 The Criterion Collection [Blu-ray] Tagline: Pray for Rosemary's Baby Terrifying and darkly comic, Rosemary's Baby marked the Hollywood debut of Roman Polanski (Repulsion). This wildly entertaining nightmare, faithfully adapted from Ira Levin's best seller, stars a revelatory Mia Farrow (Hannah and Her Sisters) as a young mother-to-be who grows increasingly suspicious that her overfriendly elderly neighbors, played by Sidney Blackmer (High Society) and an Oscar-winning Ruth Gordon (Harold and Maude), and self-involved husband (actor and filmmaker John Cassavetes) are hatching a satanic plot against her and her baby. In the decades of occult cinema Polanski's ungodly masterpiece has spawned, it's never been outdone for sheer psychological terror. Storyline: Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse move into an apartment in a building with a bad reputation. They discover that their neighbours are a very friendly elderly couple named Roman and Minnie Castevet, and Guy begins to spend a lot of time with them. Strange things start to happen: a woman Rosemary meets in the laundry dies a mysterious death, Rosemary has strange dreams and hears strange noises and Guy becomes remote and distant. Then Rosemary falls pregnant and begins to suspect that her neighbours have special plans for her child. Written by Goth Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov on October 4, 2012 -- Winner of Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include a new documentary film, featuring interviews with director Roman Polanski, actress Mia Farrow, and producer Robert Evans; radio interview with author Ira Levin; and a feature-length documentary on the life and work of Polish jazz composer and musician Krzysztof Komeda. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked". Shortly after they move into their new apartment, Rosemary (Mia Farrow, High Heels, The Great Gatsby) and Guy (John Cassavetes, Machine Gun McCain, Opening Night) begin talking about having a baby. They both want one. But is this the right time? Guy does not think so. First he needs to get that great acting job he has been dreaming about; then he could become a father. Rosemary wants a baby now but is willing to wait. Good wives need to support their husbands and this is precisely what she intends to do. When the time is right, Guy will let her know. In the building's laundry room Rosemary meets Terry (Victoria Vetri, Invasion of the Bee Girls), a charming and bubbly girl. Terry used to do drugs and live on the streets, but the Castevets, Minnie (Ruth Gordon, Harold and Maude) and Roman (Sidney Blackmer, Little Caesar), who live right across Rosemary and Guy, took her in. Without them Terry would have probably ended up in a plastic bag. Those were some truly awful times and she can't believe what she did to her body. Eventually, Rosemary and Guy meet Minnie and Roman, right in front of their building, where a crowd has gathered around Terry's body. Rosemary's new friend apparently jumped off the seventh floor - but why? Like everyone else, Minnie and Roman are also shocked because to them Terry always looked like a girl who loved life. In the days that follow Rosemary and Guy and Minnie and Roman begin spending time together. Then Guy gets his dream job and Rosemary becomes pregnant. The first people to learn about the baby are Minnie and Roman. Who knew that they would turn out to be such great neighbors? They even arrange for Rosemary to see Dr. Sapirstein (Ralph Bellamy, The Awful Truth), the best in the city. Rosemary liked Dr. Hill (Charles Grodin, Midnight Run), but if Dr. Sapirstein truly is the best… Back in the apartment Minnie shows up with a glass full of something - you know, "ships and snails and puppy dogs' tails". It is good for future moms. Rosemary will feel so much better after she drinks it. She does, and soon after begins losing weight. A few days later Hutch (Maurice Evans, Beneath the Planet of the Apes) visits Rosemary. Hutch is an old friend who has just found out that Rosemary is pregnant. It is great news but he can't believe how bad she looks. They talk and then arrange to meet again. But on the day of their meeting, Rosemary learns that Hutch is in a deep coma. After he dies, she is given a book he apparently wanted her to have. The book is about witches and black magic. Roman Polanski's adaptation of Ira Levin's novel is often described as a great horror film and for a good reason – the atmosphere in it is damn near perfect. For a long period of time everything in the film seems normal, but just like Rosemary the viewer feels that something is off. But what? There are clues about what is underway all over the film, but most of them are so bizarre that they can't be taken seriously. Polanski knows it, and plays with the viewer's expectations. Right until the finale, the viewer isn't entirely sure what type of film Rosemary's Baby is. How's that? A few very small changes at the end would have made it a pretty good thriller, or an unusually effective black comedy, or terrific drama. The cast here truly is phenomenal. Farrow is incredible as the initially naive and then suspicious Rosemary who can't get a break. Cassavetes was also a great pick to play her husband who, how ironic is this, is also a struggling actor. Gordon also unquestionably deserves the Oscar she was awarded for her portrayal of the nosy neighbor. Great film. Rosemary's Baby has been given a complete makeover and the final result is indeed mighty impressive. Fans of the film who have been asking and waiting for a solid Blu-ray release are in for a very, very special treat. Criterion's release also comes with an outstanding new documentary featuring brand new interviews with director Roman Polanski, actress Mia Farrow, and producer Robert Evans, as well as a very interesting new Polish documentary about the life and legacy of jazz musician and composer Krzysztof Komeda. Enjoy. