Tags
1960's, Horror, John Cassavetes, Maurice Evans, Mia Farrow, Psychological Horror, Ralph Bellamy, Roman Polanski, Rosemary's Baby, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer
Film Title
Rosemary’s Baby
Director
Roman Polanski
Starring
- Mia Farrow as Rosemary Woodhouse
- John Cassavetes as Guy Woodhouse
- Ruth Gordon as Minnie Castevet
- Sidney Blackmer as Roman Castevet
- Maurice Evans as Hutch
- Ralph Bellamy as Dr. Sapirstein
Unraveling at a deliberate pace and bristling with macabre intent, Rosemary’s Baby is a psychological horror, that under the talented hands of Roman Polanski really gets your mind working and leaves a haunting impact with ambience, excellent work from the cast and creepy atmosphere.
Rosemary Woodhouse, a sweet-faced young woman and her struggling actor husband Guy move into the Bramford apartment in New York. Though they are warned that the place has a very sinister history by good friend Hutch, they ignore it with Rosemary stating “Awful things happen in every apartment house” and move into the old building. The young couple intends on starting a family and set about settling into their new home. Soon enough, Minnie and Roman Castevet; two elderly neighbours who are very inquisitive and eccentric, introduce themselves into the lives of Rosemary and Guy. Guy finds the couple endearing and harmless, but Rosemary feels uneasy around them as they become increasingly nosy and overtly friendly. It’s around this point that strange events begin to occur to the innocent Rosemary. Guy becomes strangely distant when he acquires a plum role in a prestigious play after the lead actor who originally had the part goes blind. Rosemary begins to hear weird chanting from her neighbour’s apartment. Guy begins to spend an unusual amount of time with the Castevets. And finally, Rosemary discovers she is pregnant. Though happy about the news of her pregnancy, she is plagued by a recollection of a very vivid dream she experienced after eating something prepared by the oddball Minnie. In the harrowing dream, she was raped by a demonic presence. Rosemary soon becomes very isolated, frightened and convinced something is wrong as her symptoms of pregnancy don’t add up( she starts to look gaunt, has deeply severe pains in her abdomen, her new doctor prescribes bizarre remedies and she seems to be losing weight rather than gaining it) and her neighbours become more and more ingrained into her life. And with the unusual nature of her conception at the forefront of her mind, she begins to feel as though there is a dark, sinister plot against her and her child of the supernatural kind and that Guy knows something about it. Are Rosemary’s fearful behaviour and concerns for herself and her unborn child for a good reason? Or are they simply the alarming delusions of a naive mind?
Roman Polanski wonderfully writes and directs this creepy psychological horror that knows the meaning of slow burning terror. He builds paranoid tension by utilizing the setting of the apartment to craft a sense of isolation as Rosemary becomes more convinced that sinister designs are planned for her baby. Polanski knows exactly how to exploit audience fears by cranking up the ambiguity of the piece. Is Rosemary imagining it all? Or are her beliefs that something supernatural is a foot real? Polanski just brings so many possibilities to the piece but despite the overtones of something not of this world, he makes it all very realistic because of the seemingly normal setting. There’s little gore in Rosemary’s Baby, but this is the kind of horror film that is all about sinister suggestion and is all the more effective for not resorting to blood-soaked carnage. The camerawork is predatory in its movement, creating tension and unnerving suspense as it continues to follow the slowly terrified Rosemary. A devilishly crafted and often deceptive score of unwinding menace provides many chilling pieces of music, most prominently a lilting lullaby that repeats in creepy fashion, sung by star Mia Farrow.
Heading the impressive cast is Mia Farrow in a hugely convincing and harrowing performance. As Rosemary, Farrow imbues her with such a waifish innocence that it is hard not to sympathise with her and twinned with her elfin appearance of large, haunted eyes and iconic pixie cut, she is a character who you genuinely want to shield as the morbid plot unravels. And as the story goes on, Farrow essays the sheer amount of escalating panic and fraught emotion with deft skill, as we witness the tortured Rosemary slowly becoming more paranoid of events around her. I think it’s fair to say this is Mia Farrow’s best performance of her career. John Cassavetes has just the right amount of slimy arrogance to keep you guessing whether Guy is in on the plot that Rosemary believes is meant for her. In a well deserved Oscar-winning role, Ruth Gordon perfectly plays the dotty Minnie, who starts off as a nosy neighbour dressed in garish clothing and then evolves into something more devilishly sinister thanks to her morbid humour and kooky peculiarities. Sidney Blackmer excellently compliments Gordon as Minnie’s husband Roman, who for all his eccentricity, can be very creepy indeed. Maurice Evans in the supporting cast is great as Rosemary’s friend who becomes very concerned for her well-being, while Ralph Bellamy is unusual as the doctor who prescribes strange remedies for her and may know more than he is letting on.
Slow burning terror and psychological games make Rosemary’s Baby a masterpiece of mood and atmosphere that insidiously gets under your skin.
beetleypete said:
Although I always found Mia Farrow affected and annoying, she was indeed perfect for her part in this film. I could watch Cassavetes all day, as he is such a great actor, and the lack of effects and visual horror made this all the more creepy. Good choice, V, and well-assessed, as usual.
Best wishes, Pete.
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vinnieh said:
As you said, Farrow’s waifish appearance and fragility were perfect for the role of Rosemary. And even though the film has references to the supernatural, most of it with the isolation and paranoia is very plausible.
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itsmyhusbandandme said:
It scared me to death at the time. Well obviously not because I have just typed that sentence, but you know what I mean.
