Books vs. Movies
In this podcast we set out to answer the age old question: is the book really always better than the movie?
Books vs. Movies
Ep. 41 Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin vs. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
What makes a horror story truly terrifying? Is it supernatural elements like Satan and witchcraft, or the painfully realistic portrayal of psychological manipulation? In this special guest-hosted episode of Books vs Movies, Orlando delivers a compelling breakdown of Rosemary's Baby that might forever change how you view this classic horror tale.
The 1967 novel by Ira Levin and its 1968 film adaptation directed by Roman Polanski tell essentially the same story—a young woman becomes pregnant under mysterious circumstances while surrounded by strange neighbors with sinister intentions. Yet despite following the same plot beats, these two versions create profoundly different experiences.
Orlando meticulously unravels how the novel's strength lies in Rosemary's rich internal world, showing us a woman systematically cut off from her support systems and manipulated by those closest to her. The book portrays Guy, Rosemary's husband, as overtly controlling from the beginning—a man willing to literally sell his wife's body to Satan for career advancement. By contrast, Polanski's film adaptation rushes through critical character development, presenting a more ambiguous view that Orlando argues misses the point entirely.
Perhaps most disturbing is learning that Polanski deliberately wanted viewers to question whether Rosemary was experiencing supernatural horror or simply "female hysteria"—a directorial choice that undermines what makes the story so powerful. As Orlando puts it, "The biggest villain in this movie, more than Satan, is Guy."
The episode also delves into fascinating behind-the-scenes facts, including dangerous filming conditions and the alleged "curse" surrounding the production. From Mia Farrow being forced to walk into real traffic to the tragic murder of Sharon Tate, these dark stories add another layer to an already haunting tale.
Whether you're a horror aficionado or simply curious about the differences between these two influential works, this episode offers a thoughtful examination of how storytelling choices can transform the same narrative into vastly different experiences. Join us to discover why the book ultimately delivers the more complete and devastating horror experience.
All episodes of the podcast can be found on our website: https://booksvsmovies.buzzsprout.com/share
Connect with me: Instagram | Threads | Bookshop | Goodreads | Blog
Welcome to Books vs Movies, the podcast where I set out to answer the age-old question is the book really always better than the movies? I'm Yuvia, an actress and book lover based out of New York City, and today Orlando will be discussing Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin and its 1968 adaptation, Rosemary's Baby starring Mia Farrow. That's right, folks, you heard me right. Orlando will be your host for today's episode of Books vs Movies. Here's the thing I don't mind horror. It's not my favorite genre, but I don't mind it If it's like super gory. Not into it kind of grosses me out, but I can watch it. Anything dealing with demons and the devil nope, I'm out. It's going to give me nightmares, I'm going to be scared out of my mind, Can't handle it. So Orlando was like I've been wanting to read the book and I've been wanting to watch that movie, so I will do that episode. So thank you, Orlando, and I hope you enjoy today's episode.
Speaker 2:Thank you, yuvia, for that introduction and for allowing me to be part of your podcast. I'm really excited for this episode. I'm also kind of nervous, so I may be babbling on a lot and I'm probably going to be pausing and doing some ums here and there, as I just do one. Anyway, I'm glad to be sharing this space with the Books vs Movies podcast community. I'm really excited to talk about Rosemary's Baby. This is a movie and a book that have been on my wait list, I guess, for so long. When I read the Exorcist, I turned it into the library and the librarian was like you should read Rosemary's Baby. That one also really scared me, so I was like all right, let's do it.
Speaker 2:So part of the reason why it took me so long to watch the movie and just getting the Elephant in the Room out of the way this is a Roman Polanski is someone to not necessarily be supported in any shape, way or form. So I always had a hard time and I don't want to stream it and give him money. I don't want to buy the movie, give him money. So what I ended up doing was checking out the DVD at the library, because I that way, I don't give him my money, but also I give the library some money and some support. If there's a movie that you need to support, that you don't want to support and you just want to check out, I always recommend the libraries. Yes, libraries are really good for books, but they are also really good for movies. There's a movie you've been looking for I can't find in any streaming service? Do a quick search in your library catalog. Support libraries. I think it's so important to support libraries right now. So I just wanted to give a shout out to the New York Public Library, because that's where I got my movie from. So, yeah, I finally got to read the book and watch the movie. I think we can just go ahead and get on with it. I do know Yuvia gives a spoiler alert. I'm going to do one now, just because I talk a lot and I'm probably going to address things ahead of time. So I just wanted to go ahead and do so.
