Product: Rosemary's Baby (El Bebe de Rosemary) [ NON-USA FORMAT, NTSC, Reg.4 Import - Latin America ] (1968)
Rating: 4.0
This is no dream. This is really happening!!
Today, "Rosemary's Baby" is considered a classic and with good reason. All aspects of this film are top-notch, from the screenplay, to the directing, acting, score, cinematography, and so on. Roman Polanski weaves a highly suspenseful tale of a young pregnant woman who slowly comes to the realization that those around her are plotting against her for the possesion of her unborn child.Although usually classified as a horror film, "Rosemary's Baby" is much more of a psychological thriller than a true horror film. Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse (perfectly played by Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes) move into their new apartment and soon discover that they are about to become parents. Things quickly begin to unravel for Rosemary as she begins to suspect that her overly nosey neighbors (Sidney Blackmer and Oscar winner Ruth Gordon)are showing far to much of an interest in her health and the health of her unborn child. As the months pass and Rosemary comes closer to giving birth, her fears are heightened and she becomes suspicious of everyone, including her husband. Is she losing her mind or is everyone involved in a conspiracy against her and her baby?Polanski brilliantly sets up a sense of building paranoia and fear in Rosemary, creating an almost claustrophobic environment around her in which she is powerless to escape from. Polanski creates a wonderfully foreboding mood throughout the film, always keeping the audience from being able to tell the good guys from the bad. The decision not to actually show the baby and leave it's appearance up to the audience's imagination is pure genius.The acting is exceptional with Mia Farrow giving one of her best perfomances ever and Ruth Gordon winning an Oscar for her spot-on portrayal of an overly annoying neighbor hiding a terrifying secret.The film also contains one of the most haunting themes ever put on celluloid. Ms. Farrow's lilting lullabye over the film's opening credits is simplicity itself, yet manages to create a wonderful sense of dread and trepidation and sets the perfect tone for the movie to come.The DVD version is quite good, with great audio and visual clarity. In addition to the usual DVD features (widescreen, subtitles, interactive menus) it contains a "making of" featurette and retropsective interviews with Polanski, Robert Evans (Executive Producer), and Richard Sylbert (Production Designer)This DVD is definitely for anyone who prefers their horror films to be suspenseful rather than bloody.