Product: Rosemary's Baby (El Bebe de Rosemary) [ NON-USA FORMAT, NTSC, Reg.4 Import - Latin America ] (1968)
Rating: 5.0
Maybe You're Right to Avoid Those Friendly Neighbors.
Three years after Roman Polanski's first English language film "Repulsion" delved into the dark side of apartment living in London, the director brought "Rosemary's Baby" to the screen, adapted from Ira Levin's novel of nosy neighbors and occult horror in a New York apartment house. Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse are excited about their new, spacious apartment in The Branford and unperturbed by the building's strange history of "unpleasant happenings". Rosemary (Mia Farrow) eagerly goes about setting up house, while Guy (John Cassavetes) pursues his acting career at one audition after another. The eccentric older couple in the apartment next door are a little too friendly for comfort, but, when she gets pregnant, Rosemary is grateful for their attention...until she suspects something sinister behind it."Rosemary's Baby" is so effective because the idea of an ingenuous young housewife manipulated by her imposing, worldly neighbors and selfish, insecure husband is thoroughly plausible. The film's supernatural elements aside, Rosemary is a nice woman, looking forward to her first child, who doesn't realize the danger she is in. Roman Polanski shows his skill in keeping the audience aware of the danger while making it credible that Rosemary usually is not. Ruth Gordon won an Academy Award for her role as Minnie Castevet, busybody and servant to Satan alongside husband Roman (Sidney Blackmer). Apartment living again seems dangerous and claustrophobic as we witness the disturbing interaction of these four people on the 7th floor of The Branford, away from the hustle, bustle and light of the city streets.The DVD (Paramount 2000): "Retrospective Interviews with Roman Polanski, Robert Evans, Richard Sylbert" (16 min) tell the story of how the novel came to be adapted and directed by Polanski, Polanski's conception of Rosemary, casting, and these 3 men talk about their favorite scenes. Robert Evans produced the film, and Richard Sylbert was the production designer. "Making of Rosemary's Baby Featurette" (25 min) is a publicity film made at the time of the film's original release. Roman Polanski and a young, breathy Mia Farrow talk about their approach to the film, the cast, their hobbies, and themselves in a very late-1960s tone. Subtitles are available for the film in English SDH. Dubbing available in French.