Speaker 2:Another thing I wanted to just quickly get out of the way for, I guess, a little trigger warning for everybody who wants to read the book. Yes, expect Satan, expect witchcraft, but what I did expect was the amount of racism, sexism, a little bit of homophobia, a little bit of fat phobia. This definitely seems to be a book of its time in that sense, but I don't know. Even for the late 60s, dropping the N-word as casually as this author did, being a white man was a little too casual for my taste. So when I first read that word, it was a little shocking for me. You could easily call a person a black man without having to use the word N-E-G-R-O, like there was just no need for that. But that's just my take. Just wanted to quickly touch base on that. So yeah, let's get started. All right, so what is Rosemary's Baby? Rosemary's Baby?
Speaker 2:The movie is essentially about this woman named Rosemary who moves into these fancy new apartments. She ends up making friends with the neighbors who things kind of start happening there. She eventually does get pregnant and things unfold. And the book is about this woman named Rosemary and her husband, guy, who move into these new fancy apartments. Basically it is the same thing, but I'm going to talk about the differences here in a sec. So let's start from the beginning. In the beginning of the book we learn about Rosemary and Guy. You know they're a couple. Guy is a working actor. He's, as far as we know, a successful actor. He can at least pay the bills out of his acting career.
Speaker 2:Rosemary we don't get a whole lot of what exactly she does, which maybe she is a stay-at-home mom but we do, in these first chapters, start learning a little bit more about Rosemary. Rosemary does come from a family I believe it was Utah, maybe the wrong state. Anyway, I don't have the book with me because I had to return it to the library but essentially she comes from a very, very Catholic family. Now, her moving to New York did not sit well with her Catholic family and unfortunately that led to them cutting all communication with her. She's kind of basically the black sheep of the family. The parents want nothing to do with her. Only one of her brothers really talks to her, and even then it's every here and then. Uh, so essentially rosemary is isolated and on her own in new york city.
Speaker 2:Now they are applying to to different apartments because guy, guy and rosemary are moving in together. Uh, rosemary has her eyes set on this beautiful building, the the Bramford. The Bramford is the name of the building. Rosemary loves the Bramford. She wants to move into the Bramford, but it's a hard building to get to. They apply for this other building, they get in and suddenly there's an opening available at the Bramford. Their real estate agent lets them know right away. They go check it out. They absolutely love it. Rosemary wants to move in and that leads to them having to break the lease.
Speaker 2:Now in the movie what we get is essentially opening up, they're viewing the apartment. We don't get all that backstory. We don't get anything else. They're just there with the real estate agent already viewing the apartment. Other than that, that scene is very much what happens in the book. We jumped ahead that far in. So it's just really interesting to see just how fast-paced the movie was, and we will get into it. Um, overall, I feel like the movie was just jumping from place to place. So, anywho, they they get the building. They are able to break the lease from the previous building that they had signed down for. They are now moving into what is their dream apartment, or at least rosemary's dream apartment.
Speaker 2:And it leads to one of an interesting scene. I even pointed this one out to you, yeah, because the way it is written. It says we moved in, we didn't have a building, we didn't have furniture I'm paraphrasing, of course. We sit on the floor, we ate our dinner on the floor, we made love the the next day. It just moves on like that really quickly and I thought that was really funny the way it was written, while the movie is actually a little worse. They essentially are moved in, they're sitting on the floor, they're eating and rosemary says, hey, let's make love. And this leads to the weirdest undressing scene ever in the movie. Literally, guy just looks at her nods, starts undoing his pants, she starts undoing her clothes in the most unsexiest way ever and I was like they somehow made that line worse, which I don't. I don't know what the intent was there. I don't know the intent there was to say that chemistry is not exactly perfect between guy and Rosemary, which leads me to another point of conversation.
Speaker 2:At this point, guy in the movie has been not exactly nice, but he's just there, while in the book he's already been kind of a jerk. You already see glimpses of him being a bit of a controlling asshole. He sorry for language, there's going to be language. I should probably say that it's hard for me to control my language sometimes. I'm sorry, I apologize, but anyway, guy is an asshole, he's a bit controlling. Even when rosemary wants to have meet up with friends for lunch he he'll make snarky remarks. He's a bit of a jerk about things and in the movie we we don't really see that very much. Now again, I want to point out that at this point the movie is very obviously really fast-paced, very jumpy like I know, people nowadays make fun of how our attention span is so short.
