Don't Look Now

Don't Look Now
Original film poster
Directed by	Nicolas Roeg
Produced by	Peter Katz
Screenplay by	Allan Scott Chris Bryant
Based on	"Don't Look Now" by Daphne du Maurier
Starring	Julie Christie Donald Sutherland
Music by	Pino Donaggio
Cinematography	Anthony B. Richmond
Edited by	Graeme Clifford
Production company	Casey Productions Eldorado Films
Distributed by	British Lion Films
Release date	16 October 1973 (1973-10-16)
Running time	110 minutes
Country	United Kingdom Italy
Language	English
Budget	$1.1 million

Don't Look Now is a 1973 independent British-Italian film directed by Nicolas Roeg. It is a thriller adapted from the short story by Daphne du Maurier. Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland portray a married couple who travel to Venice following the recent accidental death of their daughter, after the husband accepts a commission to restore a church. They encounter two sisters, one of whom claims to be clairvoyant and informs them that their daughter is trying to contact them and warn them of danger. The husband at first dismisses their claims, but starts to experience mysterious sightings himself.

While Don't Look Now observes many conventions of the thriller genre, it focuses on the psychology of grief and the effect the death of a child can have on a relationship. Its depiction of grief has been identified as unusually strong for a film featuring supernatural plot elements.

Don't Look Now is renowned for its innovative editing style and its use of recurring motifs and themes and for a controversial sex scene that was explicit for its time. The film often employs flashbacks and flashforwards in keeping with the depiction of precognition, but some scenes are intercut or merged to alter the viewer's perception of what is really happening. It adopts an impressionist approach to its imagery, often presaging events with familiar objects, patterns and colours using associative editing techniques.

Its reputation has grown in the years since its release and it is now considered a classic and an influential work in horror and British film.

Some time after the drowning of their young daughter, Christine (Sharon Williams), in a tragic accident at their English country home, John Baxter (Donald Sutherland) and his grief-stricken wife, Laura (Julie Christie), take a trip to Venice after John accepts a commission from a bishop (Massimo Serato) to restore an ancient church. Laura encounters two elderly sisters, Heather (Hilary Mason) and Wendy (Clelia Matania), at a restaurant where she and John are dining; Heather claims to be psychic and—despite being blind—informs Laura she is able to "see" the Baxters' deceased daughter. Shaken, Laura returns to her table, where she faints.