Don't Look Now
original film poster
Directed by	Nicolas Roeg
Produced by	Peter Katz
Written by	Daphne du Maurier (story) Allan Scott (screenplay) Chris Bryant (screenplay)
Starring	Julie Christie Donald Sutherland
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures (USA) British Lion Films (UK)
Release date(s)	9 December 1973
Running time	110 min.
Country	Italy / UK
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

For the 1983 PBS sketch-comedy, see You Can't Do That On Television.

Don't Look Now is an Anglo-Italian thriller, directed by Nicolas Roeg and released in 1973. It is based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier. Image File history File links Dont_look_movieposter. ... Nicolas Jack Roeg, born on August 15, 1928 in London, is an internationally-known cinematographer and film director. ... Dame Daphne du Maurier DBE (13 May 1907–19 April 1989) was a famous British novelist best known for her short story The Birds and her classic novel Rebecca, published in 1938. ... Allan Scott (May 23, 1906, Arlington, New Jersey, USA - April 13, 1995, Santa Monica, California) was a screenwriter that was nominated for an Academy Award for So Proudly We Hail!. Allan was the father of actor Pippa Scott, and brother of film producer and screenwriter Adrian Scott. ... Chris Bryant (born 1936 in Bolton, Lancashire, England)[1] is a British film and television writer and occasional actor (usually in productions he has written). ... Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1941) is an English Academy Award-winning film actress. ... For other persons named Donald Sutherland, see Donald Sutherland (disambiguation). ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... British Lion Films Corporation is a film production and distribution company active under several forms since 1919. ... is the 343rd day of the year (344th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Note: Public Broadcasting Services is a broadcaster in Malta. ... You Cant Do That on Television (YCDTOTV) is a Canadian childrens television program, created by Roger Price and produced from 1979 until 1990. ... Michael Caine in Get Carter (1971). ... The thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television. ... Nicolas Jack Roeg, born on August 15, 1928 in London, is an internationally-known cinematographer and film director. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Dont look now is a collection of short stories by Daphne du Maurier. ... Dame Daphne du Maurier DBE (13 May 1907–19 April 1989) was a famous British novelist best known for her short story The Birds and her classic novel Rebecca, published in 1938. ...

Plot Synopsis

Don't Look Now tells the story of a couple, Laura (Julie Christie) and John Baxter (Donald Sutherland) whose young daughter has recently drowned in a tragic accident at home. Their grief puts a sudden pressure on their marriage. Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1941) is an English Academy Award-winning film actress. ... For other persons named Donald Sutherland, see Donald Sutherland (disambiguation). ...

Seeking a change of scenery and an opportunity to work through their loss, they take a "working vacation" to Venice, Italy, where John has been contracted to restore an ancient church. While John attends to this project, Laura is befriended by two strange elderly sisters. One of the sisters, Heather (Hilary Mason), is blind and claims to be in psychic contact with the Baxters' dead daughter. Laura is drawn to the sisters, but John finds their influence on her unsettling and suspects them of deceit. The ensuing drama is set against a subplot involving a serial killer who has eluded the police. John catches glimpses of a childlike figure in red rain-gear who resembles his dead daughter, although the figure vanishes whenever John pursues it. He begins to question his own sanity and that of his wife as Laura appears to be completely under the command of the sisters, who in turn suggest that John shares their gift of a "second sight." For other uses, see Venice (disambiguation). ... Hilary Mason (September 4, 1917 – September 5, 2006) was an English character actor who appeared in a wide variety of roles, mainly on UK television. ... Edgar Cayce (1877 – 1945) was one of the best-known American psychics of the 20th century and made many highly publicized predictions. ... Serial killers are individuals who have a history of multiple slayings of victims who were usually unknown to them beforehand. ...

John's fears and Laura's apparent obsession with the sisters lead them into a spiraling vortex of coincidences, recurring themes and motifs (light on water, breaking glass, the colour red), which reaches a dramatic conclusion in an old bell tower. John confronts the mysterious figure in red, realizing too late that his visions were premonitions of a grisly end. Coincidence is the noteworthy alignment of two or more events or circumstances without obvious causal connection. ...

The love scene

Although memorable for its puzzling story and unusual editing, Don't Look Now has become almost as well-known for its sex scene involving Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie. The scene was unusually graphic for the time, and was severely trimmed for the original American theatrical release in order to receive an MPAA R rating. Some viewers have believed it to be unsimulated; the director and stars have repeatedly denied this [1]. The assertion that Sutherland and Christie actually had sex was repeated as recently as 2001 in Patrick Robertson's Film Facts. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is a non-profit trade association formed to advance the interests of movie studios. ...

The scene was an unscripted last-minute improvisation by Roeg who felt that without it there would be too many scenes of the couple arguing. It is edited in a typically unorthodox Roeg manner, with the footage of the act intercut with footage of the couple getting dressed afterward.

Director Steven Soderbergh paid homage to the scene by including a tamer version in a similar style in his 1998 Elmore Leonard adaptation Out of Sight. A similar scene also appears in the 1981 thriller, Ghost Story, between Craig Wasson and Alice Krige. Christie and Sutherland reteamed for the 1992 film, The Railway Station Man, which also included a frank depiction of a sexual act. Steven Andrew Soderbergh (born January 14, 1963 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, and Oscar-winning director. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Elmore John Leonard Jr. ... Out of Sight is a 1998 movie directed by Steven Soderbergh. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Ghost Story is a film based on the book by Peter Straub. ... Craig Wasson (b. ... Alice Krige as Lady Jessica in the Children of Dune miniseries Alice Maud Krige (born June 28, 1954 in Upington, South Africa) is an actress best known for her role in the Star Trek series as the Borg Queen. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ...

