Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1968
Running Times: 136 mins
Format: Technicolor/35mm
Ratio: 1.66:1
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Paramount Pictures
Producer: William Castle
Associate Producer: Dona Holloway
Unit Production Manager: William C. Davidson

SCRIPT
Script: Roman Polanski
Novel: Ira Levin

DIRECTION
Director: Roman Polanski
Assistant Director: Daniel J. McCauley

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: William Fraker
Lab: Technicolor

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editors: Sam O'Steen, Bob Wyman

MUSIC
Music: Christopher Komeda, Ludwig van Beethoven (from Für Elise)
Song Performed By: Mia Farrow (uncredited)

SOUND
Sound Recordist: Harold Lewis

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up: Allan Snyder
Hair: Sherry Wilson
Hair For Mia Farrow: Sydney Guilaroff, Vidal Sassoon
Costume Designer: Anthea Sylbert

VISUAL EFFECTS
Process Photography: Farciot Edouart

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Richard Sylbert
Art Director: Joel Schiller
Set Decorator: Robert Nelson

OTHER CREW
Continuity: Luanna S. Poole
Dialogue Coach: Howard W. Koch Jr

LOCATIONS
Locations: Dakota Hotel, New York City, New York, USA; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York City, New York, USA

CAST
Mia Farrow (Rosemary Woodhouse)
John Cassavetes (Guy Woodhouse)
Ruth Gordon (Minnie Castevet)
Sidney Blackmer (Roman Castevet)
Maurice Evans (Edward Hutchins)
Ralph Bellamy (Dr Sapirstein)
Angela Dorian (real name: Victoria Vetri) (Terry Gionoffrio)
Patsy Kelly (Laura-Louise)
Elisha Cook (Mr Nicklas)
Emmaline Henry (Elise Dunstan)
Charles Grodin (Dr Hill)
Hanna Landy (Grace Cardiff)
Philip Leeds (Dr Shand)
D'Urville Martin (Diego)
Hope Summers (Mrs Gilmore)
Marianne Gordon, Wendy Wagner (Rosemary's girlfriends)

PLOT SUMMARY

Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse move into their new apartment in New York and soon make friends with their elderly neighbours, Roman and Minnie Castevet. Before long, a young woman Rosemary meets in the washroom commits suicide, Rosemary begins having disturbing dreams and Guy starts spending far too much time with the neighbours. When she falls pregnant, Rosemary comes to suspect that her neighbours are witches and that they have their plans for her unborn child.

Polanski's wonderful adaptation of the Ira Levin bestseller set the stage for the 70s Satanism movies that would flourish in the wake of The Exorcist (1974). The story is a mass of clichés but it's a measure of Polanski's genius that he manages to make the film seem so fresh and original. It's also decidedly creepy with one of the greatest final scenes in the genre. An absolute must-see.

Argentina
Video Distributor: Renacimiento

Australia
Video Distributor: CIC-Taft Home Video

Germany
DVD Distributor: Paramount

UK
Laserdisc Distributor: Pioneer Cinema

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Video Distributors: Paramount Home Video; RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video
Laserdisc Distributor: Paramount (LV 6831-2)
DVD Distributor: Paramount (068317)

Argentina
Rating: 18

Australia
Rating: M

Finland
Rating: K-16

Netherlands
Rating: 18

Norway
Rating: 16 (original rating)/15 (re-rating)

Sweden
Rating: 15

USA
Rating: R

West Germany
Rating: 16

1968
Laurel Awards, USA
Golden Laurel Drama – second place
Golden Laurel Female Dramatic Performance (Mia Farrow) - winner
Golden Laurel Female Supporting Performance (Ruth Gordon) – third place

Photoplay Awards, USA
Gold Medal - winner

1969
Academy Awards, USA
Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Ruth Gordon) - winner
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Roman Polanski) - nominated

David di Donatello Awards, Italy
Migliore Attrice Straniera (Mia Farrow) – winner (tied with Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl (1968))

Edgar Allan Poe Awards, USA
Best Motion Picture (Roman Polanski) - nominated

French Syndicate of Cinema Critics, France
Critics Award Best Foreign Film (Roman Polanski) - winner

Golden Globes, USA
Best Supporting Actress (Ruth Gordon) - winner
Best Motion Picture Actress: Drama (Mia Farrow) - nominated
Best Original Score (Christopher Komeda) - nominated
Best Screenplay (Roman Polanski) - nominated

