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Don't look - LISTEN! We're covering Don't Look Now by Daphne du Maurier!

Special thanks to ace reader Barbara Ford!

Comments

Richard Horsman

It hadn't struck me before, but the joking speculation that the twins are in disguise and not what they seem could be read as a grim bit of foreshadowing.

Anonymous

I haven't read this story, although I think I am going to try to before the next show, however, even though I never would have thought of it without this show to remind me, I have seen this movie, or at least part of it… sort of… a long time ago. I say sort of, because I saw it on TV back in the old days, not any time recently. It was so long ago I don’t remember much about it except for some flashes of the little girl, and Donald Sutherland running around Venice, looking freaked out. Also, because I saw it on TV a long time ago, there was no trace of cunnilingus, and probably not even a bit of the weird arm scene. Had there been, I might have found the movie more memorable.

Anonymous

Glad you are covering this story and weaving your thoughts on the movie into your analysis. I know this is a literary podcast but actually watching the 1970s adaptation will probably serve you just as well, it is a faithful adaptation with the added bonus of the films fantastic location shooting. In fact the unusual location, the decaying, drowning city is a vital aspect of the movie. It is a slow film, atmosphere is key to its success in manner similar to The Shining or The Changeling but it is very much it’s own movie, and yes there is some 70s oddness, but that serves I think to make the story even stranger. Clearly I’m a big fan of this story and it is definitely much ‘weirder’ than many of the recently covered works.

Anonymous

My teenage self in late 70s was convinced the old lady psychics were the creepy girls from the shining. Self inflicted mental mashups are the best. Looking forward to part 2 where it does get really really weird. If I remember correctly the film extreme closeups for horrific effect used like never before (ie not hokey or clichéd}

Steve

Venice is indeed neat.

Anonymous

When the couple are talking smack about the old ladies being two criminals in drag...all I could I picture in my mind when reading the story was Robbie Coltrane twins planning a Venetian heist.

Anonymous

I liked that at this point in the story I had no idea what was going on. Love dear HPL but he isn’t precisely full of surprises.

Anonymous

I agree that the elements of 70s-ness add to the sense of the Weird. The 70s could be seen as a a pretty Weird decade in aesthetic come to think of it. The dissillusioned slide into decadence after the (self indulgent) idealism of the late 60s. Also did anyone else notice the oddly endearing "drownding"? :)

Anonymous

Today I was rereading Saga of the Swamp Thing #20 by Alan Moore, and there was a reference to Don’t Look Now and Donald Sutherland. Coincidence? Fate? Weird.

Anonymous

So a Happy(?) Birthday to this podcast's namesake. 128 years young today.

Anonymous

I really enjoyed this story. Having said that, the ending was a bit... sudden. I was convinced we had an unreliable narrator by the time we were back at the police station a second time.

Anonymous

I think for du Maurier an unreliable narrator is just another way to say the narrator.

Anonymous

This is one I've put off for years, both movie and story, and I don't know why. Think it's probably time to check them out.

Anonymous

A very interesting story, eager to see how this is going to develop. Given the commentary, I don't have much of a clue.

Anonymous

I feel like I need to see this movie from the description!

Anonymous

I also first heard of this from the Scariest Movie Moments TV thing, which I watched through on YouTube years ago... Also the opening to this story is awesome, so fun and somehow old fashioned!

Anonymous

By far, the most disturbing scene in the movie, is the sex scene.

nils hedglin

"Jamaica Inn?". Classic dad joke, made all the more hilarious by the fact that Chris seems to usually by the straight man for Chad's jokes, but this time the roles were reversed.

Anonymous

I must say that I tried watching the film twice, gave up, and then saw its entirety when it was projected in a semi-theatrical fashion for a Film Appreciation course; and, as they say, third time's the charm. Roeg, as far as I'm aware, is a cinematographer first and director second. He lets the visuals tell a story (see Walkabout for an example). It took me some time to really appreciate his approach to things. My father and I — both being huge cinema buffs — agreed the sex scene was overly long and gratuitous, but when I really stopped to think about what it meant in terms of the characters and story, plus its unconventional approach, I began to admire it instead of checking my non-existent watch. The Man Who Fell to Earth, however... yeah, still haven't sat through the whole thing.

Anonymous

Rather irritating American-centric commentary. Daphne Du Maurier is a major writer, Nicholas Roeg is a major director and Don’t Look Now is an important film in the canon of 20th Century cinema. Seems like if it is not on US Primetime TV, it’s ‘just kinda wierd’.