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Rosemary's Baby

Rosemary's Baby

List Price: $14.98
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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: The depiction of main characters ruined this
Review: This indeed is a psychological thriller rather than a horror film, yet the book's main technique of presentation, which made it effective, is greatly reduced. The book much integrated ordinary happenings - Guy was humorous and charming, and Rosemary a creative, sociable, happy bride. (Referencing another reviewer's comments: the book has not the slightest overtones of Rosemary's worrying about her pregnancy because of guilt about sex, where Mia's stone-faced performance could give one that idea.)In the film, Guy seems self-centred, conceited and vaguely sinister, and Rosemary in a fog!


Gone is the book's Rosemary - who apparently is gifted in decorating, gourmet cooking, enjoys sculpture classes and has many friends with whom she has discussions on such matters as "Summerhill" at Sardi's East. Mia's Rosemary seems neither happy nor quite bright! Right from the early scene when, with the warmth of one on verge of coma, she tells Guy, "Let's make love," the impression is of one devoid of emotion. (It seemed just one of several times that the director needed an excuse to show Mia naked.)


The joyous pregnant woman who eerily discovers that she is carrying Satan's child was interesting in the book. The film's Rosemary seems so remote and confused right from the beginning that one is tempted to assume, with Dr Hill, that she is a pathological case.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: 'STILL SATANIC ...... , STILL SINISTER'
Review: There's always something new to see or hear when you revisit this calculating study of satanism. It's cool, elegant, sleek and so subtle, maybe Ruth Gordon's eyes meet you again, or is it THAT painting? Possibly new images emerge from the dream/rape sequence? This movie does have its own life - continuously sneaking new things "in". An odd piece of work - with that little old warning, about "wishing for stuff that you really don't need".

Beautifully realized by Roman Polanski from the Novel by Ira Levin ["Stepford Wives"], this is the tale of naive Rosemary and her ambitious actor husband, the gothic apartment, the ancient neighbors, a conception.... followed with the rest. It's all very real, all too familiar, quite possible.

The DVD version is fine, sound could be enhanced, and we could really dispense with Mia Farrow's dated "flower-child" interview. [There is a glimpse of the sadly missed Sharon Tate].

Mr. Polanski has never disappointed, and truly "no one does it like" Mr. Polanski. See "The Tenant" for the Transatlantic view of this matter!

Sequels? Don't bother, maybe Mr. Polanski will revisit The Branford.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: It ain't The Exorcist...
Review: Don't bother with Rosemary's Baby. Don't watch it unless you are really bored on a rainy day. The film is so slow-paced and dated; 20 minutes in to the film I was looking at my watch to see how much longer I'd have to suffer. It finally ended and I let out a long sigh of relief! It is SO boring, you'll just go crazy! Please, for the love of goodness see the infinitely superior The Exorcist instead of this turkey any day of the week.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of my favorite horror films!
Review: It's one of those movies which is scary, but not really scary. It's more like...creepy. You start to feel like the main character because you know a little more than her when it comes to what's going on. There are clues here and there, certain looks characters give each other, and it just unravels slowly. If I had to be critical about anything, i guess it would have to be the end, because I wish there was more, but maybe i just wanted it to go on and on. I also recommend the book by Ira Levin, which is very similar to the movie... so if you are more into reading, or you don't like scary movies.. try the book!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the greatest horror movies of all time
Review: My official list of the greatest top 10 horror movies of all time would have to include "Rosemary's Baby". Mia Farrow makes an adorable Rosemary; so sweet, innocent, vulnerable and waiflike that we develop a true fondness for her.Nothing bad should happen to someone so nice. She become pregnant after a strange dream of being rapted by something inhuman. Then her husband becomes distant, her neighbors become increasingly sinister, and she developes this strange pain in her stomach. To tell you anymore would be an injustice. Watch it and find out for yourself. However, don't be looking for things to jump out at you or lots of gore. This is a horror film that relies on the lack of such things for effect. The horror creeps up on us and poor Rosemary while the rooms are bright and New York city bustles around outside the window of her apartment. It's hard to believe something so unspeakable is happening in such a seemingly normal world. It's that "oh my god I can't believe this is really happening to me and there is no one who can help me" type of horror movie. I'm not saying any more becuase I don't want to spoil anything for the first time viewer. For those of you who know the story and look at it again, there are plenty of details that make it more interesting. For example, notice the month and year the baby is born.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A potent brew of scary and funny
Review: You have to pity Rosemary Woodhouse. There's not a single character in "Rosemary's Baby" who takes Rosemary seriously. Her concerns -- which start off trivial, and wind up concerning the future of mankind -- are routinely brushed off by those around her, usually with a non-sequitur or a limp joke. She's abused and misused, casually and cruelly, and yet she rarely ceases to be a strong individual

"Rosemary's Baby" takes time to set the scenario -- it takes about a hour for Rosemary to first become pregnant -- yet there's not a single scene in the movie that's poorly written or acted. Even the minor players -- partcularly Charles Grodin as a young obstetrician -- shine through. The second half of the movie is nearly perfect, as the months pass with frightening speed, and as Rosemary discovers just what's going on.

