Genius

Rating: 10/10 (9 February 2009)

When people ask me what my two favorite films are, Rosemary's Baby and Carrie always come to mind. The fact that they are both supernatural in subject matter is a coincidence, I love them for other reasons first.
RB is a brilliant example of a movie that is so faithful to the novel that it becomes a great work in and of itself. I can't help but think William Castle (the original choice for director) would have done something entirely different with it. Polanski saw the possibility to make something grand and timely out of it, it's practically a detailed time capsule of the year it was made. In a way it represents the cultural upheaval America was going through and the director makes a definite statement, casting senior citizens as evil doers. (He tried it again later with The Tenant, and it doesn't work nearly as well) Rosemary is modern in a naive way, she goes for all the current styles and trends, most notably evident when she redecorates that huge apartment (symbolic of "covering over" old ways) and the Sassoon hairstyle she gets, which makes her look even more gaunt and drawn as her pregnancy wears on.
Polanski specifically wanted familiar old Hollywood actors in the film and drew sketches based on what he thought they should look like. When they showed up, each character actor resembled his sketches in a bizarrely coincidental way. Just the fact that Patsy Kelly and Hope Summers (Clara on the Andy Griffith Show) are both wicked witches along with their Queen Bee, Ruth Gordon, gives it an added depth and contributes to the blackest of humor that runs throughout the film. One of my favorite scenes is when Farrow and Gordon are doing the dishes after dinner. Gordon is asking her innocent questions on the surface, but her intent is pure malice.
Farrow was a trooper to say the least. She was served divorce papers on set by Sinatra who hated the idea his little weak waif of a wife was working.
The entire thing could have tipped over into camp very easily, but it doesn't. Everyone concerned gives it their all. Somehow Polanski managed to make us believe; we're genuinely terrified for Rosemary in a situation that if looked at objectively, is ridiculous. The end scene, rather than tie everything up in a neat little bow, careens off into a horrible outcome, as if to say "You thought the part you saw was bad, just imagine what it's going to be like" Brilliant, brilliant film.
Among the thousands of tidbits of trivia about the film, I love the one about Tony Curtis being the voice of the actor on the phone that's struck blind. During filming Farrow didn't know who it was on the phone, and Polanski wanted her reaction to be puzzled in trying to recognize it.