Trivia

• The theme of the little red-clad Venetian figure is used in a dream sequence in the Book Clubbin' episode of Absolutely Fabulous, Series 5.
• The actor who played the inspector, Renato Scarpa, did not speak English, and simply read the lines he'd been given without understanding them.
• Writer Allan Scott was pleased to see a bottle of The Macallan (of which company he was the deputy chairman) beside the bed in the controversial sex scene.
• The score written by Pino Donaggio (Venice-born, and already known as the composer of the music for Dusty Springfield's 1966 hit song You don't have to say you love me) plays an important role in this film. After this first attempt as a film composer, Donaggio became a regular composer for Brian De Palma films.
• In Flatliners, Kiefer Sutherland is tormented by a small childlike figure in a red hooded coat.
• The end chase scene is referenced in the 2006 release of Casino Royale where James Bond is pursuing Vesper through Venice while she is wearing a red coat.
• The UK video included a still of the climactic last scene on the outside of the box.
• The film was ranked at #8 on a list of the top 100 British films published by the British Film Institute.
• This film was #22 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments for its ending. Commentator John Landis, however, broke rank by confessing to find the killer's revelation comical: "That's what it is? A dwarf in a rain coat?"
• This film seems to have influenced episode 13 of Big O, titled RD.
• The video to Sophie Ellis-Bextor's single Catch You seems to draw heavily on the film's imagery as Bextor runs around Venice in a red evening dress looking for someone.
• Often referenced by cult British television series The League of Gentlemen.
• The Wicker Man was released as its 'B' feature on its original UK theatrical release.
• Clips from this film appear in the video for Big Audio Dynamite's 1986 hit "E=MC2"
• Only late in the movie do we see a clear scene of the two leads walking together that reveals just how far Sutherland (6 ft 4) towers over Christie (5 ft 2).

The New Zealand made short film "Sandhouse' written and directed by Graeme Tuckett, draws heavily on the red coat motif in its portrayal of a young girl who her parents fear has drowned. The Irish feature film 'Intermission' (Starring Colm Meaney and Colin Farrell) references the chase of a small figure in a red coat several times. Absolutely Fabulous is a British sitcom written by and starring Jennifer Saunders and co-starring Joanna Lumley, Julia Sawalha, June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks. ... The Macallan 12 year single malt Scotch The Macallan cask strength single malt Scotch The Macallan is a single malt Scotch whisky, produced at Macallan Distillery near Easter Elchies House, at Craigellachie in the Speyside region. ... A film score is a set of musical compositions written to accompany a film. ... Pino Donaggio is a composer from Burano, Italy. ... Dusty Springfield OBE (16 April 1939–2 March 1999) was a popular English singer whose career spanned four decades. ... Flatliners is a 1990 movie starring Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin and Oliver Platt as medical students experimenting with near-death experiences. ... Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland (born December 21, 1966) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning television and film actor, well known for his lead role of Jack Bauer on the television series 24. ... Casino Royale (2006) is the 21st film in the James Bond series and the first to star Daniel Craig as MI6 agent James Bond. ... 007 redirects here. ... In 1999 the British Film Institute surveyed 1000 people from the world of UK film and television to produce the BFI 100 list of the greatest British films of the 20th century. ... The British Film Institute (BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and... This article is about the U.S. cable network. ... John David Landis (born August 3, 1950) is an American movie actor, director, writer, and producer. ... Big O can refer to any of: Big O notation, asymptotic behavior in math and computing The Big O, A Japanese anime series Orgasm (slang) Olympic Stadium (Montreal), main venue of the 1976 Summer Olympics Oscar Robertson, a former professional basketball player Big O Tires, a tire retailer in the... Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor (born 10 April 1979) is a multi-platinum selling English pop singer and songwriter. ... Catch You is Sophie Ellis-Bextors first single from her third album, Trip the Light Fantastic. ... See: The League of Gentlemen (novel), by John Boland The League of Gentlemen (film) starring Jack Hawkins and made in 1959. ... This article is about the 1973 film. ...

DVD releases

Warner Bros originally released the DVD in the UK in 2002, plus a theatrical trailer and a twenty-minute featurette. Many fans were disappointed by the notoriously bad quality of the 2.0 stereo track. Paramount followed this with a Region 1 release. Although featuring much improved sound, the transfer and extras were less impressive.

Optimum recently announced a special edition UK DVD for November 13 2006. The press release revealed that the DVD would feature a digitally restored anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stero Sound, an introduction by Alan Jones, an audio commentary by director Nicolas Roeg, and the previous DVD's featurette/ Many were confused, as the artwork's banner 'Double-Disc Special Edition' suggested that surely there would be no more extras. However, recent revised artwork removes the 'Double-Disc', denying rumours that only the Disc 1 extras were revealed in the press release. Days later, the complete extras details were announced, which were the above, a lengthy interview with the composer and the theatrical trailer.

The love scene

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Sources

• Patrick Robertson: Film Facts, 2001, Billboard Books, ISBN 0-8230-7943-0

External links

• Don't Look Now at the Internet Movie Database