Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Front Cover Actor
Mia Farrow Rosemary Woodhouse
John Cassavetes Guy Woodhouse
Ruth Gordon Minnie Castevet
Sidney Blackmer Roman Castevet
Maurice Evans Hutch
Ralph Bellamy Dr. Sapirstein
Patsy Kelly Laura-Louise
Elisha Cook, Jr. Mr. Nicklas
Hanna Landy Grace
Emmaline Henry Elise Dunstan
Maurice Evans Edward 'Hutch' Hutchins
Ralph Bellamy Dr. Abraham Sapirstein
Victoria Vetri Terry Gionoffrio (as Angela Dorian)
Elisha Cook Jr. Mr. Nicklas (as Elisha Cook)
Movie Details
Genre Horror; Thriller; Drama
Director Roman Polanski
Writer Ira Levin; Roman Polanski
Language English
Audience Rating R
Running Time 2 hr 14 mins
Country USA
Color Color
Plot
In Roman Polanski 's first American film, adapted from Ira Levin 's horror bestseller, a young wife comes to believe that her offspring is not of this world. Waifish Rosemary Woodhouse ( Mia Farrow ) and her struggling actor husband Guy ( John Cassavetes ) move into the Bramford, an old New York City apartment building with an ominous reputation and only elderly residents. Neighbors Roman and Minnie Castavet ( Sidney Blackmer and Ruth Gordon ) soon come nosing around to welcome the Woodhouses to the building; despite Rosemary's reservations about their eccentricity and the weird noises that she keeps hearing, Guy starts spending time with the Castavets. Shortly after Guy lands a plum Broadway role, Minnie starts showing up with homemade chocolate mousse for Rosemary. When Rosemary becomes pregnant after a mousse-provoked nightmare of being raped by a beast, the Castavets take a special interest in her welfare. As the sickened Rosemary becomes increasingly isolated, she begins to suspect that the Castavets' circle is not what it seems. The diabolical truth is revealed only after Rosemary gives birth, and the baby is taken away from her. Polanski's camera work and Richard Sylbert 's production design transform the realistic setting (shot on location in Manhattan's Dakota apartment building) into a sinister projection of Rosemary's fears, chillingly locating supernatural horror in the familiar by leaving the most grotesque frights to the viewer's imagination. This apocalyptic yet darkly comic paranoia about the hallowed institution of childbirth touched a nerve with late '60s audiences feeling uneasy about traditional norms. Produced by B-horror maestro William Castle , Rosemary's Baby became a critically praised hit, winning Gordon an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Inspiring a wave of satanic horror from The Exorcist (1973) to The Omen (1976), Rosemary's Baby helped usher in the genre's modern era by combining a supernatural story with Alfred Hitchcock 's propensity for finding normality horrific. — Lucia Bozzola
Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 216
In Collection Yes
Purchase Date 8/2/2003
Tape Label 72
Product Details
Format VHS
Region Region 1
Release Date 2003
Nr of Disks/Tapes 1
Links
Internet Movie Database