Rosemarys Baby is a Classic Example of Horror of the Mind
Roman Polanski illustrates with Rosemarys Baby that "less is more". Add fantastic writing, superb acting and satanic witches and a masterpiece is born.
Release: 1968 Directed by: Roman Polanski Written by: Ira Levin (novel), Roman Polanski (screenplay)
Starring:
Mia Farrow as Rosemary Woodhouse John Cassavetes as Guy Woodhouse Ruth Gordon as Minnie Castevet Sidney Blackmer as Roman Castevet Maurice Evans as Edward 'Hutch' Hutchins Ralph Bellamy as Dr. Abraham Sapirstein
Rosemary’s Baby, based on the novel of the same name by
Ira Levin in 1967, comes from the golden era of classic horror. Rumored
to have been originally offered to Alfred Hitchcock, Rosemary’s Baby was ultimately directed by scandal-ridden Roman Polanski.
The story in Rosemary’s Baby
revolves around Rosemary and Guy (Farrow and Cassivetes), a young
couple who move in to a wonderful New York apartment, previously
inhabited by a well known female attorney who has passed away. The
building, large and gothic, has the dubious reputation of having been the home of a coven of witches years ago.
Husband Guy is an actor, and not a terribly successful one. He just
can’t seem to get his break…until he is befriended by the
elderly couple that lives next door (Gordon and Blackmer). Suddenly his
luck turns around…his competition for key roles suddenly take blind, studios call and stardom is looming. Things turn around for Rosemary as well when she finds out that she is finally going to have a baby.
The elderly neighbors, however, seem to be getting a bit TOO friendly.
Smothering in fact, and taking an unnatural interest in
Rosemary’s pregnancy. Rosemary starts to have a series of doubts:
How is it that her husband is suddenly so successful? What are those
strange chanting noises coming from their elderly neighbor’s
apartment? Who are these neighbors, really?
Rosemarys Baby is classic largely because of the film’s
ability to draw in the viewer to tell a spine-chilling tale. Much of
the fear factor is psychological, and there are no overt visuals or
particularly gory scenes. It wasn’t necessary. Alfred Hitchcock
knew that the anticipation of an event, and then the suggestion of that
event’s occurrence were much more frightening when it
wasn’t laid out in Technicolor. Roman Polanski understood this as
well.
Ruth Gordon won an Academy award for her performance as the nosy
elderly neighbor Minnie Castevet. There were several other nominations
and awards for writing as well as the performance of Mia Farrow as
Rosemary.
The rumors and trivia associated with Rosemarys Baby
are almost as much fun as the movie itself. My favorite is the
“seven degrees of separation” connection. Roman
Polanski’s wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by the followers of
Charles Manson, who called their death spree “Helter Skelter”
after the 1968 song by the Beatles…The Beatles leader John
Lennon was murdered in a New York apartment building called The
Dakota…which is where Rosemarys Baby was filmed. Creepy.
Horror that does not rely on gore or startling effects, but instead on
the imaginings of the viewer, may be a thing of the past. Thankfully we
can still experience this artistry through classic films like Rosemarys Baby. Yes, this one really is as good as they say. Comments or questions about Rosemarys Baby? Contact us!
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Rosemarys Baby is classic largely because of the film’s
ability to draw in the viewer to tell a spine-chilling tale. Much of
the fear factor is psychological, and there are no overt visuals or
particularly gory scenes. It wasn’t necessary. Alfred Hitchcock
knew that the anticipation of an event, and then the suggestion of that
event’s occurrence were much more frightening when it
wasn’t laid out in Technicolor. Roman Polanski understood this as
well.
Blink
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Google
Simpy
Spurl
Technorati
Y!
MyWeb