memorable atmospheric horror with Ruth Gordon

Rating: 8/10 (2 November 2007)

Excellent suspenseful direction by Polanksi and a great cast highlight this prototype reproduction-shocker from the late 60s, a film that influenced many horror films to follow including the inferior "Exorcist." I love how Polanski lets his camera roam and linger about the massive apartment complex that is the film's central setting, making it the literal eye of the audience. I think maybe my favorite shot in the whole movie is when Rosemary (Mia Farrow) and Minnie Castevet (Ruth Gordon) are talking and she glances at the room where her husband, the appropriately named "Guy" (John Cassavetes) and Roman Castevet (Sidney Blackmer) are talking and we see only the vaguely sinister smoke drifting through the open doorway. I have a feeling that doorways and hallways in general have a symbolic significance in this film tied to its paranormal ruminations on pregnancy, but I'd have to rewatch it to analyze that aspect of the film.
The story takes a little while to get going, but once we're into Rosemary's pregnancy the stakes begin to rise and suspense is unrelenting. There's also some great macabre humor thrown into the mix which reaches its apex in the film's famous "shocker" ending. It's a very atmospheric horror without any gore and with only minimal scares, to the extent that it reminds me of Jacques Tourneur's horror films (indeed given Polanski's status as a Francophile it's almost certain he had seen and been inspired by his films).
The music is also very memorable; I was already familiar with the tune from the album by "Fantomas" with Mike Patton where they did a heavy metal cover of it, recommended for fans of this movie.
But best of all are the performances from all 4 of the leads. Gordon and Blackmer are the highlight of the film for me with their wicked subversion of normal "nice old neighbor" type performances. Gordon of course was herself a brilliant writer and probably recognized the high quality of the material she was working with here. She's a fussy old lady who hides her true evil intent behind a blustering annoying façade of the old lady who's just a little bit too helpful. Blackmer is a good tonic to her high energy performing, projecting a reassuring feeling that greatly helps in the final scene when he gently rocks the cradle. The implication of that scene, that the maternal instinct will win out over all other reasoning, is powerful and ironic. Cassavetes isn't perfect but he is suitable in the role, the only one of the "villains" who actually had me guessing during much of the film's running time. And Farrow is a visual of gaunt helplessness, her eyes conveying fear and loss of control throughout the second half of the film. It's interesting that Polanksi says he initially envisioned a more "corn-fed" starlet in the role, specifically Tuesday Weld. In my opinion Tuesday Weld was a better actress than Mia Farrow and probably would have provided the film with an even more powerful feeling. It's true that Farrow looks perfect in the early phases of her pregnancy when she's losing weight and becoming paler, but she's already so thin in the first place that I think it would have been even more shocking to see Weld in the same situation. But I really can't fault Farrow's performance besides just the physical aspects of her screen presence which she isn't in control of. It's obvious that she and Polanski were on the same wavelength, and it's extraordinary how the male director and female star were able to make the character such a strong cipher for the audience.