mystic means.

Both do play a significant role in the story. John is able to see things that not yet have happened, so does the blind sister, and Roeg sets up fate as a force, both by imagery of the laughing gargoyles and by events, such as the blind sister having visions during epileptic seizures, which in ancient times was thought to be either demonic possessions or visions evoked by the gods. In the scene, where John almost falls to his death, Roeg inserts the image of the blind sister laughing, who earlier warned Laura about her husband being in danger. It is, as if the death of John and Laura’s daughter – the girl in the red raincoat – is a forewarning of the death of John by the red hooded figure in the end; she even is the opposite of a little girl, being an old dwarfed woman.

“Don’t Look Now” is a masterpiece of psychological horror, and arguable Roeg’s best film. It is as fresh today as it was more than thirty years ago, as provocative, as intelligent. Its casting appears more and more perfect with the years, so does its editing and direction.

Henrik Sylow

Posters

Theatrical Release: December 9, 1973 (New York City, New York)

Reviews    More Reviews  DVD Reviews

DVD Comparison:

Warner / Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL vs. Optimum (Special Edition) - Region 2 - PAL vs. Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC

Big thanks to Ole Kofoed and Henrik Sylow and Gary Tooze for the Screen Caps!

(Warner / Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT vs. Optimum (Special Edition) - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers

Distribution

Warner / Studio Canal

Region 2 - PAL

Optimum
Region 2 - PAL
Paramount
Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime 1:45:2 (4% PAL speedup) 1:45:43 (4% PAL speedup) 1:49:5
Video

1.81:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 4.14 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.80:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.26 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.40 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

 

Warner / Studio Canal

 

Bitrate:

 

Optimum (Special Edition)

 

Bitrate:

 

Paramount

 

Audio English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

2.0 Dolby Digital English Mono

English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, French Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (dub)

Subtitles No Subtitles No Subtitles English, French, None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Warner / Studio Canal

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.81:1

Edition Details:
• Looking Back - Featurette (19:31 / 16x9)
• Campaign Book (DVD-ROM PDF)
• Trailer - Fullscreen (2:14)

DVD Release Date: July 29, 2002
Keep Case

Chapters 20

Release Information:
Studio: Optimum

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.80:1

Edition Details:
• Audio Commentary by Nicholas Roeg
• Introduction by Alan Jones (7:12 / 16x9)
• Looking Back (19:31 / 16x9)
• Death in Venice: Interview with Pino Donaggio (17:36 / 16x9)
• Trailer (2:32)

 

DVD Release Date: November 13, 2006
Keep Case

Chapters 16

Release Information:
Studio: Paramount

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1

Edition Details:
• Theatrical Trailer (3:15 / 16x9)

 

DVD Release Date: August 19, 2003
Keep Case

Chapters 15

 

 

Comments:

Henrik Sylow on the Optimum
The transfer of Optimum is stunning. No visible artefacts, sharp details, strong - original palette - colours. It is however slightly more overscanned than the previous R2, by apprx. 1%. Compared to both the Warner R2 and the Paramount R1, it stands out an improvement in all departments.

The sound is, as on the other versions, the original 2.0 Mono track. Nothing to be said about it.

What makes the Optimum even better is its additional features. While it ports Warners featurette, it has an added introduction by critic Alan Jones, an interview with composer Pino Donnagio (produced by Blue Underground for Optimum) and an audio commentary by Roeg and critic John Smith, where Roeg ranges between anecdotes and reflections upon influences and production.

Gary Tooze on the Warner and Paramount
Some really bad color manipulation has gone on with one of these DVDs. Looking solely at skin tones I would suggest that the Region 1 Paramount disc is the culprit for the more obvious altering. They both look to have the negligible differences in sharpness and contrast levels with both leaning a shade towards the NTSC version. The Paramount is cropped on the top and left edges more than we would appreciate - less so for the Warner on the bottom and right. The Paramount offers a French DUB option along with the original English audio. The Warner audio has some audio distortion and is less polished than the Paramount. The Warner offers no subtitles where the NTSC gives an English/French choice. Extras go the way of the PAL edition as the Paramount offers only a trailer. Overall the NTSC has badly altered the colors to such an extent that we are going with the Warner-PAL for the image. With the Warner audio problem, we feel overall the Paramount is the version to buy, regardless of its flaws (color and lack of extras).
 



DVD Menus
(Warner / Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT vs. Optimum (Special Edition) - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)


 

 


 

Screen Captures

(Warner / Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. Optimum (Special Edition) - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
captures resized from 1024px to 800px

 

 


(Warner / Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. Optimum (Special Edition) - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 


(Warner / Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. Optimum (Special Edition) - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 


(Warner / Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. Optimum (Special Edition) - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 


(Warner / Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. Optimum (Special Edition) - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 


 

 

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Report Card:

 

Image:

Optimum

Sound:

--

Extras: Optimum
Menu: Optimum

 
DVD Box Covers

Distribution

Warner / Studio Canal

Region 2 - PAL

Optimum
Region 2 - PAL
Paramount
Region 1 - NTSC




 

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