'Masterpiece' 70s thriller with shocking twist now available to stream for free
Directed by Nicolas Roeg from a story by Daphne Du Maurier, Don't Look Now is widely regarded as a pivotal work in the genre.
It stars the late, great Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie as John and Laura Baxter, two parents grieving the recent death of their young daughter.
The pair visit Venice, where John is helping to renovate a dilapidated church. While there, they meet a pair of elderly sisters—one of whom claims to be a psychic.
John struggles with the idea that she's seeing the spirit of his recently drowned daughter but seems to be experiencing nightmarish visions of his own, leading to that shocking twist.
After first terrifying audiences in 1973, Don't Look Now is streaming for free, where it can traumatise viewers afresh.
Don't Look Now currently sits with a healthy 93% 'fresh' score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with critics describing it as a 'masterpiece' and a 'classic' of the genre.
Little White Lies has called it 'calculated perfection,' while The Times described it simply as 'genius.'
In 2002, prominent film critic Roger Ebert gave the film a glowing five stars, calling out the film as 'a masterpiece of physical filmmaking.'
Upon its release, the film was overshadowed by controversy surrounding its infamous sex scene.
As Roeg cuts between images of John and Laura getting ready for dinner, the camera also shows the pair in bed together in a raw and intimate sex sequence.
Its visual style led to persistent rumours that these were scenes of real, unsimulated sex between its actors… speculation that continues today.
'My gaze shifted to the actors, and I was riveted. By their shifting positions, it was clear to me they were no longer simply acting: they were f***ing on camera,' wrote Producer Peter Bart in his 2011 memoir, Infamous Players: A Tale of Movies, the Mob (and Sex).
However, the stars have always rejected such allegations, with Sutherland denying that Bart was even in the room at all.
In the production notes for the film's 4K re-release, cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond echoed Sutherland's denial, saying: 'We did a good job; it's very real. People still say they actually made love, but they didn't.'
Meanwhile, Christie's boyfriend at the time, actor Warren Beatty, reportedly tried to prevent the film from being released, so outraged was he by the infamous sex scene.
In April 2015, it was announced that the film would be getting a remake, to the chagrin of Hunger Games star Sutherland.
Speaking in a sweary interview with Metro, the actor described the prospect of a remake as 'shameful.'
He explained: 'Don't embarrass yourselves by participating in it. It's bulls**t. It was a piece of work indelibly written by Nicholas Roeg. More Trending
'Why would they do it? It's just people trying to profit off the back of something that's very beautiful. It's shameful. They should be ashamed of themselves.'
A decade on, and the remake has not yet resurfaced. Might it be dead in the water?
Watch Don't Look Now on BBC iPlayer.
A version of this article was posted on July 20
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