Hugo Awards, USA
Best Dramatic Presentation - nominated

Writers Guild of America, USA
Best Written American Drama (Roman Polanski) - nominated

1970
BAFTA Awards, UK
Best Actress (Mia Farrow) - nominated

1968
June
12: USA – theatrical release

October
17: West Germany – theatrical release

December
26: Sweden – theatrical release

1969
January
17: Finland – theatrical release

April
28: Norway – theatrical release

2000
October
3: USA - DVD release (Paramount (068317))

2002
July
1: Germany - DVD release (Paramount)

Pray for Rosemary's Baby

El bebé de Rosemary – Venezuelan title
Dziecko Rosemary – Polish title
La llavor del diable – Spanish Catalan title
Rosemaries Baby – German title
Rosemary má detátko – Czech title
Rosemary'nin Bebegi - Turkish title
Rosemaryn painajainen – Finnish title
Rosemaryna beba – Croatian title
A semente do Diablo – Portugese title
La semilla del Diablo – Spanish title

SEQUEL
Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby (1976)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
100 Years at the Movies (1994)
100 Years of Horror (1996)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies (1995)
AFI's 100 Years, 100 Thrills: America's Most Heart-Pounding Movies (2001)
Heartstoppers: Horror at the Movies (1992) (TV)
Intimate Portrait: Mia Farrow (1999)
The Kid Stays In the Picture (2002)
Precious Images (1986)
Sobrenatural (1995)
Terror in the Aisles (1984)
Visions of Light (1992)

SEE ALSO
The Astronaut's Wife (1999)
Cuna de lobos (1986)
Sin pecado concebido (2001)

MAGAZINES

American Cinematographer vol.82 no.1 (January 2001) pp.18, 20 (USA)
DVD review

Art et Essai no.49 (30 October 1968) p.15 (France)
review

Cinéma no.133 (February 1969) p.106 (France)
review

Cinema Journal vol.31 no.3 (Spring 1992) pp.3-18 (USA)
article

Entertainment Weekly no.495 (23 July 1999) pp.25-30 (USA)
illustrated article

Entertainment Weekly no.565 (27 October 2000) p.93 (USA)
review (by Mark Harris)

Film and Television Daily vol.132 no.105 (29 May 1968) p.5 (USA)
review

Film and Television Daily vol.132 no.108 (5 June 1968) pp.1, 8 (USA)
article

Film Daily vol.131 no.34 (21 August 1967) p.2 (USA)
review

Film Quarterly vol.22 no.4 (Summer 1969) pp.35-38 (USA)
review

Films and Filming vol.15 no.6 (March 1969) p.38 (UK)
review

Hollywood Reporter vol.198 no.14 (3 November 1967) p.10 (USA)
credits

Hollywood Reporter vol.201 no.9 (29 May 1968) p.3 (USA)
review

Kine Weekly no.3198 (25 January 1969) p.10 (UK)
credits, review

The Listener vol.111 no.2839 (5 January 1984) p.35 (UK)
review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.36 no.424 (May 1969) pp.95-96 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

Positif no.102 (February 1969) pp.1-5 (France)
review

Première December 1991 p.27 (France)
review (by Francois Forestier)

Premiere vol.13 no.3 (November 1999) p.144 (USA)
illustrated article (Classic Scene: Rosemary's Baby)

Radio Times vol.260 no.3402 (18 February 1989) p.18 (UK)
review

Scenario vol.5 no.4 (2001) pp.58-106; 108-115, 192 (USA)
script; interview

Screen vol.10 no.2 (March/April 1969) pp.90-96 (UK)
review

Sight and Sound vol.5 no.4 (April 1995) pp.12-13 (UK)
illustrated article

Sight and Sound vol.38 no.1 (Winter 1968 - 1969) pp.17-19 (UK)
article (by Beverley Houston and Marsha Kinder)

Today's Cinema no.9627 (24 January 1969) p.12 (UK)
review

Variety 29 May 1968 p.6 (USA)
credits, synopsis, review

anagrams, book into film, covens, cradles, the devil, dreams, herbs, knives, new year's eve, obstetricians, the occult, paranoia, the pope, pregnancy, psychics, religion, satanism, satanists, suicide, superstition, witchcraft, witches

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009