I asked, you voted, and last Tuesday, I did it: I watched
Rosemary's Baby for the very first time.
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| La la la laaaa la la la la la.... |
There really was no telling which way I would go. I've always
read
that it's a classic, but I knew a lot of people that either couldn't
finish it (too dull) or just plain didn't like it (too dull). Still, I'm
in love with the horror genre, it's a part of cinema history, and I
follow Mia Farrow on Twitter. Besides, you lovely people (out there...in
the dark....) kindly asked it of me.
Let me start at the end, for
Rosemary's Baby's is perfect. I love it because I hate it so much, because I should have seen it coming (that Polanski!), because a part of me
did see it coming but hoped for the best, because I fell in love with Rosemary.
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| Wouldn't you? |
Certainly if there's a film that puts you completely in the headspace of its protagonist,
Rosemary's Baby is it. Farrow is in every scene; I believe the only
shots
without her are from her P.O.V. We, too, doubt what is real and what is
a nightmare; we, too, delude ourselves into thinking that she's going
to have it under control. And so that ending, inevitable though it may
be, causes the floor to just drop out from under you. I swear I felt my
heart sink. It's not just that she's impossibly beautiful, or that hurts
to see innocence like that lost, to see a good Catholic girl put
through all that. No, it's that Farrow makes Rosemary such a lively,
relatable
person -- not a character, but a
human being. It's probably the best thing I've ever seen from Farrow, and I was already a fan.
Then
there's Ruth Gordon, who won the Oscar for her portrayal of loud, nosy,
elderly Minnie Castevets, Rosemary's neighbor. I'm reminded of when
Goldie Hawn told Taraji P. Henson that a great supporting actress is one
that, every time she re-appears, we realize we've missed. That's Gordon
here. Every time she appeared on screen, I got excited, and I have to
say it's mostly due the wonderful characterization she brings. I lived
near and worked in Boca Raton, Florida, for 22 years -- do you know how
many Minnies, how many elderly, shrieking, kindly-yet-badgering, nosy,
heavily-made-up, New Yarrrrk biddies I've known? ALL OF THEM. While the
makeup and costumes certainly help, Gordon's whole physicality is
perfect. My absolute favorite shot of the film has Guy bringing the
Castevets over to congratulate Rosemary on her pregnancy:
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| "Naaaaaaaoooooowwwww, that'th what I kawl gud nyooooth!!!" |
Minnie enters first, raising her fists
triumphantly before moving in for the embrace, all in one smooth glide.
It's a very typical reaction that becomes unsettling when put into full
context. It's this same familiar approach throughout the film that makes
Minnie such an intriguing character.
Let me not solely
credit Farrow and Gordon for this, though. Polanski's kept everything
grounded in reality. The cinematography isn't distractingly Spooky, the
decor and costumes are not overly-stylized to emphasize Good and Evil,
the actors aren't playing wizened or sinister. While the score is the
only indication of any eerie-ness, it bookends the film with a tender
lullaby. Polanski comforts us with the familiar before invading our
space with his witches and demons. It makes the horror more palpable,
and worse -- more
possible. It
can happen here!
Because that's what horror is, isn't it? The familiar becoming strange? John Carpenter's
The Thing
isn't just horrifying for the effects, but for the idea that the people
you're surrounded by twenty-four hours a day are not who you think they
are. The
Elm Street movies are popular because you can no longer escape in your dreams. The original
Black Christmas posits that even at home under police surveillance, you are not safe.
And ahead of the pack is the film that made us believe that it's not the
weird neighbors we need to worry about. Spooky, kinky, haunting:
Rosemary's Baby is a masterpiece. Five out of five black cats.
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| And ten out of ten Castevet Curls |
Now for the main event: The Casting Coup!
