Long before we were launching investigations into whether or not a mediocre romantic comedy showed Jake Gyllenhaal's penis, the British classic Don't Look Now unleashed a cinematic sex mystery which puzzled film fans for years. Did Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland actually have sex in the film's affecting, explicit and totally groundbreaking love scene?
In Peter Bart's forthcoming book Infamous Players: A Tale of Movies, the Mob, (and Sex), the former Variety editor (and one-time Paramount executive) tells an anecdote from his visit to the set of the film in Venice. Apparently he happened to visit on the day of the love scene, and says of his reaction: "It was clear to me they were no longer simply acting: they were f*cking on camera." He then goes on to recall this exchange with director Nicolas Roeg:
Bart: Nic. Don't they expect you to say "cut?"
Roeg: I just want to be sure I have the coverage.
Bart: His d*ck is moving in and out of her. That's beyond coverage.
Bart apparently goes on to recount Warren Beatty's outrage upon seeing the first cut of the movie, which caused him to demand supervision over additional edits himself. Though, his words weren't so polite.
Roeg and everyone else involved have always played coy about the scene. Even recently, when Time Out London named Don't Look Now the best British film of all time, Roeg had this to say about the scene:
"Sex, whether you like it or not, is the prime force of life. There is no other reason to be here. For me, sex is very rarely rude. It's a fresh thing. The censors saw things that didn't happen in the sex scene. Did this happen? Did that happen? It's not unusual. The wonder of film is that because we relate to moments and emotions so deeply, we often see things that aren't there..."
Personally, my money's always been on Bart's conclusion. But I suppose since Christie and Sutherland have never definitively stated the same thing, one could argue the case is still slightly open. In any case, the scene, which again is NSFW, is below if you want to judge for yourself. Though honestly, if you haven't seen the entire film, now would be a great time to do so. It's still one of the scariest, most emotional and thought-provoking thrillers of all time.
Julie Christie - Don't Look Now par ukfox
ยท Forthcoming Peter Bart Book Answers Long-Simmering Question About Julie Christie Sex Scene (NSFW) [The Hollywood Reporter]