BABY

Stories From The Eastern West

Delve into the fascinating background of classic horror film Rosemary’s Baby and learn how it was made.

In 1968, Rosemary’s Baby debuted in theaters and terrified unsuspecting audiences. The film was a box-office success and was widely acclaimed for its dark plot and disturbing realism. Moreover, many of the controversial issues it grappled with, such as Satanism and pregnancy, quickly made it one of the most iconic films of its generation. But in the aftermath of the film’s release, this story of success quickly becomes one of tragedy and mystery.

In this episode, we present the story of an innovative film that completely changed Hollywood and our understanding of how films should be made. You’ll learn about the origins of the film and how a little known director revolutionized Hollywood. We’ll discuss why this film was so unique in terms of style and aesthetic. Finally, we’ll look into the mysteries surrounding the film and the so-called curse of Rosemary’s Baby.

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Time stamps

[02:33] Our guest and film expert Michał Oleszczyk paints the scene

[04:27] Why was a little known European director chosen to direct an adaptation of the best selling novel?

[08:55] What makes the film stand out?

[14:31] Why there are hardly any special effects in Rosemary’s Baby?

[16:39] How does the film comment on the current issues of its time?

[19:10] Why’s the movie rumored to be cursed?

[23:16] Did Rosemary’s Baby changed the horror genre?

Further reading

• Rosemary’s Baby: The Devil Was Not Only in the Details / on Culture.pl
• Krzysztof Komeda / on Culture.pl
• 45^th Anniversary of Rosemary’s Baby Image Gallery / on Culture.pl
• Roman Polański Acts First / on Culture.pl
• The Many Faces of Rosemary’s Baby / on Culture.pl
• 8 Classic Polish Directed Horrors You Need To Know / on Culture.pl
• 5 Reasons Why ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ Is a Typical Film of American New Wave / on tasteofcinema.com
• 'Rosemary's Baby' Thrills With Unfathomable Mystery / on NPR.org
• Rosemary’s Baby : Whimper Against the Machine / on Ruthless Culture

Thanks

Michał Oleszczyk / for inviting us to Collegium Artes Liberales and telling us everything we wanted to know about Rosemary's Baby but were afraid to ask. Michał is a film critic, University professor, and programmer. Following Michał's social media profiles is definitely a good idea. For English follow twitter/michaloleszczyk and we recommend following his facebook.com/michal.oleszczyk for Polish speaking audience.

SFTEW Team: Wojciech Oleksiak, Adam Zulawski, Nitzan Reisner, John Beauchamp & Michael Keller