Jean-Paul
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vinnieh said:
I grasp what you mean, it’s a spine chiller.
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sonofabeach96 said:
She was perfect for that role. Creepy movie!
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vinnieh said:
She certainly was, I can’t imagine anyone else playing the part of Rosemary.
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alexraphael said:
1. I’ve not seen this. 2. I know I should
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vinnieh said:
You definitely should Alex. Classic psychological horror.
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abbiosbiston said:
Such a classic!
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vinnieh said:
Indeed it is and with good reason.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I’m not a Mia Farrow fan but this is one of my favorites!
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vinnieh said:
It’s psychological horror at its finest, playing on a grim sense of paranoia.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Shiver.
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vinnieh said:
I got plenty of them watching Rosemary’s Baby.
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Keith said:
Fine, fine review my friend. I have had every intention of revisiting this one. It has been too long.
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vinnieh said:
It’s a great movie to visit again, as there is so much subtlety going on in it.
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fragglerocking said:
I saw this on TV when I was 11yrs old and thought it was pants lol, I mean who would trust those old biddy’S???
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vinnieh said:
Ha, they are a creepy collection of neighbour’s. You should watch it again to see what you think of it.
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finnwest2015 said:
One of my favorite films of all time Vinnie. Roman Polanski is a genius!
Finn
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vinnieh said:
You have impeccable taste Finn, this movie is a masterpiece of horror.
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mikeyb @ screenkicker said:
You’re right, Ruth Gordon is fantastic in this. As indeed the whole cast were
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vinnieh said:
Every role is filled with presence and played so well, especially in the supporting cast.
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Urspo said:
Ruth Gordon could read the telephone book and I would be mesmerized.
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vinnieh said:
She does have an engaging presence to say the least.
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Jordan Dodd said:
Great write up Vinnie! Really has me wanting to watch this for the fiftieth time.
I can never decide which is better, this or Repulsion… what about you?
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vinnieh said:
It’s hard to choose between the two because they’re both so effective in their examinations of mental paranoia and terror.
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Jordan Dodd said:
Indeed. I slightly prefer Repulsion, but they are both incredible films
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vinnieh said:
I’m in full agreement with them both being incredible movies.
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Jordan Dodd said:
I just watched Repulsion, goddamn it is amazing. 😀 😀
Have you seen Cul-De-Sac, the Polanski movie that came out after Repulsion but before Rosemary? Neat film
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vinnieh said:
I reviewed Repulsion a while back if you’re interested. I’ll have to make a note of Cul De Sac.
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Jordan Dodd said:
Cul-De-Sac is an underrated gem
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vinnieh said:
I’m interested in seeing it.
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ruth said:
Hello Vinnie! I’m not a horror fan at all so this one is a skip for me. I saw The Exorcist a long time ago and still wish I could un-see it, ahah.
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vinnieh said:
Horror isn’t for everyone Ruth, yet in this film it’s more psychological than graphic. Nice to hear from you Ruth.
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Chris Evans said:
Great review Vin, like Ruth I’m not a huge horror fan but I do like the classics in the vein of the Shining, i.e. more atmospheric and psychological. I really need to see this one day along with The Omen!
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vinnieh said:
Well this is atmospheric to boot Chris.
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Tom said:
Stellar review of a stellar movie Vin. I can’t believe how good this one is. The psychological torment really affects the viewer, you want to shield Mia Farrow from the craziness ongoing, as you said. Your knack for getting to the heart of the movie is alive and well as always.
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vinnieh said:
I must say you are too kind to me with your praise Tom. Thanks so much for your wonderful words. Farrow reminds me of an innocent lamb being tormented by everything around her as she slowly goes into slaughter.
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Tom said:
Hey, gotta speak the truth man! Being honest is one of my traits and also one of my flaws. Lol!
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vinnieh said:
Cheers dude, you’re a cool man if ever there was one.
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Kally said:
Great review. I saw this movie when I was a kid and its sent chills down my spine.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for commenting, it truly is a chiller.
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Kally said:
Welcome!!! Have a great Day! Do drop by MiddleMe to say hi sometimes. 😉
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vinnieh said:
I will do that.
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star010 said:
I saw the film for the very first time when NBC announced that they were planning on doing a remake. Two episode of almost 2 hours. Practically one of the reasons why I watched the original film and thoroughly enjoyed it was to have a point of reference before watching the remake.
The remake was plainly horrible; as expected. Horrible writing. Cinematography was good and they filmed on location in France (which is expected as NBC excels as that). There was one particular death that instead of being serious, by having a crappy-ass pop-ish song in the background made the scene so laughable. I’m such a big fan of Jason Isaacs, and although I still don’t understand why he decided to play the character, I feel like his skills were underused.
I enjoyed the remake and would watch it a million times and never regret it. After watching it, it really got to my head. I like films like that.
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vinnieh said:
A film like this really doesn’t need to be remade.
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star010 said:
Very true. But lately that’s what Hollywood seems to be doing on everything. From remakes to reboots to prequels to sequels.
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vinnieh said:
You make a good point.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
I’m not reading this post ONLY because I’ve never seen the movie (embarrassing 😳) and I’ve always wanted to. No spoiler alerts for this guy. Can you tell me whether or not you enjoyed it???
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vinnieh said:
It was a really creepy film that made an impression on me, definitely enjoyed it.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
Can’t wait to finally watch it
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vinnieh said:
I have a feeling you’ll love it.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
I’m sure I will 🙂
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vinnieh said:
Be sure to let me know what you make of the film.
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