“Rosemary’s Baby” is a mystical thriller directed by Roman Polanski, shot in 1968. Immediately after its release the picture has acquired the status of “best thriller” 60′s, was warmly received by viewers and critics, nominated for “Oscar” in eight categories.
The result of universal success was as follows: one award of the American Academy for Best Supporting Actress, one “Golden Globe, more than $ 30 million box office receipts (with a budget of 3.2 million), the status of one of the most “scary movies” of our time and universal recognition of the director as a rising star of Hollywood.
It would seem that such regalia, and the fact that as early as 2014 the film was included in the U.S. National Film Registry speaks for itself. But, no matter how you spin it, we have not seen this film in the Library of Congress with an Oscar in one hand and the Golden Globe in the other. We saw it at home, not as a set of awards, but as a regular film. And let’s be honest, we didn’t like it.
Below we will try to explain to you why we consider this film to be overestimated, to lay out on the shelves the obvious disadvantages, but also about the pros are not forgotten. Here we go!
Briefly about the plot
A young childless (which is important!) couple Guy and Rosemary Woodhouse are moving into their new home. After a while Rosemary (Mia Farrow) meets Terry, a neighbour who lives with an elderly couple. The next day, the girl is thrown out the window. The reason for that remains unknown. Rosemary and her husband meet the same old couple, Roman and Minnie Castevet. Minnie invites them to dinner, and then begins to visit Rosemary, increasingly coping with her desire to have a child. Soon, after a strange night involving otherworldly powers, Rosemary gets pregnant. Throughout the pregnancy, her condition is deteriorating time and again: the girl is in terrible pain, she quickly loses weight, eats raw meat. Despite this, she continues to drink homemade broth from Minnie’s hands and check up with her doctor. At the end of her term, realizing that she is surrounded by Satanists, the girl makes a weak attempt to escape, but falls into a trap and gives birth.
Briefly about the ending
Briefly about the ending.
After a difficult birth, Rosemary’s husband tells her the baby’s dead. The girl does not believe and with a knife goes to the neighbors, where she finds her child in a black cradle with a crucifix upside down. The appearance of the child frightens Rosemary and Satanists explain to her that it is a child of the devil, conceived on that strange night, born under the sign of three sixes – June 28, 1966, that is 6/66. A little sobbing, Rosemary approaches the cradle and begins to pump the baby.
What’s wrong with the story
The movie starts quite cheerfully. The couple just moved and now the first tragedy – the death of their neighbor. After that there is a little drag in the form of acquaintance of the main actors, followed by an interesting three-minute scene of conception, and that’s it. All the rest of the film, except for the “legendary” ending, shows the pregnancy period of the main character, during which, out of fear, except for the updated hair Rosemary.
What is wrong with the ending
If you like thoughtful finals, the end of Rosemary’s Kid should at least confuse you. After a little hysteria about her (Rosemary) giving birth to the devil’s child, the girl calms down and decides to rock crying Adrian. It’s over. Most viewers and critics agree that this ending is the best part of the film. But what happened there, except for a dry statement of the above facts, will not say everything. In the ending of the book Ira Levin makes us understand – Rosemary is crazy, her theories too, but they make sense. Well, the key scene with the cradle wobbling with the smile on her face confirms her madness. Speaking of the film, Polanski does not want to reveal all the cards to the last, because the madness of the main character on the screen is perceived as something alien. She and her paranoia are there. We are here.
What is wrong with the main character of “Rosemary’s Baby”
Throughout the film, we are confronted with the blatant stupidity of the protagonist every now and then. Judge for yourself, – a girl who has a clear dislike for the “too loud” neighbor quietly takes a pendant, filmed with the dead Terry. Moreover, for some time she walks in it and does not even try to ask the type of question: “What the hell, actually?” (sorry about the pun). In addition, during pregnancy, she quietly drinks strange potions from the hands of the same neighbor, examined by her doctor, and again does not see it as “nothing.
Of course, such assumptions in the character of her character are made in order to cause a sting in us. Look, she is alone against a whole crowd of Satanists, how can she resist them? The question is rhetorical. No way. But we do not have to empathize with her. Indeed, instead of closing the doors from strange neighbors or moving away, the main character simply continues to live, limply submitting to everything that Minnie says.
About some of the plot holes in the movie “Rosemary’s Baby”
According to the plot, the husband of Rosemary actor Guy is at the same time with the Satanists. What was required for this? A couple of conversations with the elderly Roman Castevet, who, by the way, remained behind the scenes. Perhaps because it is impossible to persuade an adult independent man to poison his wife and give to the devil to conceive a child?
As mentioned above, at the beginning of the film, Rosemary gets acquainted with the lovely girl Terry. She shows her her pendant and talks about how well she lives with the Castevetes. Later we see her corpse, – she jumped out of the window. Why and why, it doesn’t matter. And the only thing left for us is to assume. Perhaps it was she who was supposed to bear the child, but for some reason did not fit. Or she found out what her guardians were doing and decided to commit suicide. There are enough options, but the film decides to remain silent. Petty understatement, leaving holes in the plot, this is so mysterious.
This film is often praised and criticized for raising the theme of “devil worship”, information about which in the film “the cat cried”. Seriously, what do we know about Roman and Minnie Castawet, except that they are Satanists?
Pros of “Baby Rosemary”
Despite all the passing minuses, the film boasts a couple of pluses, for which, however, it is worth watching.
Music
The main musical theme of the film is “Lullaby of Rosemary” written by composer Krzysztof Comeda, a close friend of Roman Polanski. “Lullaby” is a gentle melody without words, which the child sings. As it became clear later, this song was performed by Mia Farrow herself. The theme of a lullaby sounds in the film several times, and even in several variations, depending on the voltage of a particular scene.
Custom approach
Definitely “Rosemary’s Baby” is an unusual film. Filmed in the era of perestroika, it marked a new milestone in American cinema: the transition from template melodramas, westerns and horrors to more modern and progressive genres.
Great source
“Rosemary’s Baby” is based on the novel of the same name by Ira Levin (1967). In the year of its release, the book gained immense popularity, because it was positioned as a horror, but it scared not maniacs, zombies or liters of blood, but its deep and rather mysterious meaning.
Rosemary’s Baby Explained: Realism & Control – Youtube Video Review & Analysis
Total
If you like unusual old movies, then “Rosemary’s Baby” may be to your taste. The film has a good source, great idea and music. Unfortunately, this is the end of his list of advantages for us, but that does not make him bad for you. Good luck.
I wanted to know why Fur Elise (Beethoven) was played a number of times, but when I googled it, this article came up but the article never mentions Fur Elise, just the Llubye la-la-laed by Mia. No mention at all. And it is heard at least four times throughout. Any comment?