Rating: Summary: The best in the genre... Review: Twelve years before John Lennon got shot there, The Dakotas are the setting for evil, as whiny waif Rosemary (played to perfection by Mia Farrow) gives birth to the son of Satan. Lunkheaded teens whose concept of horror means countless Freddy Krueger and Scream sequels need not apply here... This is horror of the scarier kind: subtle. Roman Polanski is at his best (Chinatown excepted) here, smothering the screen with neo-Baroque motifs that, in the Mod New York of 1968, comprise a sort of Post-Modernistic version of hell. The acting is also subtle, the film's only excess in the delightfully noxious presence of Oscar-winner Ruth Gordon as Rosemary's neighbor, on which I suspect Larry David based his Estelle Costanza character for "Seinfeld". Farrow is keen throughout, making her despair in the birth scene all the more screeching and jarring. John Cassavetes is pure joy to watch -and hate- as the Faustian "Guy" who descends into Hell for the sake of his career. The supporting cast is perfectly balanced and construed to weave a quilt of paranoia and claustrophobia... only Polanski could have made a viewer feel trapped inside New York's expansiveness...
Rating: Summary: a title for my review Review: All things considered, Satan may be Polanski's finest character. Even though his appearance here is brief, it is very memorable. I can't wait for "The Ninth Gate".Oh, by the way, this is a very good film. It makes me happy that movies exist. In the wake of so many lousy horror films it is nice to see one that works on every level.
Rating: Summary: A "devilishly" good movie Review: Ira Levin's classic tale of gothic horror in 1960's Manhattan is wonderfully brought to life by Roman Polanski in the film version. The movie has much more depth and strength of characterization than the book, and the biggest surprise, when the movie first opened, was Mia Farrow's absolutely great performance as Rosemary. The movie stays very close to the book throughout, and the actors are terrific. John Cassavetes is excellent as Rosemary's low-life actor husband who sacrifices her to his ambition without a second thought; Ruth Gordon won a well-deserved Oscar for best supporting actress as the delightfully wacky witch next door; Sidney Blackmer gives a chilling performance as her sinister husband whose name is an anagram that sends Rosemary hurtling down a spiral chute of terror and panic, and Ralph Bellamy is total perfection as the evil Dr. Sapirstein. The two best scenes in the movie are the scene in which Rosemary, who wants a baby more than anything else in the world, finds herself being impregnated by God-knows-what, and the scene toward the movie's end when she realizes just what she was impregnated with. The movie was shot mostly in and around the Dakota, the grand old Upper West Side co-op that lends itself remarkably well to the creepy projection of a haunted house, the cinematography and film editing are excellent, and Polanski's direction proves that a great horror movie doesn't have to be a slasher film to effectively scare the bejesus out of you. There's no blood, no gore, no violence; just a great psychological horror ride, and it works.
Rating: Summary: Flawless and superb throughout Review: Very few directors come along that match the genius of Roman Polanski. I haven't much to say regarding this film, the plot is simple and does more than justice to Ira Levin's novella. John Cassavates and Mia Farrow are superb in this soul wrenching film that, unlike many horror movies, doens't scare you from it's bloody murder, but rather, it's psychogical trickery. Pay attention and listen carefully when watching this film for subtle hints and clues to the truth, they are easy to miss. A wholesome, psychological, subtle, mind boggling, horrificly frightening movie that was decades ahead of its time. FLAWLESS acting, stylistic subtle camera usage and score. Rosemary's Baby is BY FAR,unrivaled as the Horror Movie of ALL Horror Movies. Enjoy this one.
Rating: Summary: This movie ROCKS! Review: Young couple becomes pregnant with the child of the devil and the mother's friends and neighbors try to cover it up. While some might say this is boring, it's really interesting and spellbinding. Gotta love that ending. Popcorn, Pepsi and Pizza.
