Product: Rosemary's Baby (El Bebe de Rosemary) [ NON-USA FORMAT, NTSC, Reg.4 Import - Latin America ] (1968)
Rating: 3.0
Close, but no banana....
"Rosemary's Baby", that seminal 1968 horror which one could really say pioneered the grand American tradition of contemporary horror movies, is still an enjoyable and worthwhile sort of film, but in places really has aged to the point where some of the elements are now, sadly, irrelevant.Rosemary (Mia Farrow) and actor husband Guy (John Cassavetes) move to a new apartment full of rumour and dark history. Befriended by their quirky, slightly off-key neighbours Minnie and Roman Castavet (Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer), Rosemary discovers she's pregnant, and Guy's career takes off. Enter the sinister Dr. Sapirstien, and her world takes a decided turn for the worse, as she endures a pregnancy full of hellish surprises and frightening betrayals.Polanski's talent outshines even the more solid performances here, the man's genius behind a camera is hugely apparent in the panoramic New York vistas and the contrasting confines of Rosemary's apartment. The particularly memorable sequence at the beginning of the movie where Terry Gionoffrio has committed suicide and we meet the Castavets for the first time is a jewel, unsettling and affecting, and exactly as it should be. The closing scenes also bear this particularly powerful directorial motif, and stay with us long after we've watched the movie.Performance-wise it's like everyone is here to provide a backdrop for Farrow and Gordon. As Rosemary and Minnie (respectively) these actresses shine, putting life into a lifeless script and forcing empathy from the viewer where less-able actresses would have only inspired feelings of annoyance. Rosemary's so pathetic and pliable, but we don't see her as such - rather she inspires our concern, and we're rooting for her - as a heroine ought to be. Gordon, with her garish, frankly comical costumes and borderline slapstick dialogue could be similarly forgettable, but thanks to the unforgettable actress in charge of the role, she's a sinister and awesome sort of foe.And that's kind of the problem. The direction and superlative performances from the leading ladies are so truly universal, that when placed in the redundant situations of the original novel (and bear in mind we're talking about the sexual and social politics of almost 40 years ago), they become almost disjointed - like finding a diamond in a sack of coal. Not that there's anything wrong with the quality of the rest of the movie, understand, it's just rather dated now.This movie, were it made even ten years later, would rival 'The Exorcist' and 'The Shining' as one of America's all-time top five contributions to the horror genre. As it stands, it's a very diverting (and in places, hugely effective) piece of work, and sadly, because of the redundancy of some of the ideals and a slightly ill-suited ending, has little to recommend it as a 'classic'.One to rent.