Rosemary's Baby (1968)

A young couple trying for a baby move into a fancy apartment surrounded by peculiar neighbors.

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Ira Levin (from the novel by), Roman Polanski (written for the screen)

Stars:

Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon

Won 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mia Farrow	...	Rosemary Woodhouse
John Cassavetes	...	Guy Woodhouse
Ruth Gordon	...	Minnie Castevet
Sidney Blackmer	...	Roman Castevet
Maurice Evans	...	Hutch
Ralph Bellamy	...	Dr. Sapirstein
Victoria Vetri	...	Terry (as Angela Dorian)
Patsy Kelly	...	Laura-Louise
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Mr. Nicklas (as Elisha Cook)
Emmaline Henry	...	Elise Dunstan
Charles Grodin	...	Dr. Hill
Hanna Landy	...	Grace Cardiff
Phil Leeds	...	Dr. Shand (as Philip Leeds)
D'Urville Martin	...	Diego
Hope Summers	...	Mrs. Gilmore

Storyline

Desirous of starting a family, the young Catholic housewife, Rosemary Woodhouse, and her struggling actor husband, Guy, move into the Bramford: New York's iconic building that brims with unpleasant stories of obscure dwellers and ghastly occurrences. Before long, the young couple is befriended by their somehow eccentric next-door neighbours, Roman and Minnie Castevet, and, shortly after, Rosemary gets pregnant. However, little by little--as the inexperienced mother becomes systematically cut off from her circle and friends--alarming hints of a sinister and well-planned conspiracy begin to emerge, enfolding timid Rosemary in a shroud of suspicion and mental agony. In the end, why is everyone so conveniently eager to help? Furthermore, why is Guy allowing it?

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Plot Keywords:

coven | satanism | paranoia | problem pregnancy | baby | 

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Taglines:

It's not what you're expecting.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of special effects creator Farciot Edouart.

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Goofs

The doctor tells Rosemary June 28th is the day of her expected delivery, NOT the date for her next appointment. She found out she was pregnant at the end of October, and the doctor wanted Rosemary to come in the next week for the blood sample, hence why blood is written on the calendar in November.

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Quotes

Rosemary Woodhouse: Witches... All of them witches!

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Alternate Versions

The film originally proved problematic for the UK censors and the rape scene was toned down by the BBFC for the cinema release with edits made to remove dialogue and shots of Rosemary's legs being bound. All later UK video releases featured the uncut print.

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Connections

Referenced in Post Mortem with Mick Garris: John Landis (2010)

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Soundtracks

Lullaby
(uncredited)
Composed by Krzysztof Komeda
Sung by Mia Farrow

User Reviews

An atmosphere like no other.

This is how horror films need to be made. Aside from The House of the Devil (a beautiful throwback to this period of the genre) there aren't any films that can so perfectly create this kind of a chilling atmosphere that keeps your skin tingling from start to finish. From the haunting echo of Mia Farrow's voice eerily leading us in, Rosemary's Baby immediately absorbs you into it's world and never lets you out. That's the perfect word for this; absorbing. Roman Polanski is one of cinema's finest directors and what makes him stand as such is how perfectly he can create an atmosphere. Even in his few failures he crafts a unique and full atmosphere that is expertly made for the film he's creating. He's one of the few directors who always know what he's doing and always creates a complete vision that never wavers. That's on display in spades in Rosemary's Baby, a film that drives mystery, supernatural paranoia and the fears of any pregnant woman into the heart of the viewer. With the help of a revelatory performance in terror from Farrow, Polanski creates a truly perfect film.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 1968 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Rosemary's Baby

Filming Locations:

2nd Ave & East 60th Street, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

William Castle Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1