Rating: Summary: PRETTY GOOD, AT TIMES. Review: WHEN I HEARD HOW GOOD THIS MOVIE WAS, I SIMPLY HAD TO SEE IT. BUT WHEN I WAS VIEWING IT I WAS WAITING FOR SOME KIND OF EXCITEMENT. THEN, THE DEVEL GAVE HER THE BABY IN THE "DREAM." SO THAT WAS A VERY CLASSIC PART OF THE MOVIE. VERY DISTURBING IS HOW ONE SHOULD DESCRIBE THIS FILM. THIS IS LESS OF A SCARY MOVIE THAN A DISTURBING WELL MADE MOVIE. I WOULD SUGGEST THIS MOVIE TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO BE INTERESTED. HOWEVER IF YOUR LOOKING FOR PURE HORROR, THIS MOVIE WONT SUPPLY. HORROR= THE EXORCIST. THIS, IN MY OPINION, IS NOT THE BEST HORROR MOVIE, BUT IT IS ONE OF THE BEST. THE BEST HORROR MOVIE (AND THE SCARIEST) IS THE MUST-NOT-MISS "THE EXORCIST."
Rating: Summary: The best supsense movie Review: I saw this movie over a dozen times & enjoy it everytime. Some viewers confuse this movie as a HORROR movie, & they expect to see blood & massacre on screen. But this is certainly not Polanski style. This one keeps you in suspense until the end of the movie. If you have read the book, you appreciate how Polanski directed the movie true to the essence of the novel. The dream sequence is exactly how IRA LEVIN wrote in his book & Polanski did a good job. There are too many young audiences nowadays only look for 'blood & terror' in movies & don't appreciate such a fine film. They better off just watch the cheap flicks....
Rating: Summary: Best of its kind... Review: but what kind would that exactly be? Horror, obviously, but amazing that no one has mentioned how well Roman Polanski mixes his urban horror with such brilliant ironic humor. A gleeful sadist, he seems to relish identifying true evil and still defy it, mock it, revel in it. This is far from a "straight" horror movie. If you watch it expecting to be scared out of your wits, you'll be disappointed (though there are some rather creepy parts). The pacing is excellent--it lets you get to know the characters, the dialogue is clever, the characterizations of all the leads is pitch-perfect...The best part (and the necessity of the length of the movie), is that Rosemary only gradually over time realizes what is happening to her: clues are liberally sprinkled throughout and there's an ever-present sense of dread that something bad is happening ("This is not a dream, this is really happening! "), and Rosemary, despite her suspicions, is powerless to do anything about it. Little by little, she finds that the people she trusts are eliminated and replaced by people that mean her harm. This, along with Mia Farrow's fantastic performance, creates one of the most sympathetic characters in the movies with Rosemary. This movie stays with you. Polanski suffuses most every picture he does with this dread and love of loss of control--life out of balance. I can't say enough about how good this film and much of Polanski's other work is.
Rating: Summary: CLASSIC TERROR Review: Roman Polanski concocted a devilish, stylish witches' brew of paranoia and real terror with this movie -- the movie is literally soaked with detail and imagination. Yet the terrors are mostly psychological, pulled off in the most amazing way, filling you, along with Rosemary, with absolute dread. Ira Levin's story, which reads significantly more outlandish in its terrors, is given a 60's pop art/New York look, what with its fabulous use of the Dakota as the ominous Bram, and Mia's delightful costumes. The dream sequences actually further the plot, and are spectacular visualizations of the narrative, providing insight into her strictly circa-late 60s Catholic upbringing. Mia Farrow is sensational as Rosemary, with her big eyes and winning sweetness; her transformation is riveting. Ruth Gordon provides more than enough creepiness all on her own, and John Cassavettes is absolutely perfect as Rosemary's ambitious, cunning husband. The wildly provocative premise places the son of the devil in Manhattan -- and as the movie cast its spell, you descend into madness with Rosemary, who, after all, simply wants the dream of motherhood in her pretty apartment. The bookend lullaby will continue to haunt you for days.
Rating: Summary: "Baby" will scare the HELL out of you (no pun intended) Review: Depicting Ira Levin's moder-day thriller novel almost word-for-word, Roman Polanski utilizes shocks and suspense in over-abundence. As an avid fan of horror movies, "Rosemary's Baby" is the one that scared me the most! It's genuinely creepy, not-so-much "horror," per se, but a suspenseful shocker that will leave you disturbed for days. Featuring classic performances (it'll be hard to look at Mia Farrow any other way after watching this), fine direction and legitimate scares, "Rosemary's Baby" is a gothic masterpiece not to be missed!
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