Speaker 2:Where we can, because of tiktok, we have a six second attention span well, I don't know what the excuse is for this movie then?
Speaker 2:because this movie was jumping like from scene to scene like nobody's business. It was insane I was. It was even a little bit jarring for me just how much it was just jumping. Now I want to briefly mention one of the an important side character here is this older british man by the name of hutch. Now, both in the book and in the movie, when they've already signed on, they do have a dinner with hutch um, in which they start talking about the building that they have, that they're going to be moving into, and Hutch is the one that basically starts saying oh, that's a creepy ass building. Don't you remember when that guy got killed outside the hotel? Uh, two women died in there. There was a dead baby found in the basement.
Speaker 1:Uh, are you, sure you?
Speaker 2:want to move into that building and, of course, guy being the arrogant asshole that he is like, hutch just likes talking out of his ass Nothing bad's gonna happen. That does happen in both the movie and the book. The book does linger on it a little bit more, while the movie just mentions it, moving on to the next scene as it does throughout the rest of the movie. Going back to the book, because of everything that Hutch said about this building, whenever Rosemary has to go down into the basement to do laundry, she is terrified. She gets the creeps. That's where, potentially, the baby was found and as she's walking with her clothes, she's like unsettled. She's like am I walking where that baby was found? Uh, this is just so wrong, so so scary. Um, in the movie it's just oh, she's in there doing laundry. But that is where we meet another character by the name of Terry.
Speaker 2:Terry is revealed to be living with the next door neighbors to Rosemary and Guy. These are the Kastovitz. Now Terry reveals that she basically got picked up off the street. She's been a bit of a junkie. She's been a bit homeless and the Kastovitz gave her a home. They have basically been parents to her, been a bit of a junkie. She's been a bit homeless and the cast of its gave her a home. They have basically been parents to her. It gives us a really sweet glimpse into who the cast of its are. Now, because of how creepy the basement is, they kind of form a little friendship and that's where rosemary and terry kind of attach and say let's come together to this creepy basement, that way we don't have to be here by ourselves and and that's how a little relationship forms. Now we do get this in the movie Also very fast-paced. You don't really get the creepiness of the basement. They just say, oh, this basement is creepy, but you don't really see that. It's just they're in a basement doing laundry. Oh. It's also important to note that Terry does have a necklace around her. It's like this little ball, and then she shows it to Rosemary and Rosemary is like, oh, it smells kind of funky. And she's like, yeah, it's this thing called tennis root that is inside this necklace. I don't know, it does smell funky, but it was very sweet of the cast of it to give it to me. It's a little important just because of what comes later.
Speaker 2:Now, almost immediately after meeting them, guy and Rosemary go out. They're doing their thing and when they're coming back into their building, they know that there's a lot of cops. They see a lot of police activity and they're like what's going on. And it is discovered that Terry essentially killed herself. She jumped out of the window. The book is very descriptive in telling us that basically half her face is busted because she landed on the side, and so obviously Rosemary is very much in shock.
Speaker 2:While in the shock, here come the Kastovets. This is the first time we are introduced to them. They're walking, the police don't know who Terry is at all, and that's when Rosemary says she was living with them, the Kastovets. And obviously the Kastovets react in shock to see that Terry, who they've been taking care of, has been killed. Now Roman, who is Mr Kastovitz, is a little bit more on the side of.
Speaker 2:We should have expected this. We did pick her off the streets. We thought she was doing better, but ultimately things like this happen, while, as Minnie, she's more. Oh no, she was doing better. There's just no reason why she should have done this. Apparently, they find a suicide, the police found a suicide note and they give it directly to the cast of it, at which point Rosemary just tells them. I just want you to know. I met Terry. She had nothing but good things to say about you two and I just wanted you to know that she loved you Happens both in the book and the movie.
Speaker 2:That scene is really spot on, even the half busted face. I mean, the makeup is now a little outdated but it works. I did make a note here for myself. The acting is so cartoony, though, and that is one thing I wanted to speak about, because at this point serious things are starting to happen and the acting is so unserious, if that's the right word. But I don't know if that's just the acting style of the era or that really just that's what the director was going for at that moment, but just felt like I needed to point that out.
