Rosemary's Baby

Authors: Chris
Location: Morristown, NJ

"Rosemary's Baby"

Written by Wes Craven and Eli Roth
Based on the works of Ira Levine
Directed by Eli Roth
Music by Howard Shore

Principal Cast:

Natalie Portman as Rosemary Woodhouse
Matthew Mcconaughey as Guy Woodhouse
Jane Fonda as Minnie Castevets
James Cromwell as Roman Castevets
Gene Hackman as Dr. Sapirstein
Peter O’Toole as Hutch

Tagline: "Pray for Rosemary's Baby"

Halloween 2007

Synopsis: Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse are newlyweds, new tenants in an old, luxury building in Washington D.C. called "The Bramford", famous for its high ceilings and working fireplaces, notorious for its unsavory happenings (dead baby wrapped in newspapers abandoned in the basement). They are warned off by Hutch, an old friend of Rosemary's who knows all about the building's sordid history, but disregard the omens. Rosemary is a housewife who wants to be a mother. Guy is a politician and a rising star in the Republican Party whose talents are overshadowed only by his unlimited ambition. Next door are the Castevets, Minnie and Roman, a delightfully ditzy old couple who just happen to head a coven of Satanists who have made a pact with the devil. Rosemary wants a baby; Guy wants to be Virginias next Senator; the Satanists want Rosemary’s womb.

What the press would say:

Rosemary’s Baby is a highly ambitious project for young filmmaker Eli Roth who vividly portrays it on screen. Roth has made an intelligent adaptation based on the book and not a photo copy of the classic 1968 Roman Polanski film. With the help of director and mentor Wes Craven, the two wrote a terrific script filled with suspense and dark humor. The two filmmakers decided to update Rosemary and bring it to Washington D.C. instead, as a joke on society that all the sinners are found in the nation’s capital. Roth builds the horror up ever so insidiously until it hits you like a sledgehammer. This is a perfect psychological horror fantasy, no blood, no gore, no things that go bump in the night, but just the ordinary neighbors next door that can and do raise all kinds of hell.

You will fall in love with Natalie Portman’s character. You want to protect her clueless Rosemary who is so blind at how she is being manipulated. She demonstrates great range in this role. She has a very touching scene when she learns she is pregnant, and displays a variety of emotions that is a marvel. Also Portman is fantastic when she finally sees her son for the first time. At first all she sees are those horrible red eyes, but then she calms down and holds the child. She loves it. Only love that a mother can have for their own.

Matthew McConaughey shines in his role of Guy Woodhouse. He is the comic relief in this film. He plays an up and coming Republican who trades his wife’s womb to the Devil in order to further his political career. His most humorous scene in the movie is during his Senate debate when his opponent tells the crowd “He’ll say and do anything to win, he’d sell his sole to the devil if it meant victory” in which McConaughey replies “Who you been talking to?” McConaughey has been on the verge of a great performance for years but never had a role meaty enough to display all his talents quite like this. He will impress audiences with this performance and will be remembered by Academy members.

Jane Fonda and James Cromwell are “Hellarious” as nosey satanic neighbors. Miss Fonda continues her comeback with another award worthy performance. She plays Missie Castevets who is nice and sweet, the all American Grandmother throughout the film and then bam, at the end she catches the audience off guard with an ending that will shock and frighten audiences. She plays an obsessive neighbor with perfection, and will likely be honored come awards time. James Cromwell is Roman Castevets, a former Washington Lobbyist who happens to be the leader of a satanic cult. He delivers his lines with sincerity and depth. He makes you believe in his character. Watch for a cameo from the original Rosemary, Mia Farrow as the realtor showing the Woodhouses the apartment building in the very beginning of the film.

Possible Nominations:

Best Picture
Best Director – Eli Roth
Best Actress – Natalie Portman
Best Supporting Actor – Matthew McConaughey
Best Supporting Actress – Jane Fonda
Best Adapted Screenplay – Wes Craven and Eli Roth
Original Score – Trent Reznor