Thursday, October 11, 2018

Day 5: Rosemary's Baby (1968)


"What have you done to him? What have you done to his eyes, you maniacs!?"
- Rosemary Woodhouse

Starring: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy, Charles Grodin, Patsy Kelly

Directed By: Roman Polanski

Trailer: "Pray for Rosemary's Baby"

Premise: A young couple, Guy and Rosemary Woodhouse, move into an apartment with a sordid and supernatural past. After becoming pregnant, strange things begin happening to Rosemary, and she starts fearing for her baby's saftey...

My familiarity with this movie: Heard it mentioned in an episode of Seinfeld, and picked up a few other references to it in the years following. Unfortunately, this means that the twist was kinda spoiled for me already...


Notes, opinions, general thoughts (beware of spoilers):

  • The film is so faithful to the book that Stephen King once said that you only need to experience one or the other. It's been speculated that this is because it was Polanski's first time doing an adaptation, and he wasn't aware that he was allowed to change things.
  • Mia Farrow's singing at the beginning is kinda creepy
  • Our good friend William Castle was involved in the production of this film (introducing Polanski to the book), but, due to Castle's reputation for low-budget B-movies, the studio agreed to make the film...provided that Castle didn't direct.
  • Speaking of old friends, Elisha Cook Jr. shows up for the second night in a row. In "Blacula", he was the morgue worker, Sam. Here, he's the real estate agent, Mr. Nicklas.
  • I don't know if it was an intentional joke, but there's something amusing (and realisic) about Rosemary's suggestion to "make love" being followed by awkward undressing.
  • The joke about Terry Gionoffrio resembling Playboy Playmate Victoria Vetri works because she's actually played by Victoria Vetri (though credited as Angela Dorian).
  • Check out the outfits that the Castevets are wearing as they walk down the street. Roman in particular looks pretty pimpin'.
  • The "Tannis, anyone?" line was pretty funny.
  • Rosemary's "nightmare" is genuinely disturbing. The whole surreal nature of the part on the boat, being raped by Satan, and worst of all...NAKED OLD PEOPLE!
  • Geez, Guy. Saying that having sex with and scratching up your unconscious wife was "kind of fun, in a necrophile sort of way..." That's...just not cool.
  • Being set in a time before home pregnancy tests, it's odd to a modern viewer that Rosemary has to find out by taking a blood test, but that's how it was done back then.
  • The baby is due on June 1966...6/66.
  • I like Hutch, but I'm curious to his relationship with the Woodhouses. How'd they meet, and all that?
  • I wonder how they were able to make Mia Farrow look so thin and gaunt like that?
  • The voice of Donald Baumgart on the phone is provided by an uncredited Tony Curtis. Rosemary's reaction to the phone call is due to Farrow knowing Curtis personally, but not being told that he was in the movie, so she's surprised by hearing a familiar voice.
  • Hooray, anagrams! Or should I say, "Mahogany as roar!"
  • The gentleman waiting outside the phone booth? None other than William Castle!
  • The scary thing is that at this point, we're unsure if there's anything to Rosemary's paranoia...or if she's just imagining it.
  • Never mind. Looks like it was legit, after all!
  • Guy deserved to have Rosemary spit in his face.
  • Something to note: the gathering here is set up almost like a parody of the Nativity, complete with visitors from the East, in this case, the Greek and Japanese men.
  • To a modern viewer, the sight of several well-dressed elderly people chanting "Hail Satan!" could've come across as humorous, though the way it's presented comes across as bleak and chilling.
The Tally of Terror:
  • 2 dead bodies
  • CUTIE ALERT: Rosemary
  • 1 incubus
  • 9 months of pregnancy
  • several naked old people
  • 2 cups of chocolate mousse
  • 2 doctors
  • 1 bad haircut
  • 1 pregnant woman in traffic
  • 1 half-human/half demon baby
  • Witches' coven
  • 3 cameos (William Castle, Tony Curtis, Victoria Vetri)
  • several chants of "Hail, Satan!"
  • 4 instances of me spelling "Satan" as "Stan" while writing this blog entry, and having to go back and correct myself
Best scare: Rosemary looking at her baby for the first time. The audience doesn't get to see him, but Rosemary's gasp and incredibly wide eyes are absolutely chilling.

The Good:
  • The buildup of suspence and tension throughout the film
  • The main cast, especially Rosemary and Guy, are well-written and complex. Rosemary comes across as sweet and docile, until her paranoia and suspicions get the best of her, and she gradually starts taking a more proactive role. Likewise, Guy's instances of jackassery are offset by several moments of him acting like a decent person, which makes the reveal that he allowed Satan to rape his wife in exchange for the lead in a play...hurt even more.
  • Not actually getting to see the baby, but letting everyone's descriptions and reactions fuel the audience's imagination is INCREDIBLY effective.
The Bad:
  • It's slow. VERY slow. Feels like it takes a week for the story to get going. But once it does, oh man...
Conclusion: It's a classic! And rightfully so! It's a very slow burn, but by doing so, it allows for a very gradual buildup of tension with interesting characters, leading to a chilling ending. Recommended.

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