Roman Polanski's stylish occult thriller ROSEMARY'S BABY is possibly the director's most famous film and was a big box-office success at the time of its 1968 release. This was Polanski's first American feature film, following his frightening 1965 REPULSION, which was made in England. The use of producer William Castle--famous for popular low-budget horror--helped propel Polanski forward into a long and rigorous career as one of the masters of the genre. The terrifying satanic story forever haunts fans of this cult film, the setting of which--Manhattan's Dakota building--carries a ghost story of its own as the location of John Lennon's assassination.
A young, happily married couple, waif-like Rosemary (Mia Farrow) and struggling actor Guy (John Cassavetes), move into a spacious apartment in a venerable old building off Central Park. They are befriended by the elderly couple next door, Roman (Sidney Blackmer) and Minnie Castavet (Ruth Gordon in an Oscar-winning performance), who seem to take a special interest in Rosemary's well-being. Shortly after another young woman in the building commits suicide by jumping out a window, Rosemary begins to be plagued by disturbing dreams, including a hallucinogenic black mass sequence in which she is raped by something "inhuman" while surrounded by a host of unlikely spectators. Rosemary discovers she is pregnant and soon falls violently ill. The Castavets offer advice and home remedies and even go so far as to talk her into seeing a new doctor of their choosing. But when the young couple's friend Hutch (Maurice Evans) exposes her eccentric but seemingly well-meaning neighbors as members of a witches' coven, Rosemary realizes that she is the victim of a deeply evil conspiracy and that no one can be trusted--not even her own husband.
Theatrical release: June 12, 1968.
Scenes depicting Guy and Rosemary's building were filmed at the distinctive Dakota on Manhattan's West Side, which later became the site of John Lennon's assassination.
Polanski consulted Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, on details in scenes involving Satanic rituals. LaVey also assumed the role of Satan in Rosemary's rape-nightmare.
Tony Curtis is the voice of a hapless actor (heard only over the phone) who meets with an unforeseen accident and whom Guy subsequently ends up replacing.
Excerpt: Beware: Spoiler!
"What have you done to it? What have you done to its eyes?"--Rosemary (Mia Farrow)
Roman: "He has his father's eyes."--Roman Castavets (Sidney Blackmer)
DVD Features
Region 1
Keep Case
Anamorphic Letterboxed - 1.66
Audio:
Dolby Digital Mono - English
Mono - French
Additional Release Material:
Interviews - 1. Roman Polanski - Director
2. Richard Sylbert - Production Designer
3. Robert Evans - Former Head of Production at Paramount Studios
Featurette - "The Making of Rosemary's Baby"
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Interactive Menus
Cameo
Tony Curtis: American Actor, SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
Director of Photography
William A. Fraker: Legendary cinematographer/director
Source Writer
Ira Levin: Novelist
Art Director
Joel Schiller: Production Designer
Review 1:
"...It's surely among the three or four greatest horror films ever made..." -- 5 out of 5 stars - One For The Library
Source: Premiere
pp.105-107 11/01/2000
Review 2:
"Roman Polanski's brilliantly directed ROSEMARY'S BABY hasn't lost a thing since it was one of the best movies of a banner year..."
Source: USA Today
p.9E 12/01/2000
Review 3:
"What's suggested is as scary as what's seen."
Source: Uncut
p.135 09/01/2004
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