Film Review #127: Rosemary’s Baby
With prices for cinema tickets now reaching ridiculous heights it’s not often I will treat myself to a new release unless it’s something I simply cannot wait for. Instead, I’m happy to content myself with a cheap DVD or a film on TV which may have slipped through my critical net and, believe me, there have been far too many. Whether the films featured here are recent or old I’ll still be providing my honest opinion on them and, with the benefit of hindsight in many cases, may offer a slightly different take to contemporary reviewers.
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
It’s hard being a fan of films and not hearing something about Roman Polanski’s classic horror film, Rosemary’s Baby. I had never seen this one until now I’m ashamed to admit but I knew the film had something to do with a pregnant woman carrying a somewhat sinister child but other than that my knowledge was a bit slim so it was good to finally join Rosemary in babysitting duties and find out what it’s all about.
The film focuses on a couple Guy (John Cassavetes) and Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow). They move into a new apartment and hope for a change in fortune. While Rosemary is a housewife, Guy is a struggling actor desperate for a break. The couple become friends with an elderly couple Minnie (Ruth Gordon) and Roman Castevet (Sidney Blackmer) who Guy is initially wary of but soon spends a lot of time with while Rosemary becomes suspicious. When Guy’s career suddenly improves he and Rosemary try for a baby and soon find themselves pregnant. Although the couple are overjoyed with the news, as the months pass Rosemary becomes suspicious of her two neighbours and of her husband being part of a plot to confiscate her baby for human sacrifice!
Rosemary’s Baby begins steadily with Guy and Rosemary moving into their apartment and settling into a new life. Guy’s continual struggles to get acting work puts a strain on things but the couple try to remain positive. When they meet Minnie and Roman it is Rosemary who is initially drawn to the couple while Guy isn’t keen. This soon changes after Guy visits the couple alone and not long after his career starts to blossom under mysterious circumstances. Guy’s main acting rival suddenly goes blind, ruining his career, and propelling Guy’s forward. In celebratory mood Guy suggests to Rosemary that they start trying for a baby to which she agrees. The night of conception is unusual for Rosemary. Minnie gives the couple a chocolate mousse which Rosemary doesn’t finish. That night she passes out and dreams of naked people in her room including the Castevets before a demon climbs into bed and rapes her! Worryingly, Rosemary wakes the next day with scratches on her back but Guy politely explains he got a bit excited when he had sex with his unconscious wife! He sounds a nice chap, doesn’t he?
Rosemary’s pregnancy is not a nice one. The Castevets interfere frequently even going as far as arranging for their friend Dr Abraham Sapirstein (Ralph Bellamy) to take charge of Rosemary. Pains and weight loss leave Rosemary concerned for her child and her friend Hutch (Maurice Evans) becomes suspicious when he sees how ill she looks. Hutch does some research and intends to give Rosemary a book on witchcraft only for him to slip into a coma and die three months later! Coincidence or suggestive of something sinister going on? Rosemary thinks the latter and becomes paranoid that the Castevets and her husband have come to an arrangement whereby she’ll hand over her child while Guy gets a lucrative acting career in exchange. Is Rosemary right or has her reason been clouded by the stress of pregnancy.
Rosemary’s Baby remains intriguing throughout but the revelations that come at the end are not particularly surprising which is a shame. A decent cast work well under Polanski’s direction and the film has an eerie feel to it throughout though I wouldn’t put this up there with the scariest films I’ve ever seen. If you’ve never had the chance to see Rosemary’s Baby then it is worth a look but I personally don’t believe it to be an unrivalled horror masterpiece, just another good horror film.
Rosemary’s Baby is a tense and unnerving experience at time and builds up well towards a somewhat disappointingly predictable conclusion. This is certainly worth seeing if you’re a fan of horror films but it’s not a film I would choose to grace the top 10 best horror films ever made.
Verdict: 7½/10
Living in Yorkshire, UK, married to Donna and playing frazzled Dad to six cats! I'm the author of fantasy novel Fezariu's Epiphany and I'm currently working on my second book, A World Apart.
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4 Responses to “Film Review #127: Rosemary’s Baby”
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I love all the movies of Polansky. Apartment Trilogy is an art for me. The Rosemary’s Baby and the Tenant are the most mysterious movies in this trilogy. The ending in both movies is not exact for me you can interpret it the way you want. I think it’s a special style of Polansky movies. Indeed he has paid a horrible price for picturing the demons…
Perhaps I will watch the movie for myself. A lot of oldies believes that it is possible that Devil will enter human body and raped them. I like it, another great movie review again David.
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Great review. Rosemary’s Baby is often overlooked, but still stands as a fine example of the art that Polanski was capable of making. It’s the type of film that a person could watch with the sound off and enjoy on a whole new level. I tried that with a different film one time (Safe, written and directed by Todd Haynes, 1995) and it allowed me to really focus on what the director was trying to create visually. I’d like to try that with Rosemary’s Baby.
Thanks, David, for reminding us what an interesting film Rosemary’s Baby is.
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