Amidst all of this controversy relating to Roman Polanski recently being caught in Switzerland for the charges brought against him decades ago, I hoped to write some thoughts on his best film: Rosemary's Baby. I don't want to try and get into a p*ssing match with anyone about who's right or wrong.

Polanski isn't a stranger to controversy--his wife being murdered a year after this film was released by the Manson family, winning the Academy Award for The Pianist in 2002 (but not being able to accept at the ceremony because he would be immediately arrested), blah blah blah: what I really want to discuss is the wonderful little horror film known as Rosemary's Baby.

Rosemary and her husband, Guy, move into a fancy apartment complex with hopes of starting a family. Their neighbors seem pretty nice, but when Guy spends a lot of time with them and grows distant, she becomes suspect at the whole situation. Coupled with that, she keeps having strange nightmares involving sexual rituals and satanic rites, but no one believes her and thinks it's all in her head. What's going on? Is Rosemary crazy?

While this movie may not be a standard horror movie fare, it's quite horrifying especially when it comes to the creepy dream sequences (which make me uneasy each time I watch) and the overall dread and paranoia of the film. The whole movie is unsettling as you are watching what unfolds to this young woman (Mia Farrow), watching helpless as she spirals further and further into madness. What makes this a great film experience is that you start to feel mistrustful and paranoid along with Rosemary and by the end your thoughts come crashing down with her.

Mia Farrow carries the entire film quite well and provides a great strong female archetype (feminists rejoice) and she handles a lot of psychologically challenging acting chops, which I don't think any other actress of the late sixties could really handle. Polanski knows how to handle her very well and marks a Hitchcockian sort of control over her with some suspenseful angles and mysterious plot movement.

A problem that a majority of my friends go after is the length of the movie, which is a little over two hours. Usually I'll be the first to mention a problem as far as length is concerned because I like things short and sweet without being bogged down by "artistic merit" or too much plot/explanation/whatever. As far as Rosemary's Baby is concerned, the pace is slow, sure, and the length is long (yeah), but it's done in a way that never really gets boring as each scene appropriately "counts" towards the epic conclusion to the story. Polanski really worked hard on this one and you can tell.

While Polanski may not be such a good guy (a coward/pedophile if you will) and he's made some pretty terrible films (Repulsion anyone?), this film is what really took him apart from the rest. He would later revisit some of these supernatural horror themes with an oft forgotten film, 1999's The Ninth Gate starring Johnny Depp (which I loved), but this is the real deal when it comes to the creepily dense subject matter, great performances, and an iconic ending. Pure, classic horror, done right--full of suspense, not many exploits of cheap thrills.  

© Jason Haskins, 2009

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age