Okay, let’s just say it. Yes, this week we’re talking Roman Polanski. And specifically, his perfect 1968 horror movie Rosemary’s Baby. There’s no escaping the fact that Polanski always was a talented director. For this episode, we are talking specifically about the art and not the man.
Mia Farrow stars as Rosemary Woodhouse, a young bride who, along with her actor husband, move into the Bramford, a strange old apartment building in the heart of New York City. Soon after moving in, Rosemary gets the happy news that she is pregnant. But there is something sinister at play and she soon finds herself terrified that her friendly new neighbors – and even her doctor – are conspiring to steal her baby.
John Cassavetes stars as Rosemary’s husband Guy, who may in fact be the worst movie husband of all time, though Cassavetes was by all accounts a treasure. Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer are the maybe-too-kind neighbors Minnie and Roman Castavet. The film also stars Ralph Bellamy, Maurice Evans, Victoria Vetri, and Charles Grodin in one of his earliest film roles.
Rosemary’s Baby was adapted from the 1967 novel by Ira Levin. The film received two Academy Award nominations: Roman Polanski for Adapted Screenplay, and Ruth Gordon for Best Supporting Actress. Gordon won the Oscar that year.
Rosemary’s Baby is available to stream on AMC+, Paramount+, and the Criterion Channel.
