At Last! Thank You, Criterion!
Roman Polanski's 1968 film version of Ira Levin's bestseller is one of the finest horror films ever made. Polanski adapted Levin's terrifying novel of ancient evil in a modern setting with every thrill intact. He filmed on location in NYC, and he somehow managed to convey a sense of claustrophobia and quiet panic on busy streets and sidewalks. To create suspense is very difficult; to sustain that suspense for 2 hours and 16 minutes is all but impossible. But he did it, with the help of excellent photography and production design, a wonderfully creepy musical score, and a terrific cast. Mia Farrow is simply magnificent as Rosemary, and she's matched by John Cassavetes, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Oscar-winner Ruth Gordon, and an A-list of Broadway veterans. From start to finish, it is a perfect film.
Like so many other great movies, ROSEMARY'S BABY was suffering the ravages of time, and earlier VHS and DVD releases prove it. The print was fuzzy, the colors were faded,...
All Of Them Witches!
Rosemary's Baby is my favorite horror film of all time. Its got it all: a genius director, marvelous actors, a haunting tale, spooky neighbors, dastardly witches, and, of course, Satan. The film revolves around a young woman named Rosemary Woodhouse. Rosemary and her husband are expecting a child. But Rosemary doesn't look so good. Rosemary is starting to believe that she has been impregnated by evil itself, and everyone she knows might be in on it. As a thriller it works on a level Hitchcock only hinted at. Its a film that surpasses masterpiece and classic, and rests snug atop the terrain of legend.
It was once a venial sin to watch this film, condemned by the Catholic Church and the Legion Of Decency, now you can own it in glorious High-Definition, with a genial satisfaction only Criterion could bestow.
This film only gets creepier and creepier with time. There are several different ways to watch this film. And this film, in turn, tries to tell us many several...
Pray for Rosemary's Baby.
Traditionally, this has been my favorite movie and probably holds that position for the longest amount of time. Over the years, other films have come and gone and even some of Polanski's other films have stolen the top spot. I admire his entire body of work, but after viewing the BD version of this film there is no doubt that once again Rosemary's Baby is definitely my favorite Polanski film.
The BD quality of this disc manages to still retain the gritty look of the original film print while delivering a significant improvement from previous DVD transfers. The problem with many BDs these days is that some of the essence is lost. It all looks digital now. Everything is too sharp, too crisp, too "perfect" but with this transfer, you can still see film grain, slight imperfections in sharpness that give a resonating feeling of uneasiness and perhaps a vintage sort of rustic quality. Another great improvement is the richness and depths of the colors and contrast of the...
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