Rosemary's Baby |  | Director: Roman Polanski
Actors: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans
Studio: Paramount
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
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Rating:  283 reviews
Sales Rank: 3,568
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Running Time: 136 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: PARD068317D
UPC: 097360683172
EAN: 0097360683172
ASIN: B00003CXCF
Theatrical Release Date: 1968
Release Date: October 3, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A loving New York couple is expecting their first baby, however Rosemary's husband makes a pact with the devil to send his career skyward.
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Release Date: 8-AUG-2006
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com
Psychological terrorism and supernatural horror have rarely been dramatized as effectively as in this classic 1968 thriller, masterfully adapted and directed by Roman Polanski from the chilling novel by Ira Levin. Rosemary (Mia Farrow) is a young, trusting housewife in New York whose actor husband (John Cassavetes), unbeknownst to her, has literally made a deal with the devil. In the thrall of a witches' coven headquartered in their apartment building, the young husband arranges to have his wife impregnated by Satan in exchange for success in a Broadway play. To Rosemary, the pregnancy seems like a normal and happy one--that is, until she grows increasingly suspicious of her neighbors' evil influence. Polanski establishes this seemingly benevolent situation and then introduces each fiendish little detail with such unsettling subtlety that the film escalates to a palpable level of dread and paranoia. By the time Rosemary discovers that her infant son "has his father's eyes" ... well, let's just say the urge to scream along with her is unbearably intense! One of the few modern horror films that can claim to be genuinely terrifying, Rosemary's Baby is an unforgettable movie experience, guaranteed to send chills up your spine. --Jeff Shannon
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 283
 A "devilishly" good movie March 3, 2000
JLind555
75 out of 81 found this review helpful
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.
One of my favorites. . . . August 7, 2006
Kendra
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
I used to play the theme song on the piano when I was a kid. . . it was haunting, just like the film.
I always loved this film. It was almost perfect in every way. My Grandma used to remind me of Ruth Gordon, so I just adored Ruth Gordon. Here she was her New York yenta-ish self, but a Satanist, too. This is exactly why the film works so well. We all get scared of monsters and psychopaths running around with knives. In this movie, though, the villians are are New York yenta and her intellectual husband.
This does follow Ira Levin's excellent novel. Mia Farrow is perfect as gentle, almost timid Rosemary. The entire cast is wonderful.
I remember watching this movie as a child, and I'm almost certain that the ending here is changed. When Rosemary enters the neighbor's apartment with her knife, and goes over to the bassinet, then gasps in horror, there used to be a superimposed image of cat-like eyes while Rosemary screams, "What have you done to his eyes?" That really worked well, but it's gone here, or at least on the dvd I watched recently.
All in all, an excellent movie.
By the way, several years ago I was in the bookstore and came upon Ira Levin's sequel to this, "The Son of Rosemary". UGH! This is the most horrible novel EVER. Well, probably not ever, but definitely up there. What a disappointment that was!
Quite Possibly The Greatest Horror Movie Ever Made April 3, 2002
leland6914 (Bremerton, WA United States)
16 out of 18 found this review helpful
The film is not in your face. In fact, Roman Polanski's visionary work is more subdued than many films at this time. But it is that tameness, and peace that makes the mood of this movie so uncomfortable. Everything is fine, only the opposite. The film starts slow enough, a young couple moving in together, trying to have a baby. While they come at the mercy of strange happenings. Whether it be Rosemary's friend 'jumping' to her death. Or it be her somewhat too nice neighbors. You begin to see the world through the eyes of Rosemary, and you grow terrified along with her. While the sheer horror really comes at the end, when we realize how easy evil can seduce us, the movie stays chilling until the last frame. While movies like Nightmare on Elm Street and The Thing try to capture a horrible beast in his most frightening stage, this movie teaches us that the scariest things in life may be the people we trust the most. This truly is Polanski's best work, and it has survived the test of time.
One of my all-time favorites... May 20, 2007
Mary (Missouri)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes are perfect as Guy and Rosemary Woodhouse in this dark and riveting horror story. I love that the movie portrays the horror of Rosemary's situation, without ever going graphically over-the-top like so many of today's horror stories do. We never even SEE Rosemary's Baby!!
Also love the neighbors, Roman and Minnie (Ruth Gordon is amazing!), and the setting is just outstanding. I can't say enough good things about this movie.
**One little note...did you all know that the original choice for Rosemary's husband was Robert Redford, but he was committed to another project at the time? Imagine the direction his career might have taken if he had portrayed the duplicitous Guy Woodhouse...would he still have attained his sex symbol status?
Polanski's Ability to Create Real and Palpable Tension is never better than in ROSEMARY'S BABY! August 2, 2007
KerrLines (Baltimore,MD)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I am amazed that I have just watched ROSEMARY'S BABY for the first time.When this film came out when I was in 7th grade I remember that it carried the ominous rating 'M'(Mature), which in those days was verboten for anyone under 21.I remember hearing all of the scandalous talk about it;Satanism,anti-Christianity,nudity,talk of marijuana etc.That was groundbreaking stuff in those days!What though may seem "quaint" to some still carries with it a powerful punch for those who see this film through the eyes of the time in which it was made.This film threatened the very "sacred cows" of American Traditional values. As seen in the film, TIME MAGAZINE did print a front page edition entitled "IS GOD DEAD?" That alone was considered blasphemous.Viewing the movie through THAT lens will make it all the more interesting!
Well, now in 2007 I have seen it, and it is so easy to see WHY this film was so shocking.It still shocked me;not so much for the content as much as for the brilliant direction of Roman Polanski who knows how to create real and palpable tension.You jump when he says jump.You feel the foreboding and the secrecy.You feel the terror.He moves the camera down spooky corridors. The music is appropriately creepy and adds to the further mix of desperation and high strung feeling.This is what makes this movie a classic! Polanski (CHINATOWN,THE PIANIST,OLIVER TWIST) knows how much fishing line to let out, hook you, and then reel you slowly in,only to let you think you are going to be released,quickly then snatching you up unexpectedly!Polanski follows in the steps of others great suspense directors, but seldom has anyone achieved such height and depth of terror that is done so craftily and subtly.
The film may seem dated, but when looked at as a period piece ROSEMARY'S BABY becomes all the more fascinating;dial up phones,answering services,black elevator operators,earth- tone furniture,Vidal Sassoon haircuts,smoking and drinking in front of pregnant women,and parts of New York City that no longer exist.The film is a veritable chronicle of 1960's life! Put a first class screenplay with excellent direction and it is easy to see how subsequent directors tried to make films of this genre, but fell short (not all, but many!).
Mia Farrow was fresh from her debut triumph as Allison Mackenzie in the the scandalous evening T.V. Soap, PEYTON PLACE!She was the "IT" girl of the moment. John Cassavetes went on to be a great and famous director. Ruth Gordon, who won the Oscar for her portrayal as Minnie was still wowing them into the late 1980's.This film featured all of the "now" actors.
ROSEMARY'S BABY is a nail-biter! Yes, the "spawn of Satan" flicks continue to be made, but ROSEMARY'S BABY set the whole hellish ball into high spinning motion.THE EXORCIST,THE OMEN all followed in subsequent years.TOP 5 HORROR FILMS OF ALL TIME IN MY BOOK!I now know why people considered this film so overwhelming for it's time.It still has staying power that are hallmarks of great films!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 283
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