There were many reasons I waited so long to watch Rosemary’s Baby. The movie is over two hours. The director, Roman Polanski, had rape charges in the seventies and fled the country to avoid prosecution. This movie features a demonic rape sequence and extreme mistreatment of women. Yet, it is considered a class so I felt obligated to watch it. The movie is fantastic, but still a bit long. I give Rosemary’s Baby the Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy rating.
Rosemary’s Baby is a haunting story more for the treatment of the lead character than the supernatural elements
Rosemary (Mia Farrow) and Guy Woodhouse (John Cassavetes) move into a new apartment. The neighbors are friendly, but definitely a bit peculiar. It’s not long after moving in that Guy’s acting career begins to take off and the Castevet’s become regular visitors in their home. Once Rosemary becomes pregnant things only get stranger and Rosemary begins to think there is a plot afoot.
Potential Spoilers for Rosemary’s Baby
This film features a coven of witches, a satanic sex scene, and people shouting hail Satan. Yet, the real horror is the treatment of poor Rosemary. She is isolated from the people she knew and ultimately controlled by her new “friends.” Her husband is too busy and too selfish to truly care for her. The most evident moment of his neglect comes after the satanic ritual that results in her pregnancy. She awakens naked and scratched in their bed not remembering the night before. He claims she drank too much but had sex with her anyways. The worst part is he says, “It was kinda fun in a necrophile sort of way.” Her treatment is horrific and really is what makes this film so traumatic.
Quick thoughts on Polanski
The very common topic in the midst of Birth of a Nation is separating the art from the artist. Given Polanski’s charges dealt with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl and the first movie of his I watch is this one, it’s challenging. While Rosemary isn’t a strong female through most of the film, I would say her character arc is becoming one. She has to try and escape the world she willingly allowed herself to be trapped in. She begins so obedient and then turns so rebellious. However, that initial treatment, while relative to the story, could reflect the director’s view of women and their place in the world. Given what we know about his choices in life, it’s hard to separate that from the story he wrote and directed.
Mia Farrow’s performance is fantastic and the film is definitely a showcase for it. She is our focal point and connection to the twist world she finds herself in. Her story is sad and really only gets sadder as events unfold. The supernatural elements in the film are frightening and yet not as much as Guy’s greed and treatment of his wife. The film is well made and the opening images and mirrored final image is haunting due to the motherly singing. It’s one a film buff should watch, but still can be hard to take.
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