Vote Pubert.

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

     I'll be honest, I had a very hard time going through with this film. The fact that Roman Polanski directed this film, and the fact that he's rapist, kept me very clear from this movie. So why now? Honestly, I forgot he did this film till I saw his name in the opening credits. I could have stopped there, but I made my choice. So much for having undaunting ethical standards.

     Rosemary is just married to some slightly mouthy jackass. They move into a new condo and meet their new neighbors and things go swimmingly till Rosemary has some messed up dreams and becomes preggers. From there, things go downhill and weird. She starts to question her daily 'vitamin' regimen, quack doctor, and dick-headed husband while starting to suspect witchcraft. I'll admit, she has a lot of speculative evidence. However, for the next HOUR AND 20 MINUTES, we're subjected to strange coincidences, trusted friends having terrible accidents/health issues. 

     Towards the end she starts to break down and for good reason. In a city of 8 million, there always seems to be someone she knows right near her. But did the build up need to be that long? They could have shaved 45 minutes off the movie without making it feel like a quick & dirty affair. That's how much fat there was on this. But the rapist director is an artist (still also a rapist), so things are long and drawn out. In the final scene, we're treated to grand explanation, and it's best described as 'interesting, but a little contrived'. But in 1968, this had teeth. By today's standards, it's hokey.

     Not all is lost, however. It was never really boring, and the pace was consistent. Mia did a great job as a ghostly waif with a farm-boy haircut. However, she looks like a gust of wind could take her out. At least when she whines, she's not high pitched, though she clearly does not have the energy to do that. Her worst crime is being a pushover to her husband and everyone else. They tell her what to eat, what to read, what to drink, and she just does it. Most modern women would find that laughable.

Technically, I think this is my last classic for the year. I think.

Oh, and Roman Polanski is a still a rapist.

Thursday: Half way through this years sequelgasim? Sequelstalgia?