Don't Look Now (1973)

A married couple grieving the recent death of their young daughter are in Venice when they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom is psychic and brings a warning from beyond.

Director:

Nicolas Roeg

Writers:

Daphne Du Maurier (story), Allan Scott (screenplay) (as Alan Scott)

Stars:

Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 9 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Julie Christie	...	Laura Baxter
Donald Sutherland	...	John Baxter
Hilary Mason	...	Heather
Clelia Matania	...	Wendy
Massimo Serato	...	Bishop Barbarrigo
Renato Scarpa	...	Inspector Longhi
Giorgio Trestini	...	Workman
Leopoldo Trieste	...	Hotel Manager
David Tree	...	Anthony Babbage
Ann Rye	...	Mandy Babbage
Nicholas Salter	...	Johnny Baxter
Sharon Williams	...	Christine Baxter
Bruno Cattaneo	...	Detective Sabbione
Adelina Poerio	...	Dwarf

Storyline

John and Laura Baxter are in Venice when they meet a pair of elderly sisters, one of whom claims to be psychic. She insists that she sees the spirit of the Baxters' daughter, who recently drowned. Laura is intrigued, but John resists the idea. He, however, seems to have his own psychic flashes, seeing their daughter walk the streets in her red cloak, as well as Laura and the sisters on a funeral gondola.

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Plot Keywords:

sex scene | female frontal nudity | giallo | dwarf | italy | 

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Taglines:

It's utter MADNESS!

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Finding an appropriate church proved difficult: after visiting most of the churches in Venice, the Italian location manager suggested constructing one in a warehouse. The discovery of San Nicolò was particularly fortuitous since it was currently being renovated and the scaffolding was already in place, the circumstances lending themselves well to the plot of the film.

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Goofs

When John sets Laura off on the boat, just before she enters the boat they hug and kiss and the camera is on the inside of the boat filming them while they're on the pier. The next shot is the same shot all over again only from the different angle (now the camera is on the pier as well). Although they had just hugged and kissed they did it once more, filmed from a different angle.

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Quotes

John Baxter: Christine is dead. She is dead! Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead!

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Alternate Versions

The region 1 DVD released by Paramount contains the full love scene which was slightly trimmed for an "R" rating in the U.S.

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Connections

Referenced in Out of Sight (1998)

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Soundtracks

Lu Primmo Ammore
(uncredited)
Traditional
Arranged by Giorgio Gaber, Umberto Simonetta and Enrico Vaime

User Reviews

Surreal and mind-bending

Don't Look Now was clearly ahead of its time. In 1973, psychological movies such as this were either rare, or basic. Don't Look Now attempts to go where a lot of movies had never been, which was a realm where many things never truly make sense and yet behind it all is a coherent purpose.

First of it is *not* a candidate for greatest horror film ever, though the Times would have you believe otherwise. What it *is* though is a highly confusing yet thought-provoking story which covers grief and dillusion in equal measure.

Donald Sutherland plays John Baxter, who's married to Laura, who lose a child in an accident and find their worlds turned upside-down as a result. However, thereafter the story is set in Venice where John's working on a job and Laura's accompanied him there, and where things start to get disturbing for the couple as events begin to focus on their dead daughter and paranormal themes emerge.

It *is* a strange tale, and ultimately what you get out of it is entirely up to you. It is probably from this film that the likes of David Lynch started to derive inspiration.

Overall, good, if intrinsically confusing.

Details

Country:

UK Italy

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

January 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Don't Look Now

Filming Locations:

Calle di Mezzo

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$108,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Casey Productions, Eldorado Films, D.L.N. Ventures Partnership

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1