Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a tribute to director Nicolas Roeg with a screening of his eerie, atmospheric thriller, DON’T LOOK NOW, on Tuesday, December 18 at Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills.
Roeg, who began as a master cinematographer, had a distinctive visual style that received perhaps its most brilliant expression in this suspenseful film adapted from a story by Daphne Du Maurier, the author of ‘Rebecca.’ Screenwriters Allan Scott and Chris Bryant retained the basic premise of the story but embellished and expanded it under Roeg’s guidance.
Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland play a married couple whose young daughter drowns in the movie’s opening scene. A few months later, they are in Venice, where Sutherland is working to restore an old church. But they are still grief-stricken and traumatized, and when they meet two elderly sisters who claim to be able to communicate with their dead daughter, the couple embark on a supernatural journey that takes them in unexpected directions. Christie finds comfort in the sisters’ message, while Sutherland is more skeptical, though it turns out he has clairvoyant gifts that he tries to suppress.
Set in the gray of winter, the film avoids the usual Venice tourist spots and instead creates an indelible vision of a labyrinthine city cloaked in shadows and sinister portents, as a murderer also haunts the canals and byways and threatens the lives of the two lead characters.
Roeg’s fractured editing style adds to the unsettling nature of the film, but this editing also contributes to one of the most famous interludes in the film, a lovemaking scene between Christie and Sutherland that has been called one of the most erotic and influential in cinema history.
Anthony Richmond was the film’s cinematographer, Graeme Clifford was the editor, and Pino Donaggio composed the evocative score.
Pauline Kael had high praise for the performances: “Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland team up wonderfully.”
Newsweek’s Paul D. Zimmerman called the film “a dark and frightening experience unlike anything ever filmed…Roeg, a masterly technician, builds up an atmosphere of dread you can taste in your throat.”
TIME magazine’s Jay Cocks agreed, writing “this is a film of deep terrors and troubling insights—one that works a spell of continual, mounting anxiety,” and he concluded, “Roeg’s is one of those rare talents that can effect a new way of seeing.”
Roeg oversaw some of the astonishing second unit photography in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ before graduating to cinematographer of such films as ‘Fahrenheit 451,’ ‘Far from the Madding Crowd,’ and ‘Petulia’ (all starring Christie). He made his directing debut (sharing credit with screenwriter Donald Cammell) on the Mick Jagger film ‘Performance.’ His other memorable films include ‘Walkabout,’ ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’ with David Bowie, and ‘Bad Timing,’ which teamed Art Garfunkel with Theresa Russell, the actress who became Roeg’s wife and the star of many of his late films.
The director’s nonlinear storytelling and visual acuity had a tremendous influence on other directors, including Danny Boyle, Steven Soderbergh, and Martin McDonagh, who have all paid tribute to Roeg’s gifts.
DON’T LOOK NOW screens on Tuesday, December 18 at 7:30PM at Ahrya Fine Arts in Beverly Hills. Click here for tickets.
Format: Blu-ray
With the holidays right around the corner, why not consider giving a meaningful gift of art or simply stop by to view our galleries. No tickets required. ART IN THE ARTHOUSE connects film audiences with the visual arts all year long and our artwork is for sale. We proudly deliver a unique, alternative art-viewing experience at seven of our nine venues. You might be inspired to buy a memorable work of art for someone special.
At Laemmle venues around town, we provide movie goers with the opportunity to bond with notable and emerging visual artists. We focus on local talent and the robust Los Angeles arts scene, applying high curatorial standards to long-lasting exhibits that allow for repeat visits and extended reflection. Contribute to the conversation and become a Laemmle patron of the arts.
Going to Encino Town Center any time soon? Take a look at 
Successful collaboration in the world of painting is a rare phenomenon. The duo of HILL and STUMP, known for their breathtaking floral compositions, have nourished a unique and productive partnership. In a kind of creative symbiosis, they appear to “finish each other’s sentences,” layering each piece and editing each other to create something entirely new. Stump comments, “Our process is almost egoless because we can’t, as individual artists, get attached to anything we do. Hill confirms, “We never call a piece finished unless we’re both happy with it.”
In this exhibit, curated for Art in the Arthouse by Tish Laemmle, the magic of the flower is utilized as a vehicle for light and form to express itself. Nothing is overlooked. Whether realized or abstracted, each individual mum, magnolia, or cactus blossom is rendered until it glows. The artists work together in their studio in San Diego and also maintain a space in the El Sereno neighborhood of Los Angeles. Hill has recently become bicoastal, returning to her childhood home of Tennessee while Stump has become involved in the blooming High Desert community. Both teach art in college and at a men’s maximum security prison.