Speaker 2:Rosemary starts having dreams. In the book we have this dream sequence where it's very clear for us to understand. You start seeing a little bit of Rosemary's Catholic guilt. She starts having a nightmare where the nuns are yelling at her for something, but she's kind of like sleep awake, where she's also hearing the neighbors argue, which the neighbors are the cast of it. Also, to mention the way that the layout was split. They do talk about it in the book and very briefly in the movie.
Speaker 2:These apartment rooms were bigger and at one point each one was split in half. So the other half of rosemary's room would be the cast of its apartment room. So that's why they can hear each other so much, uh. But in this state of half sleep, half awake, she starts hearing the cast of its. Are you now again? I can't, uh, quote you the the book because I don't have it with me, but I remember in the book it being a little bit unclear as to what they were arguing, what, what was argument, what was dream? While re-watching it in the movie, it's very clear that they're kind of discussing terry. It seems that they did. The hints that are given is that terry was told beforehand what they wanted to do to her, what they want to do with her, which led to her suicide, and that's mini kind of being, like I told you we shouldn't have told her and now we have to find someone else, kind of sort of thing.
Speaker 2:In the book it is very clear that it is supposed to be a dream that she's having. However, in the movie, mia Farrow's eyes are completely open. So it was like are you dreaming? Listening, I don't know what's going on right now. The only reason I know that it's a dream is because I read in the book that it's a dream. But had I not read the book, I'd be very confused right now as to why there's none that's talking, but it's Minnie's voice. So yeah, very, very interesting approach there.
Speaker 2:One thing I also did want to. Another thing I wanted to point out. I keep saying one thing and clearly there's a lot of things I want to point out. Mrs Castavit in the book is supposed to be on the bigger side. Now, the only reason I bring this up is because in the book it makes commentary on it.
Speaker 2:The next day she goes to visit Rosemary and they make a comment on how the clothes she's wearing is not for a woman of her size. It got very fat, phobic, um, it got a little uncomfortable to read, but in the movie the woman playing Minnie is not on the big side at all. She, she is a very skinny lady. Not very skinny, but she, she's a. She's a thin lady, she's a thin woman, so in which case her clothes do not seem out of it. The only weirdness about her clothes is that it's a little excessively colorful, but that's about it. And I made a note here that says these edits Jeez, louise, like I am not kidding when I say that this movie moves way, way too fast. It's insane how we jump. It just jumps from scene to scene to scene, I feel like, and as a viewer, it doesn't give you time to really process what is happening so yeah, essentially after terry's death, that's when the cast of it's rosemary was so kind to them.
Speaker 2:Um, they invite them over for dinner. At first guy is like I don't want to do this charity work, this feels like charity work, I don't want to do this. And ros Rosemary's like well, I already told Minnie that we would go. But it's okay, we don't have to. And this is one of the big differences I felt in the book. It's more of an issue. Rosemary had already said to Minnie they can go.
Speaker 2:And Guy's being kind of an again an asshole, being like I don't want to go. It's like fine, if you're going to be like this about it, then we'll go. And Rosemary's like I'm not being anything about it. He's like yes, you're sulking about it. If you're going to be sulking about it, then let's just go. That's kind of like at least my interpretation of the way it was in the book. It was an issue. It was an issue In the movie. It was like well, if you, okay, I mean, if you don't want to go, we won't go. And Guy's like no, but okay, I should do my charity work and go visit these old people. There was just not as much tension there as it was in the book. But anyway, they go, they have this dinner. That's when you get to know a little bit more about Roman and Minnie. Roman is this very experienced old man who's basically traveled the world. Yeah, you get to know their story after their dinner, which in the book you do get the description that the dinner that's being cooked, the steak is very dry, the food is not that great. Guy asked for seconds and Rosemary's internal monologue is kind of like I can't believe he's asking for seconds because this food sucks. You obviously don't get that at all in the book. I think you get a mentioning After the dinner. But anyway, after they eat, rosemary goes to help out Minnie with the dishes while the men go have their men talk. So once Minnie and Rosemary are done with the dishes they go to Roman and Guy, or like Minnie is like I hope you're not talking his ear off and Guy's like no, I found this very interesting. I love this Blah, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 2:In the movie, though we do get a little easter egg a little, a little glimpse or foreshadowing in which, when they enter the room, guy and rome and I are in a very serious tone and immediately just turn and smile. It was a very subtle thing that I noticed. I was like, oh, that was cool. Again spoilers, because I'm already spoiling that some shit's about to happen. But yeah, I just found that that little scene, that little touch was very, very cool now in the book.
