This week’s movie is Rosemary’s Baby (1968).
The film is about a young couple
who moves into an apartment building that has a history of strange occurrences.
When the wife becomes pregnant, under mysterious circumstances, paranoia begins
to rule her life over the safety of herself and her unborn baby.
Writer-director Roman Polanski
made his Hollywood debut (this being his first American film) with this film,
working with famed low-budget horror producer William Castle, composer Krzysztof Komeda (one of his
final films), cinematographer William
Fraker, and wonderful production designer Richard Sylbert (who would
collaborate again with Polanski on Chinatown). The film stars Mia Farrow (making her feature
debut), and has a fantastic supporting cast with John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon (who won an Oscar
for her performance), Sidney
Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy, and Charles Grodin. Rosemary’s Baby
works on many levels – it is thrilling and scary, has a good mystery plot and features
good dramatic performances. Polanski does an excellent job relating Rosemary to
the viewer, so that the paranoia resonates within the viewer as well, making the
viewer uneasy – this is a difficult film to watch, as the viewer actively
participates in the terror (which can be overwhelming for some). Polanski’s shooting
style, framing and mise en scene also play off the paranoia that Rosemary and
the viewer are feeling. It is one of the great horror/thriller films of the
1960s (and of cinema in general) and a must-see for genre fans. Check out the trailer.
No comments:
Post a Comment