Roman Polanski
Writer and director, Roman Polanski, creates a classic 1960’s romantic set in Rosemary’s Baby (1968) luring us into an unexpected psychological thriller. Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) and her struggling actor husband, Guy (John Cassavetes), settle into their dream apartment in New York City in hopes to start a family, but the overbearing welcome from the bizarre elderly couple next door leaves Rosemary unsettled with an eerie sequence of events for the newlyweds to follow.
Peculiar haunted happenings of suicides and abrupt deathly illnesses started to occur in their apartment complex. Roman and Minnie Castevet, the elderly couple next door, disguised the strange occurrences with their endless amounts of kindness, welcoming gifts, and dinner invitations.
The excessive amount of surprise visits and forced upon gifts from Minnie and Roman Castevet became a routine, and so did Guy’s late night arrivals from his acting auditions.
Rosemary still accepted Guy’s outward affection and desire for a family despite his increased absences, however, her skepticism lingered as their recent detachment was slowly being replaced with Guy’s bond to Mr. Castevet.
Mrs. Castevet’s attentiveness to Rosemary’s pregnancy became a form of psychosis. The “special” doctor recommendations and the “natural” prenatal drinks forced upon Rosemary left her faint with a lucid dream of her inner demons visiting her bedside.
Roman Polanski incorporates the use of primary colors in a chromatic timeline within Rosemary’s wardrobe as her sanity declines with her pregnancy. Rosemary is seen wearing yellow in her moments of innocence, red in her moments of isolation, and blue in moments of obstacles arising.
Rosemary investigates all of the gifts from Mrs. Castevet and uncovers the their plotted intentions for Rosemary’s baby. Rosemary’s innocent vision of her newlywed dream life with Guy became her worst nightmare as the baby’s arrival was most anticipated by Mr. and Mrs. Castevet all along.
Rosemary’s suspicions of Mr. and Mrs. Castevet stealing her baby to perform demonic witchcraft had everyone around her, including Guy, thinking she was psychotic.
Little did Rosemary know, that her baby was not even hers to begin with.
Rosemary's baby
director ROMAN POLANSKI
year 1968
director of photography WILLIAM A. FRAKER
writer IRA LEVIN (novel), ROMAN POLANSKI (screenplay)
cast MIA FARROW, JOHN CASSAVETES, RUTH GORDON, SIDNEY BLACKMER and MAURICE EVANS
Text by Ellen Grace
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