Rosemary’s Baby ***** (1968, Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Ralph Bellamy, Maurice Evans) – Classic Movie Review 376

Director Roman Polanski’s 1968 chiller masterwork Rosemary’s Baby is one of cinema’s most terrifying, brilliantly disturbing classic horror movies. It is beautifully honed and polished by Polanski, who also adapted Ira Levin’s novel, in a thoroughly meticulous screenwriting job.

John Cassavetes and Mia Farrow star as a terminally worried young actor husband Guy Woodhouse and his gamine young wife Rosemary, who are befriended in their new New York apartment by their apparently nice elderly next-door neighbours, the Castevets (Ruth Gordon as Minnie, Sidney Blackmer as Roman). Unfortunately for Farrow, the Castevets turn out to be Satanists, running a nasty little cell of them.

Cassavetes is corrupted by the Satanists, and he persuades Farrow to be looked after by Satanist doctor, Dr Sapirstein (Ralph Bellamy). Then she becomes appallingly sick and eventually unknowingly gives birth to a little monster, the Devil’s child, after the Satanists see off her only friend Hutch (Maurice Evans), who has discovered the truth.

The film is extremely well shot and beautifully crafted by on-form, inspired director Polanski, delivering plenty of tension and chills at a steadily compelling pace, even in a long film.

Brilliant though the work behind camera is, Rosemary’s Baby is partly an acting triumph too. The cast is perfectly chosen, with the strongly etched characters powerfully played by Farrow, Cassavetes, Oscar-winning best supporting actress Gordon as the exuberantly creepy Minnie Castevet and Blackmer as her husband Roman Castevet. The other two old-time stars Bellamy and Evans are excellent too.

Krzysztof Komeda’s score adds immensely to the uniquely eerie mood and William Fraker’s camerawork is impeccable, another work of meticulous craftsmanship.

Polanski’s adapted screenplay was Oscar nominated but Gordon’s was the only win. She also won a Golden Globe. The 72-year-old Gordon is quite a knockout here, leading her to a star career in her old age. The 23-year-old Farrow is quite a revelation too. She is more than just skilled here, she manages to be the perfect embodiment of crazy.

Farrow was Golden Globe nominated as Best Actress – Drama but was not nominated for the Oscar for her performance, and has never been Oscar nominated. She won a Golden Globe as Most Promising Newcomer – Female for Guns at Batasi (1964). She is a three-time BAFTA Film Award nominee, no wins.

Obviously, it is a film of adult horror themes and extremely disturbing content, with an 18 certificate.

A TV Mini-Series followed in 2014, with Zoe Saldana, Patrick J Adams and Carole Bouquet.

On 17 December 2014, the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress included The Big Lebowski, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Rosemary’s Baby, Saving Private Ryan and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory among the 25 films in its annual selection of notable works.

The Woodhouses’ and Castevets’ Bramford apartment building is fictional. The film shows the exterior of The Dakota, a historic Central Park West building, the residence of John Lennon and the site of his murder. As The Dakota’s managers refused filming inside the building, interiors were shot at Paramount Studios. In the book, Ira Levin locates the Bramford at 55th Street and 7th Avenue, where the historic Wyoming Apartments are. This building, built in 1906, resembles the ‘old, black, and elephantine’ structure described by Levin.

Farrow said the scenes where Rosemary walks in front of traffic were spontaneous and real, with Polanski having told her: ‘Nobody will hit a pregnant woman.’ When Farrow walked into the traffic, Polanski followed, operating the hand-held camera, apparently the only one willing to do it.

Polanski got Tony Curtis to read the lines for the scene of Rosemary calling Donald Baumgart, unbeknownst to Farrow, who shows the desired slight confusion, trying to identify the voice.

Farrow left the TV series Peyton Place in 1966 on the urging of Frank Sinatra, whom she married on 19 July 1966 when she was 21 and he was 50. Filming of Rosemary’s Baby ran over schedule, which angered Sinatra, who had cast Farrow in his film The Detective (1968). After Farrow failed to report for filming, Sinatra recast her role with Jacqueline Bisset. Then Sinatra’s lawyer served Farrow with divorce papers in November 1967 on the set of Rosemary’s Baby. Their divorce was finalised in August 1968.

The rape scene was edited by the BBFC for the cinema release, with cuts to dialogue and shots of Rosemary’s legs being bound. UK video releases are the uncut print.

A satisfied Levin judged it ‘the single most faithful adaptation of a novel ever to come out of Hollywood.’

© Derek Winnert 2013 Classic Movie Review 376

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