Speaker 2:If guy was not an asshole already, this is where he goes even further, like he. He becomes very dismissive to rosemary and very defensive towards the cast of it. But in the movie this is where you kind of see a switch in guy, um, where it's like you've been kind of nice, which I don't know. I don't know which is better to go from asshole to bigger asshole or from somewhat nice. So now you're being kind of dismissive, kind of being a jerk. But that's where you start seeing a difference in Guy.
Speaker 2:After their dinner, at one point Guy tells Rosemary let's have a baby. Now in the book, Guy saying let's have a baby is very important because we already know at this point that Rosemary has been wanting to be a mom but Guy has not wanted to have kids. This has been an issue within their relationship. They've had long conversations about it. So for Guy to say I want a baby is huge, it is major, and Rosemary is like I doesn't even know how to react. She's so happy, she's ecstatic, they're finally going to try and have kids. In the movie we do not know any of this backstory. So guys saying let's have a baby, it's kind of like, okay, yeah, rosemary, mia Farrow still has that amazing reaction of like, oh, my God, yes, let's have the baby. I'm so happy. But as an audience, you're kind of like, okay, so have the baby. I don't, I don't understand what the big deal is. I think I do feel like we needed to understand that guy did not want to have baby and that that is the importance of that switch, especially after having had that meeting with the cast of it.
Speaker 2:When they finally decide to have a baby, they make a big, big thing out of it. They're gonna have a nice dinner. They get nice and ready, which, of course, after the nice dinner, the idea is that they're supposed to go to their bedroom and make this said baby. Well, while they're having the dinner, mini comes and knocks on the door and guy goes to answer. And it's funny because you do have rosemary being like please don't ruin this night. I want to make this baby, don't ruin this this night.
Speaker 2:But she leaves, minnie leaves and Guy walks in. He's like she brought us some chocolate mousse. And Rosemary's like oh, that would be great for our dessert. And I'm like what the hell? I'd be weirded out if the neighbor just brought me mousse on the day that I'm after my dinner. I don't know, that was just a little weird. I'd be a little weirded out. But anywho, uh, she starts having the mousse and she's like it tastes a little chalky. And guy is like I don't know what you're talking about. It's fine. No, it's a little chalky, I don't want to eat it. And again, this is where we start seeing guy's manipulative, asshole side, because he starts being like I just think it's very rude of you to not want to eat it when they brought it. And rosemary's like fine, okay, I didn't realize this was going to be a big deal. Fine, I'll eat it. Look, I'm eating it.
Speaker 2:And at one point Guy turns away, she scoops up the rest of the moves into her napkin and she tosses it. That does happen in the book as well. I will say in the movie I understood a little bit better than why Rosemary is half awake for the later scene, but I will. I will say that in the book that that scene felt a little more intense once again. The that fight felt more intense than in the movie. In the movie it kind of gets solved within seconds, um, and in the book it does linger on it and you do get to see a little bit more of guy's manipulative side.
Speaker 2:As you could suspect, something was in the moose which makes rosemary start getting dizzy. She starts to pass out and she, she knocks out. Essentially, a guy has to carry her to bed. No, I did want to say that in the book it is very clear that they have both been drinking. So rosemary does not know that it's the moose, she thinks that she's just drank way too much. And the guy, being the asshole that he is, says you've been drinking too much, see, see, this is why you you are a lightweight, you should not be drinking that much. Well, in the, it seems, it's very painfully obvious it's the moose, it's not the alcohol. We don't even know that they've been drinking, we know it's the moose, but anyway, she knocks out, she gets carried to the bedroom where a guy starts to undress her and she's like well, why are you undressing? Why are you undressing me? You know, just so you can be more comfortable. Because she did not have the moose, she was not fully knocked out. So she's in a half dream state and there's this really interesting dream sequence where she sees JFK and she's sailing out in a boat, but it's also blending in with the cast of it are at the boat, but then now she's at a party and everybody's naked. That whole sequence is fairly accurate. It's fairly to the book.