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Cast Notes: 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). User Comment: marcosaguado from Los Angeles, USA, 13 March 2004 • When people talk about perfect films I don't actually know what they mean. Perfect for whom? Perfect compared to what? I think that perfection is in the brain and heart of the beholder. "Rosemary's baby" is a perfect film to me. Scary in a way that makes you breathless. You're thinking and feeling throughout the film. One of the many sides of Polanski's genius is to suggest. And what he suggest is so monstrous that we don't want to believe it, but we do. The characters are so perfectly drawn that there is no cheating involved. John Cassavettes's superb study in selfishness and egomaniacal frustration is so real that comes to no surprise that he could do what he does to advance his career, but we are surprised, we're horrified. The spectacular Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer are not Deborah Kerr and David Niven, are they? So that they turn out to be what they turn out to be is totally believable, but Polanski presents it in such a light of normality that you can't believe it. Mia Farrow's predicament is as classic as the boy who cried wolf tale and yet, as told by Roman Polanski in the wonderful face of Mia Farrow, is as if we're hearing it, seeing it and living it for the first time. Every silence, every voice in the distance, every door opening. Your heart is always in your throat. There is something there that accelerates a constant state of dread. Very few movies have been able to take me to that place, most of them by Roman Polanski, what about "The Tenant" or "Repulsion"? Other movies that come to mind: David Lynch's "Eraserhead" and Martin Donovan's "Apartment Zero" But "Rosemary's baby" stands alone as a terrifying masterpiece. Summary: Polanski's Baby. User Comment: *** This review may contain spoilers *** RWiggum from Erlangen, Germany, 2 July 2003 • One might argue Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby is not a horror film, since it lacks almost everything you'll find in almost all of them: shock moments, vampires, werewolf, serial killers, even blood. The most graphic scene is a nightmare sequence that displays a rape scene so stylized it isn't actually disturbing. But one might also argue that Rosemary's Baby is a horror film in its purest form, since it doesn't depend on all those gimmicks to create its atmosphere. I prefer the latter point of view. So what is happening in this film? Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse move to a new apartment. Their neighbors are Roman and Minnie Castevet, an elderly couple. Although they are very friendly, there is something strange about them - the sounds that come from their apartment, the fact they remove all the pictures from their walls when the Woodhouses visit and other things like that. While Rosemary tries to keep a certain distance from them, Guy is very fond of the relationship to his new neighbors, and especially Minnie becomes more and more obtrusive, especially when Rosemary finds out she's pregnant - she recommends her another (better, as she says) gynecologist's and mixes a (healthy, as she says) herbal drink for her every day. The pregnancy, however, develops rather unpleasant: Rosemary keeps feeling pain in her stomach and she becomes thinner (Pregnant women are supposed to gain, not lose weight, a visiting friend observes), and when the pain doesn't stop after several months, she begins to believe that her neighbors, her gynecologist's and even her husband conspired against her and want to harm the baby she's carrying. All this is told by Roman Polanski in the perfect tone; the mood for the entire film is already set during the opening credits when we hear that weird lullaby, sung by Mia Farrow. And a lot of strange things happen throughout the entire film: Guy and Rosemary are told by Hutch, a friend of theirs, about the horrific past of the house they're now living in, a young girl that lives with the Castevets commits suicide (really a suicide?), Guy, an actor, gets the role he wanted so badly after the contestant who was originally supposed to play it turns blind, and Hutch, who might have found something out that would help Rosemary, suddenly is in a coma and dies three months later; all these (and a few other) events are precisely dosed by Polanski to draw us more and more into the film, while he makes sure on the other hand that the film doesn't become absurd. And he manages to give the film an ending that works, makes sense and is observant, slightly (but only slightly) funny and very disturbing, all at once. Rosemary's Baby also contains two of the most memorable performances ever: Mia Farrow is haunting as Rosemary Woodhouse. She looks like she is physically suffering from her pregnancy and close to complete despair. And Ruth Gordon is amazing as the curious Minnie Castevet, always friendly, but also giving you the feeling that, hidden behind her generosity, she actually follows her own, obscure motives. If you have a helpful elderly female neighbor, you'll see her with other eyes once you've encountered Minnie Castevet. So, if you think a real horror film needs shock moments, vampires, werewolf, serial killers or at least blood - watch Rosemary's Baby and you'll change your mind. Summary: Psychological Horror at its very best. User Comment: Vince-5 from northeastern PA, 2 May 2001 • Every bit of acclaim that Rosemary's Baby has earned is totally deserved. The Dakota, located at 72nd and Central Park West, is the perfect setting for the demonic events; all that rich Gothic detail in the heart of Manhattan provides the perfect atmosphere, serving as a dark fairy-tale world of its own within the modern setting. Roman Polanski knows this and utilizes it brilliantly, opening the film with stunning aerial shots of the skyline and focusing in on the ornate castle amongst the skyscrapers and tenements. The acting is fantastic, particularly Mia Farrow, who is the only person I can envision as Rosemary. Her fine-boned fragility makes her the ideal target for terror. She goes from obliviousness to suspicion to fear to near madness without showing a seam, and we as the audience are with her all the way. And Mia is given a run for her money by the delightful Ruth Gordon, a comical yet sinister presence popping in on a deliberate schedule with pale green drinks and sandpapery advice. She's scary because we know her--a batty old broad with a seemingly sweet nature beneath her caustic surface. That such a person could possibly be a vessel of evil is a thoroughly unnerving concept. Unnerving is the proper adjective for the entire movie. Unnerving, eerie, and penetratingly frightening in a very subtle manner. The subtlety is key, since a more explicit treatment would've spoiled everything. As the tension heightens, we feel what Rosemary feels: Curiosity, then vague suspicion, then paralyzing terror at the final revelation. At all times, the movie retains its dignity, from the opening and closing shots of the building to the flourishing title script to the beautiful music. Even on TV, this picture can chill you to the bone. The best big-budget horror movie of all time. Summary: One of the ultimate horror classics. IMDb Rating (10/26/12): 8.0/10 from 83,476 users Top 250: #221
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