Rosemary's Baby: Childbirth is Hell
Contains spoilers!
I want to preface this, dear readers, that Roman Polanski is a garbage human being, and I, in no way, support him as a person. This is more of a "Hate the creator, not the creation," type of situation.
With that out of the way, this is a fantastic film. I was hooked from beginning to end. Released in 1968 and based on Ira Levin's novel of the same name, it tells the story of Rosemary (Mia Farrow) and Guy Woodhouse (John Cassavetes), newlyweds that move into an apartment building. Rosemary becomes pregnant and suspects a plot, spearheaded by her neighbors Minnie (Ruth Gordon) and Roman Castevet (Sidney Blackmer), threatens both her and her unborn child.
Rosemary is a fantastic character that must face evils at once, though she doesn’t fully realize it at the time. Pregnancy is, by itself, a risky and, possibly, dangerous undertaking; throughout the process, you hope the stars align just right so you receive a healthy child. To top that, when you have people like Minnie and Roman encroaching with the process, it becomes much riskier. In the climax, we learn the coven has taken possession of the baby, and Rosemary is, initially, repulsed by what she sees. In a twisted sense, we understand when she overcomes her disgust and starts to comfort her devil spawn. Yes, the child is the Antichrist, but maternal instincts prevail.
Guy is just as fantastic a character as Rosemary is, yet he serves as a direct mirror of hers. He's a purebred narcissist, treating making love to Rosemary as nothing more than a chore. Whereas Rosemary wants to protect her child, Guy is willing- eager, even-to sacrifice his unborn child to Minnie and Roman's coven, having been promised it will further his acting career. At the beginning of the film, he demonstrates both his contempt for his current position, starring in television commercials, and his lust for fame and fortune. As the film progresses, he schemes against those who stand in his way of fame and fortune, showing that he's prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.
Minnie and Roman seem to be sweet old folks who mean well. Their behavior quickly turns erratic, offering a wide variety of advice to Rosemary regarding her pregnancy. At no point do they stop and think, "Am I overstepping? Am I the problem?" Of course not! The reason for this is they both belong to a secret cult dedicated to worshipping Satan. Their goal is for Satan to impregnate Rosemary. The resulting offspring will bring the Antichrist into the world, thus destroying all others. It goes to show how much we feel we can know someone yet not at the same time.
This film has jumped straight into my Favorite Horror Movies list. I would strongly advise any movie fan- horror or general fan- to put aside their dislike for Roman Polanski aside and check this movie out. It’s fantastic from start to finish, and if I am to leave you, dear reader, with one bit of advice, it would be this: beware the tannis root!
Cast
Mia Farrow as Rosemary Woodhouse
John Cassavetes as Guy Woodhouse
Ruth Gordon as Minnie Castevet
Sidney Blackmer as Roman Castevet