"Rosemary's Baby" is deft, funny, and scary, and it speaks volumes that Rosemary uses a Scrabble set to help piece together the mystery. The chills are genuine, the humor is casual and offhanded but effective (especially whenever John Cassevetes is on the screen), and the final scene is riveting. Rosemary Woodhouse has been ignored, misled, and cheated for over two hours, yet by the end of the film she's still in control of her environment, and arguably in a position to redeem her baby. Many horror movies seek to cop out in the final scene, but thanks to the superior production here, we wind up with one of the most memorable finales in the genre or, indeed, anywhere.

A must-buy, for both the casual horror buff and the film student. And for fans of Charles Grodin, of course.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: One of the worst ever.
Review: This stands out in my mind as one of the biggest wastes of time I ever spent watching a movie. The name of the movie is Rosemary's Baby, the whole movie centers around awaiting the birth of the baby, and after all is said and done, we spend a lot of time being bored and not seeing the baby. Total rip-off. Save your time and money. This movie is complete garbage, regardless of the decent acting.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Wear diapers when watching this film!
Review: This film gets creepier and creepier every time i watch it. The story is based around Farrow and Cassavetes characters. They're newlyweds in search of an apartment and find one in a dream complex. From the start something about Cassavetes is off settling maybe it's those eyes or his lips but the man aint right! Farrow is so precious with her pixe cut and fawn like face that what happens toher is just so much more vile and disgusting. The lengths that Cassavettes character (an aspiring actor) goes to reach fame is appauling!! But in the end the music with it's tension heightening strings at the calm moments of the film keep you at an uneasy edge of your seat weariness. When Farrow becomes pregnant in the film that scene alone will leave your eyes wide open for the rest of the film talk about a nightmare! polanski gives the film a claustrophobic feel with an uneasy openness due to the characters playing up to Farrow's innocent nature and keeping her at ease through out her pregnancy. But the main horror effect is the fact that nobody believes Farrow's sitaution and as the due date grows closer the film goes into overdrive in the search for Farrow to find a believer. The final scene is one of the most terrifiying images in film history! What you don't see will leave your couch stained with sweat and your mind burned with a permanent image of hell!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: His name shall be Adrian! ¿ It¿s the Year One!
Review: Without question the best movie ever made about witchcraft and devil worship, Rosemary's Baby still stands tall among horror movies a quarter century after its first release. Suspense author Ira Levin's chilling tale of a naive and trusting young wife impregnated by Satan is elevated to the realm of the classic by director Roman Polanski's measured, intelligent and ultimately chilling screen version (in much the same way that Coppola made The Godfather a classic film of an average gangster novel - although, in this instance, Levin's source novel is hardly pulp). Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes are perfect as Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse - a struggling young New York couple on the verge of upward mobility - who take an apartment in an old brownstone that may be a seedbed of Satanic evil. Guy is a struggling actor making a living through adverts and second stringing until, courtesy of his nosy neighbours, he discovers a novel way of getting ahead. Unfortunately the cost is high, although - in a twist on the Faustian scheme - not to him, but rather to his fellow actors, his friends and - in the most evil of sacrifices - his wife. Saying any more would be to play the spoiler though. Rosemary's Baby is best watched with less rather than more information on what it's about. Suffice to say it involves Rosemary in the most unholy of trysts with a group of Satan freaks, including all manner of beastly violations, including sex with the Beast himself. Whether however what is happening is real or simply the product of Rosemary's growing guilt-tinged Catholic paranoia about sex is the source of the movie's slow-burning tension until a truly nail-biting last half-hour of stunning revelation. Cassavetes and Farrow are superbly cast, both delivering career-best work, partly by incorporating their public personas at the time into their character portrayals. The cast is universally excellent, with a notable early role for Charles Grodin as a wimpy gynaecologist. This is the movie that - after a decade and a half of stupid Atomic age creature features - reinvented the horror genre (along with Psycho, The Haunting and Peeping Tom), commandeering it into the realm of the almost anthropologically serious. That it paved the way for The Exorcist, The Omen, The Changeling etc can hardly be disputed. That it still towers over the genre as one its best, most intelligent entries makes it a non-negotiable must-have not just for any decent horror collection but any movie collection period.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Too Stupid to Live
Review: This movie is nicely filmed and acted. Other than that, the only thing that distinguishes it from a terrible B-movie is the wonderful dialogue of the main male devil-whorshipper in which he sets out to offend the Catholic church. Other than that, there was absolutely nothing new or daring about this movie (even then, the filmakers could hide behind the fact that the offensive character WAS supposed to be evil). Most of the suspense in the movie depends on the lead character, Rosemary, acting like she doesn't have a single brain cell to her name, and so the whole plot winds up being completely contrived, not unlike teen slasher films that depend upon the audience believing that the victims will stay in the house after discovering their friends murdered and actually take time out for sex or a shower. Without Rosemary's utter stupidity, the whole movie would fall apart. However, unlike a teenage slasher films where this sort of thing can be expected and laughed at, this film takes itself a bit too seriously for such stupidity to be humourous (although the film does sometimes get deliberately tounge-in-cheek). As a result, Rosemary's actions are more irritating than humourous, for example when she believes the Satanist doctor's assurances that it is normal for a woman to lose weight and become increasingly skeletal during a pregnancy. There are far better Polanski movies, far better horror movies (serious and humourous), and far better artsy movies than this. It does not deserve its status as a classic although it is not a bad time-waster.


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