‘He has his father’s eyes’: Behind-the-scenes with ‘Rosemary’s Baby,’ 1968
Last week I blogged about behind-the-scenes images Brian De Palma’s 1976 supernatural horror film Carrie. To keep things in the Halloween spirit, this week is Roman Polanski’s 1968 psychological horror flick Rosemary’s Baby.
I love this film. It absolutely scared the shit out of me when I first saw it as a kid. I can see why it’s considered one of the greatest American horror films ever made. Many, if not most horror films–like The Exorcist for example–eventually lose their ability to truly terrorize audiences over time. Rosemary’s Baby never will.
Here’s a quirky little Wikipedia tidbit about the filming of Rosemary’s Baby:
When Farrow was reluctant to film a scene that depicted a dazed and preoccupied Rosemary wandering into the middle of a Manhattan street into oncoming traffic, Polanski pointed to her pregnancy padding and reassured her, “no one’s going to hit a pregnant woman.” The scene was successfully shot with Farrow walking into real traffic and Polanski following, operating the hand-held camera since he was the only one willing to do it.
Nice guy!
If you, like me, dig Rosemary’s Baby as much as I do, hopefully you’ll appreciate these marvelous on set images. Sadly, I could hardly find any candid moments with the wonderful Ruth Gordon.
Roman Polanski directing Mia Farrow
John Cassavetes, Mia Farrow and director Roman Polanski
Mia Farrow, Emmaline Henry, Roman Polanski on the set
Mia Farrow and Roman Polanski
Mia Farrow, Sidney Blackmer and Ruth Gordon on the set
Roman Polanski and Mia Farrow
Director Roman Polanski, Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes
Mia Farrow and director Roman Polanski
Mia Farrow
Vidal Sassoon cutting Mia Farrow’s hair for Rosemary’s Baby
Sharon Tate visiting the set of Rosemary’s Baby
Mia Farrow play table tennis on set
Roman Polanski and Mia Farrow taking a nap
Roman Polanski, Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes
Below, a short film on the making of Rosemary’s Baby: