Thank God I’m A Man - Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

One day, a long time ago, I was sitting one night in chilly Orkney watching the start of a film with my dear, old mum. It began with a pleasant lullaby and a beautiful wide shot of New York and then it introduced the two main characters who seemed to be a loving and caring young couple. My mother, a woman who is always looking out for me, smiled and went to bed. I thought I was watching an old romantic comedy, something like Blake Edwards’, Breakfast At Tiffany’s. All was well until I realised that lullaby was not made to be comforting, but chilling. I was watching Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby.

The plot is as follows. Rosemary & Guy Woodhouse, (Mia Farrow & John Cassavetes) a young, newly married couple, move into a new Apartment in New York. They are rudely befriended by elderly nosey neighbours Minnie & Roman Castevet. (Ruth Gordon & Sidney Blackmer) One night when Rosemary falls ill after eating a mousse made by Minnie, she dreams about being raped by some kind of horrible beast. After a time of trying for a baby, Rosemary becomes mysteriously pregnant.

Peculiar things start happening to friends and relatives, one goes blind and one falls into a coma and dies etc. She starts to become suspicious and paranoid and believes that everyone around her is in a Satanic cult that are after her unborn baby. She becomes incredibly frantic and is forcefully sedated before falling into labour. Once she awakes days later, she is told that she had a baby boy. Later she is told that he died. However, Rosemary can hear a crying child. She knows the cult has her baby, so she goes out to get her son.

But the horrible truth proves to be not what the cult plans to do with the baby-but what the baby is. Rosemary's baby is the son of Satan.

The story is an adaptation of an Ira Levin’s novel. I’ve never read the book but from what I’ve been told the film does not a bad job of imitating the novel. Polanski manages to get his main job of manipulating the audience quite well into thinking that Rosemary is just over reacting, like most women. (*THUMP* Smacked by female flatmate)

The lullaby is absolutely spine chilling, it is also sung by Mia Farrow. When it appears at the end with the credits you realise how terrifying it actually is meant to be. The way the film is first portrayed, it makes Rosemary & Guy look like they are straight out of Good Housekeeping magazine. Polanski makes the film look so bright and colourful, yet as events escalade it becomes clear that this is another part of his manipulation for the audience.

Just as a random fact about the film, the location where Rosemary & Guy live is where Mark Chapman shot John Lennon.

I suppose the film questions neighbourly friendliness as suspect and posits that the home might be the most menacing place of all.

I do urge you to watch Rosemary's Baby for the storyline and the manipulation. Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that a remake is in the making for 2009/2010 with possibly the ‘talented’ Jessica Alba and Lindsay Lohan…and even worse, produced by…Michael Bay *Shudder!* Ah, thank God I’m a Man and don’t have to worry about these baby related things.

“Pray for Rosemary's Baby.”

For the trailer - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uofm2FicbNc