Synopsis:
The 1968 movie Rosemary’s Baby is one of Roman Polanski’s most chilling and acclaimed productions.
The film describes the manipulation of a young woman by a high-society occult coven for ritualistic
purposes. The movie’s unsettling quality does not rely on blood and gore but on its realistic premise,
which forces the viewers to ponder on the likelihood of the existence of elite secret societies. The film
was an enormous commercial success, earning over $33 million in the US on a modest budget of $3.2
million. It was met with near universal acclaim from film critics and earned numerous nominations and
awards. The American Film Institute ranked the film 9th in their 100 Years...100 Thrills list. The official
tagline of the film is "Pray for Rosemary's Baby."
Movie Script:
In Rosemary's Baby: A Retrospective, a featurette on the DVD release of the film, screenwriter/director
Roman Polanski, Paramount Pictures executive Robert Evans, and production designer Richard Sylbert
reminisce at length about the production. Evans recalled William Castle brought him the galley proofs of
the book and asked him to purchase the film rights even before Random House released the publication.
The studio head recognized the commercial potential of the project and agreed with the stipulation that
Castle, who had a reputation for low-budget horror films, could produce but not direct the film adaptation.
He makes a cameo appearance as the man at the phone booth waiting for Mia Farrow to finish her call.
Evans admired Polanski's European films and hoped he could convince him to make his American debut
with Rosemary's Baby. He knew the director was a ski buff who was anxious to make a film with the
sport as its basis, so he sent him the script for Downhill Racer along with the galleys for Rosemary.
Polanski read the latter book non-stop through the night and called Evans the following morning to tell
him he thought Rosemary was the more interesting project, and would like the opportunity to write as
well as direct it.
The script was modeled very closely on the original novel and incorporated large sections of the novel's
dialogue and details.
Casting:
Polanski envisioned Rosemary as a robust, full-figured, girl-next-door type, and he wanted Tuesday Weld
or his own wife Sharon Tate for the role. Since the book had not reached bestseller status yet, Evans was
unsure the title alone would guarantee an audience for the film, and he felt a bigger name was needed for
the lead. Despite her waif-like appearance (which would ultimately prove beneficial, as Rosemary
became more frail as her pregnancy progressed), Polanski agreed to cast the young actress Mia Farrow.
Her acceptance incensed her then-husband, Frank Sinatra, who had demanded she forgo her career when
they wed, and he served her divorce papers via a corporate lawyer in front of the cast and crew midway
through filming. In an effort to salvage her relationship, Farrow asked Evans to release her from her
contract, but he persuaded her to remain with the project after showing her an hour-long rough cut and
assuring her she would receive an Academy Award nomination for her performance.
Robert Redford was the first choice for the role of Guy Woodhouse, but he turned down the offer. Jack
Nicholson was considered briefly before Polanski suggested John Cassavetes.
Filming:
Sydney Guilaroff designed the wig worn by Mia Farrow in the film's early scenes. It was removed to
reveal the Vidal Sassoon hairdo that made headlines when Farrow cut her trademark long hair during
filming of Peyton Place.
One of Mia Farrow's more emotionally charged scenes occurs in the midst of a party, when several of
Rosemary's female friends lock Guy out of the kitchen as they console her in private. The scene was shot
in a single day. That morning, just before the first take was filmed, a private messenger served Farrow
with formal divorce papers from Frank Sinatra. As she read the documents, Farrow fell to her knees on
the kitchen floor and openly wept in front of the cast and crew. Roman Polanski insisted that the day be
canceled and filming be postponed until the next day, when he would start consecutively filming as many
scenes as possible that did not contain Rosemary. Farrow openly refused to accept this, insisting that
nothing had changed. The day's filming concluded on time and without delay.
When Farrow was reluctant to film a scene that depicted a dazed and preoccupied Rosemary wandering
into the middle of a Manhattan street into oncoming traffic, Polanski pointed to her pregnancy padding
and reassured her, "no one's going to hit a pregnant woman". The scene was successfully shot with
Farrow walking into real traffic and Polanski following, operating the hand-held camera since he was the
only one willing to do it.