Speaker 2:In the movie I did kind of get more understanding that because she did not finish the entirety of the movie. That's why she's half awake In this dream sequence. She dreams that she is having sex with Guy and as she's having sex with Guy, suddenly she looks up and his eyes are yellow. This does happen in the movie, but I do want to point out that the book is a little bit more descriptive as to how the sex is, to the point where she describes how much bigger he is than normal and how much more feral he is being than normal. Obviously that I don't know how you could do that in the in the movie, but I just thought it was interesting that she's feeling the differences automatically and then when she looks into his eyes she sees how yellow they are. That's where she starts freaking out and then she gets her face covered by someone.
Speaker 2:Now in the movie it does make it seem like she was having sex with Guy and that he turned into a demon. But in the book it is very much clear that she is missing things and it's actually something else not Guy that's actually having sex with her the next day. Obviously she's in a state of a dream. She eventually knocks out after this whole sex situation. She wakes up the next day. She realizes she's naked, she's got scratches on her and Guy's kind of like just sitting there smoking a cigarette. Now this freaks her out obviously, as I feel like it would any woman, because her husband just had sex with her while she was unconscious. She very much says why did you have sex with me if I was not awake? And he says well, I just didn't want to miss out on baby night that's how he calls it baby night. And she's still like well, I just can't believe you had sex with me. And he says oh, it was fine, it was kind of fun.
Speaker 2:In a necrophile sort of way. This line is said both in the book and in the movie. Differences in the book he says that and you immediately get Rosemary's internal monologue of what the fuck did he just say? Did he just say necrophile sort of way? Who fucking says that? And in the movie it's just like, well, I just can't believe I was asleep. He's like, oh, I was fine. And then moves on, moves along. That is such a weird thing to say and I think you get so much more justice out of that in the book. Because who says that? First of all, who has sex with their unconscious wife? Second, who follows it up by saying it was fun. In a necrophile sort of way. If you don't think guy is a piece of shit, I think by now you should feel guy is a grade a piece of shit. Anyway, in the movie it's kind of just brushed off.
Speaker 2:In the book you do get a little bit more of her and just how she feels essentially abused. She was abused by her own husband. After this moment in the book more, more things happen. They're small things, they're minor things, so I I can't exactly fault them for not being in the movie, but what you do start seeing a lot is that guy can't even look at her guy. They start having issues with their relationships, one painfully obvious. He had sex with her while she was unconscious. But now he can't even look at her, he can't even make eye contact with her.
Speaker 2:You know, in the movie it just moves so fast and you have a scene in which rosemary's like you don't even look at me anymore and we're like, well, we haven't seen that happen. Why. Why is she bringing that up? So if it weren't for the fact that I had read the book, I wouldn't have known. So anyway, he, he, she goes to the doctor. She's getting her test done.
Speaker 2:It's so funny because in the movie, in the scene with the doctor, there is a very random line that says I went to go see the fantastics with guy, which is like she dropped that like out of nowhere in the book. That is important. In the book we don't see that. She doesn't say that line to the doctor. What we do see is that they did. There is a scene in which they go see the fantastics. The reason why that is so important is because it leads to later reveals In the book.
Speaker 2:In the movie we never know the importance of having gone to see the Fantastics. So I don't know why they included that line in any way. In my mind. I was like, oh, they included that line there awkwardly, but they included that there because of the spoiler that's supposed to happen ahead. No, they completely forgot about including the Fantastics. Basically, I mean I'll talk a little bit more about that later, but anyway, the Fantastics Having to go and see the Fantastics is very important.
Speaker 2:In the book you do start seeing that Guy is getting a little bit more attached to the cast of it, but you kind of get a feeling that he's like he's just, he never. But you kind of get a feeling that he's like, oh, he's just, he never really grew up attached to his parents, so now he's attaching himself to these older people. That's, that's kind of cute. Well, as in the movie, it does feel painfully obvious that he's allied with them in some. Some shorter way.
Speaker 2:The doctor's results come in. She is pregnant. Now she is going to this guy named Dr Hill and Dr Hill gives her a phone call. She's like hey, good news, you're pregnant. Um, I do want you to come in to do some blood work though. And she's like why more blood work was? Didn't you get all the blood work? He's like yeah, yeah, we did. Is something wrong with my baby? Well, not necessarily, but um, can you please come in so we can do? I'm pregnant and Guy's like, oh my God, we're going to have a baby. Let me go tell the cast of it and she's like what?
Speaker 2:No, I don't want people to know, it's too early to know. Yeah, but they're old and you know I had talked to them about how we want to have a baby. Let me just tell them. And Rosemary's like okay, sure.
