Don’t Look Now
FILM 11PM, BBC3
Based on a Daphne du Maurier short story, Nicolas Roeg’s movie uses a sumptuous setting and turns it into a terrifying Gothic mausoleum. Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie play a couple on a trip to Venice, partly for work but mostly to escape the tragedy of losing their daughter. The film leads us through the dark alleys of Venice in winter, bleak and morbid, with a shocking and surprising conclusion. The wonderfully naturalistic performances of the leads gives the film its force, with two people sucked into a bizarre, supernatural tour de force. ★★★★★ NP