Controversy:
Rosemary is representative of the traditional and naive American society of the 50s and 60s – filled with
idealism and hope. But that hope was sold, drugged and manipulated by a hidden cult (formed by
prestigious and respectable members of society) to forcefully give birth to a new era. Shocking events left
indelible marks on the public mind, including the mysterious deaths of JFK, Marilyn Monroe and Martin
Luther King; horrific ritual murders perpetrated by MK-Ultra patsies like Charles Manson and Son of
Sam caused fear and horror. These events slapped America out of its ideals and forced it to stare at an
undefinable, yet tangible force influencing society. Conspiracies and cover-ups made the news and the
masses gradually discovered the existence of a shadow government. Disillusionment and cynicism
ensued, causing American society to accept or to ignore the true nature of its rulers. Society became the
equivalent of Rosemary who has learned of the evil nature of her baby, but nonetheless accepted the
responsibility of mothering it. Today’s debased pop-culture is simply the evolution of this system.
1. Less than a year after the release of Rosemary’s Baby, Roman Polanski’s pregnant wife was
ritualistically murdered by members of the Charles Manson family. She was stabbed 16 times and her
killers wrote the word “pig” in her blood on the wall of her house. According to numerous observers,
Manson’s killings were programmed using Beatles songs (Manson himself claimed that the song “Helter
Skelter” contained hidden messages intended for his family).
Charles Manson is described by author Fritz Springmeier as “both a Monarch slave and a handler”.
According to Springmeier, his programmers knew ahead of time what were going to be the next hits. He
was basically used by the elite to carry out ritualistic murders. This horrific event brought a brutal end to
the “good vibrations” of the 60s and is viewed by many historians as pivotal moment in American
history.
2. The death of John Lennon is another strange piece of the puzzle. The murder occurred as John was
walking into the Dakota, the building where Rosemary’s Baby was filmed, and where he was living at the
time. Mark David Chapman, the “lone nut” who killed Lennon is heavily suspected to be a Monarch
mind-control slave.
Seven years after Tate’s murder, Polanski was arrested and charged with a number of offenses against 13year-old Samantha Geimer, including rape by use of drugs, perversion, sodomy, lewd and lascivious act
upon a child under 14, and furnishing a controlled substance to a minor. According to Geimer’s testimony
to the grand jury, Polanski had asked Geimer’s mother (a television actress and model) if he could
photograph the girl as part of his work for the French edition of Vogue. After the charges were brought
against him, Polanski underwent a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation, and it was expected that he would
only receive probation at his sentencing. However, upon learning that he was likely to face imprisonment
and deportation, Polanski fled to France in February 1978, hours before he was to be formally sentenced.
Since then Polanski has mostly lived in France and avoided visiting countries likely to extradite him to
the United States.
Multimedia Study of Horror
Rosemary’s Baby Response Questions
1. When Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby was released in 1968, it received a mixed reception. A 'runaway
success' at the box office, it was lauded by critics yet reviled in religious circles for its 'shock content' and
'perverted use and distortion of fundamental Christian beliefs.’ Today, its suspense-filled story, eerie and at times
surreal camera work and haunting soundtrack have caused the film to be regarded as a classic, by horror fans and
Polanski aficionados alike. Yet the principal reason for the film's continuing appeal lies in the alarming and subtly
terrifying way in which it reflects the features and fears of modern society, both in the 1960s and today. It
symbolized an important cultural shift in American life. In about 2 paragraphs, please identify the ways in which
the film does this. You should review the “Horror in the 1960s” article in your film unit packets in order to answer
this question.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Before settling on Mia Farrow, Roman Polanski originally envisioned his wife, actress/model Sharon Tate, as
playing the role of Rosemary. Fourteen months after the release of the movie, Tate (who was 8 months pregnant)
was ritualistically killed by members of the Manson family. She was stabbed 16 times and her killers wrote the
word “pig” in her blood on the wall of her house. While these killings appeared to be the random work of
serial/mass murderers, they actually were contract hits carried out for specific purposes by an interlocking network
of Satanic cults. A line from a John Lennon Beatles’ song (“Helter Skelter”) was painted on the death house. Soon
after the death, Polanski allowed himself to be photographed by Life Magazine in the living room where Tate had
died. Her dried blood was still clearly visible on the floor in front of him. The photo shoot caused him to be heavily
criticized. Did Roman Polanski sacrifice his wife to obtain the favors of Hollywood? Rationalize your answer using
evidence from our in-class discussions.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. How does the atmosphere (mood) created by both Polanski and the actors add to the movie’s suspense?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________