32-year old English actress Julie Christie (T&A&B) in Don’t Look Now (1973) [1]
In the end, Roeg only cut nine frames from the sequence, and the film was awarded an R rating in the United States. In Britain, the British Board of Film Classification judged the uncut version to be “tasteful and integral to the plot”, and a scene in which Donald Sutherland’s character can be clearly seen performing oral sex on Christie‘s character was permitted, but it was still given an X ratingāan adults only certificate.
The sex scene remained controversial for some years after the film’s release. The BBC cut it altogether when Don’t Look Now premiered on UK television, causing a flood of complaints from viewers.
The intimacy of the scene led to rumours that Christie and Sutherland had unsimulated sex which have persisted for years, and that outtakes from the scene were doing the rounds in screening rooms. Michael Deeley, who oversaw the film’s UK distribution, claimed on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs that Warren Beatty had flown to London and demanded that the sex sceneāfeaturing then girlfriend Julie Christieābe cut from the film. The rumours were seemingly confirmed in 2011 by former Variety editor Peter Bart, who was a Paramount executive at the time. In his book, Infamous Players: A Tale of Movies, the Mob, (and Sex), Bart says he was on set on the day the scene was filmed and could clearly see Sutherland’s penis “moving in and out of” Christie. Bart also reiterated Warren Beatty’s discontent, noting that Beatty had contacted him to complain about what he perceived to be Roeg’s exploitation of Christie, and insisting that he be allowed to help edit the film. Sutherland subsequently issued a statement through his publicist stating that the claims were not true, and that Bart did not witness the scene being filmed. Peter Katz, the film’s producer, corroborated Sutherland’s account that the sex was entirely simulated.
Sutherland and Christie met for the first time on the set of this film. The first scene they had to shoot was the sex scene, as Nicolas Roeg wanted to “get it out of the way” and then move on to the “bone” of the matter. Christie was terrified.
When he appeared on Inside the Actors Studio (1994), Donald Sutherland recounted the story of how the (In)famous sex scene was actually shot and that it was anything but a sexy or erotic experience for those involved. He and Julie Christie were on the set at 7 a.m. in dressing gowns, waiting downstairs while the room was prepared and both had a glass of champagne to calm their nerves. Inside the room was Nicolas Roeg and cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond, each operating their own Mitchell 35mm camera. Sutherland and Chiststie disrobed and got onto the bed and Roeg and Richmond began filming. The huge Mitchell cameras were unblimped (unsilenced) and as the room was oak panelled the noise from the two cameras was amplified hugely. At the same time, Roeg began shouting directions (over the noise of the cameras) to the actors such as “Lick her nipples” “Put your hand between her legs” “Get on top” etc.The shoot lasted until well into the afternoon before Roeg was satisfied and wrapped.