Speaker 2:So he goes, he tells the cast of it and this leads me to a huge question was it that normal to drink in the 60s while you were pregnant? Because both in the movie and in the book the cast of it bring a champagne to celebrate that she's pregnant and they give her her glass of champagne. I don't know. There was a commentary being made like maybe the devil drinks, so devil, have some champagne, devil's baby have some champagne. Or that really was a 60s thing, because they both in the book. More so, in the book it is so casual how much she drinks while being pregnant. And there's even a party scene later on where a guy is like are you drinking too much? No, I'm just. This is my only drink I have. My understanding of pregnancy is like zero drink, no alcohol whatsoever. But I mean what do I know? Somebody please tell me was this normal in the 60s to have a drink while pregnant? But anyway, they celebrate with some champagne. So, yeah, that is where we start with Rosemary being pregnant.
Speaker 2:Now the cast of it are like who's your doctor? Dr Hill, no, no, no, no, no. You're going to start going with our doctors. Doctor says I have his name Saperstein. Dr Saperstein, you're going to start going with Dr Saperstein, he's the best, he's one of the best, and I guess that they've heard of this doctor.
Speaker 2:And Rosemary's like I can't afford that. Doctor Minnie is like no, no, no, he's our friend, he's going to consult you for a very reduced price. Do you not worry about this? Uh, he is the best and we want you to have the best. He's gonna get you a deal. So she changes from dr hill. She never goes to dr hill to get that blood work because she starts seeing dr zapperstein instead. Now, I made a note here for myself. At this point, you know, we, the cast of us, start becoming very intrusive. Essentially, they're worried about Rosemary, in fact, to the point where Dr Zaperstein, he starts telling Rosemary you know what? Do not talk to your friends, do not read a book about pregnancy. The biggest mistake women do is read about pregnancy and talk to their friends. Every pregnancy is different and Rosemary being the first time mother, she's like oh OK.
Speaker 2:I guess you're right. And he's like nope what, what I'm gonna do is I I know the cast of it's, I'm gonna make a recipe that mini's gonna make for you. She's gonna make you a milkshake every morning that you are gonna drink. Rosemary and her naiveness is like okay, it is very important to note at this point.
Speaker 2:Rosemary is by herself. She is isolated. She has nobody. Her family does not talk to her. She does have her friends, but Guy is so against going out with friends that he doesn't. She doesn't see them, she doesn't. She's basically been isolated, which anybody who reads about abusive relationships know. That is one of the biggest things that abusers do. They isolate the women and basically leave them with no one. That is something that I feel was very missing from from the movie. Uh, we kind of just get that the cast of us are becoming intrusive. We just get that guys being a little manipulative, but we're missing. I feel like that is such an important part of rosemary's character that I wish was kept in in the movie. So, yeah, uh, we continue on.
Speaker 2:So rosemary is now pregnant, um, but she is not having exactly a healthy pregnancy. She's getting a lot of pain, an insane amount of pain and every time she approaches it to dr sapperstein he's like that's normal, it's gonna go away, don't worry, uh. Which is frustrating because she's like I'm in in so much pain. So she invites Hutch over the British man, the British lovely man who's a really good friend Also good to point out in the book. We know more about their relationship. They've been friends because he's essentially that father figure that kind of helped her out in her move to New York because her family just stopped giving a damn about her. So Hutch is very important to her.
Speaker 2:Hutch walks into the apartment, he goes what the hell is wrong with you? And she's like well, you look sick, you look thin, you don't look healthy. And she's like well, hutch, it's because I'm pregnant. Pregnant women get fat, not skinny. And that's the conversation. And that's when Hutch starts feeling like something's not right with Rosemary here. Oh, I should probably mention another thing. That got gifted to rosemary was that same ball necklace, um, that terry had before she was she died, and now it was gifted to to rosemary. Rosemary doesn't like it because it smells bad and it leads to a scene of guy being like well, if you accepted a gift, I think you should wear it. It's kind of rude of you to accept the gift and not wear it. He, he's a total fucking tool bag. But anyway, she is now wearing this necklace and Hutch notices and he's like oh, it's got a funky smell. And she's like yeah, it's tennis root. And he's like I've never heard of that thing.
