- Directed by Roman Polanski
- Written by Ira Levin, Roman Polanski
- Stars Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon
- Run Time: 2 Hours, 17 Minutes
- Link: https://amzn.to/2VMdt5E
Synopsis
Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse tour a new apartment. Mr. Nicklas asks if they have any children, and they hope to. The lady who had the apartment died just a few days ago. It’s furnished, and it’s fabulous. There’s a big piece of furniture blocking a closet door, and Nicklas and Guy move it back, unblocking the door. It’s got nothing in it but a vacuum and towels.
Their old friend and therapist, Hutch, fixes them dinner and tells them some scary stories. They end up moving in and having sex on the cold, bare floor. She makes a new friend, Terry, who is staying with Minnie and Roman Castavet, their next-door neighbors. They hear some weird chanting coming from over there one night, and they find Terry dead on the street outside the building later. Terry got depressed and jumped out of the window at midnight.
Rosemary sort-of-halfway overhears Minnie talking about needing to start over from scratch now because Roman shouldn’t have told her in advance. What could all that be about? Minnie invites Rosemary and Guy over for dinner tonight. They talk about the hypocrisy behind organized religion, and it seems the Castavets aren’t particularly religious. Guy really likes them, but Rosemary is a little creeped out by them.
Minnie stops by the next day and introduces Laura-Louise, her friend from up on 12. They just sit there and knit. Minnie gives Rosemary terry’s locket, and Guy suggests she should wear it. That night, Guy gets a big part he wanted when the other guy just suddenly went blind.
Minnie makes them some chocolate mousse, and Rosemary and Guy argue about it. She says it tastes funny and secretly throws hers out. She does eat enough to get dizzy and pass out. Rosemary has weird dreams about being surrounded by naked, chanting old people. She’s halfway awake through all this because she only ate part of the mousse. She dreams that she has sex with the devil.
When she wakes up, she finds herself covered in scratches; Guy blames his own fingernails. Soon, Rosemary finds out that she’s pregnant. As soon as Guy finds out, he wants to tell Minnie and Roman. Minnie suggests the best obstetrician in town, Dr. Sapirstein. The new doctor tells Rosemary to drink the herbal drink that Minnie is going to make for her every day. She cuts her hair really short and starts eating very rare meat.
Roman comes over and meets Hutch. Hutch is fascinated by the Tannis root that Rosemary wears. Hutch calls and wants to meet her outside the apartment as soon as possible. Hutch doesn’t show up; he’s in a coma at the hospital. Rosemary gets sick of all the old people and wants to throw a party for their young friends. Everyone comments on how thin and pale she’s gotten; you’re supposed to gain weight in a pregnancy. Her friends insist that she goes to another doctor for a second opinion; she shouldn’t be in that much pain. When Guy finds out, he get really angry and forbids her from getting a second opinion. Suddenly, the pain stops, and she can feel the baby moving. Everything is fine!
Hutch sends Rosemary a package just before he dies. The name of the book is an anagram, “All of Them Witches.” The book has pictures that resemble Roman, from the mid-1850s. She gets some Scrabble tiles and makes the words, “Comes with the Fall.” What? Then she tries again, “Elf Shot Lame Witch.” This is the problem with anagrams. Finally, she realizes it’s not the name of the book, it’s the author’s name, which unscrambles to “Roman Castavet.” Roman’s father was a witch.
Roman and Minnie decide to go on a trip, and Dr. Sapirstein explains that Roman doesn’t have much time left. Every time Rosemary starts to catch on, the situation changes or she gets distracted by Guy. She calls Dr. Hill and begs for a second opinion. She explains everything to him, but she sounds crazy. He has her lie down while he arranges a room at the hospital for her.
When she wakes up, and Guy and Sapirstein are there to take her home against her will. She runs away and locks herself in the apartment. She doesn’t see, but there are people already in her apartment. There’s lots of screaming as Rosemary goes into labor right then.
Rosemary wakes up to see Guy sitting on her bed. She had a boy. Sapirstein comes in and says the baby died in birth. They sedate her again. She hears a baby crying in the apartment next door. They still take her milk and give her pills. One night, Rosemary goes into the closet that had been sealed off and finds a secret door that leads into the next-door apartment. Minnie, Roman, Guy, Sapirstein, and everyone else is in there– watching the baby. She walks over to the crib and looks inside. Inside, the baby is not exactly what she expected…
Roman wants Rosemary to raise little Adrian, as the other woman are too old. Guy explains that they are getting so much in return for all this. She spits in his eye. The baby starts to cry, and Rosemary goes over to calm it down. Yes, she will be his mother. All the others stand around and admire what they’ve done.
Commentary
That apartment needs thicker walls. Rosemary overhearing things almost ruins all the plans. Then the baby cries could be heard through the wall. Rosemary drinks and Guy smokes all throughout the pregnancy- different times.
I’ve seen this film three times now. The first time, I was little and kept waiting for the devil to show up and do something. I was extremely disappointed in the ending. The second time, I’d forgotten most of the details, but knew how it was going to end– I found it tedious, mundane, and boring. The third time wasn’t that long after the second time, and I remembered exactly who was in on the plot, which made it a lot more interesting, seeing how the conspiracy unfolds. I have to say, I didn’t remember any of the scenes that followed the “What’s wrong with his eyes,” part. Was there an extended cut?
I still found it long, tedious, and boring. Maybe if you’re a woman who’s had or planning to have a baby, it has something scary in it; pregnancies can be unpredictable and scary– you never know what you’re going to get. For me, with no kids and no plans for them, this film has never been entertaining.