Speaker 2:We basically understand that Hutch is one of those people that have read a lot, know a lot. He's like do you, do you need anything? Do you need help? Oh, you have guests over. Let me introduce myself. And that's when hodge and roman meet. Um, they seem to get along very well. Eventually, guy shows up, uh, roman leaves. And then eventually guy shows up, which rosemary's like why, why are you here? You're supposed to be in the middle of rehearsal. And guy's like oh, we had a quick break because they had to do hi, hutch, how are you?
Speaker 1:and he has this quick conversation with hutch.
Speaker 2:They chill for a bit and hutch eventually has to leave. He's like oh, I'm missing a glove. Is my glove somewhere in there? I don't know? No, your glove is not anywhere. Oh, I may have dropped it along the way. I'll go see if I can still find it. And hutch leaves.
Speaker 2:And then guy is immediately like oh, I have to head out, I have to head out and then he leaves. I also feel like I missed the part where guy is an actor. He has been fighting for a part after meeting with the cast of it, after all this stuff, he had lost a part to an actor, um, before already. Uh, he, donald bomb guard, was essentially his rival. He was getting the part after the meeting with the cast of it's, after things, after the impregnation of rosemary, suddenly donald bomb guard mysteriously goes blind and they have to give the part to the next in line who is guy. Now guy is becoming a very successful actor because of this part. It's one of those things where it's like the play is crap, but the part is so good that is giving him success. So at this point guy is a really hard working actor, very successful. His career is kicking off, coincidentally.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, we had that meeting with with hutch the next day and not the next day. That evening hutch calls rosemary and she's he's like we need to meet. She's like why? Why can you get out? We need to meet in person. Um, sure, and that's where it gets left off. Uh, this is another moment where guy is kind of showing off. That's he. He's an easy on something. Uh, because he doesn't?
Speaker 2:he at first did not want hutch to speak to rosemary, but eventually he gives in again more detailed in the book that it is in the movie, but this thing does happen in both. Now the next day, rosemary goes to try to meet Hutch at the meeting place that they agree upon and she's waiting and she's still in a shit ton of pain because this pain that Dr Saperstein said would go away has not gone away. She is still consistently in pain, but she's out there waiting for Hutch. Hutch doesn't show. She's like this is not normal for Hutch. She's getting a little weird out. Finally, she goes into the building and she's like is there a phone I can use? And that's when she calls what is supposed to be Hutch's phone line, and that is that's where she learns. She calls Hutch's number. This lady picks up and she's like oh, unfortunately Hutch is in a coma. And Rosemary's like what? And she's like, yeah, last night he fell ill and he has been in a coma. So, yeah, that is a major shock. Hutch really needed to talk to her, really needed to see her, and now he is in a coma. So Rosemary does not know what Hutch needed to have said.
Speaker 2:Oh, another point I forgot to bring up at one point. Uh, rosemary changes her hairstyle. Um, she cuts her hair very short and guide literally says don't tell me that you paid for that. In the book. It's a huge thing, obviously, obviously, if you came home with a new hairdo and said and I said, don't tell me you paid for that, oh, oh, no, oh, things would not end well for me. In the movie she mainly just she's like don't tell me you paid for that and she moves to the next conversation. It's like I'm in pain. A lot of these things just got completely glossed over. I do wish they had lingered a little bit more on just how much of an asshole guy is. So anyway, at this point hutch is in a coma, which is very important once again, because this was the only person she had. She has nobody Outside of Guy. She has nobody, and now the one person she had is in a coma. She cannot reach out to them in any way. Very, very important. Now things progress.
Speaker 2:Rosemary is still alive in an excessive amount of pain. She is not doing well in this pregnancy and she's very much struggling and she's starting to feel a little weird about Minnie and Roman and the way Guy is being. Guy is being an asshole. So what she decides is she wants to have a party. She wants a party where she wants to gather just her friends, not the cast of it. They cannot be involved in any way.
Speaker 2:She's also noticing that she eats raw meat, like she has a craving for raw meat, um, and that that is the only thing she wants to eat. So she's like this pregnancy is not normal. I want to see my friends. And so she has this party. Uh, which, of course, guy is like are you sure we should be hosting a party? It doesn't seem like the right thing to do. Well then, I'm gonna have mini come over, and rosemary's like set to her gun. She's like no, they will not be here, um, and even as she's prepping for this party, uh, mini's like I think I should be here and rosemary's like no, you will not be here, I don't need you here, I don't want you.
Speaker 2:And that's where we finally see rosemary's friends outside of Guy, in the movie, in the book. We already know that these friends exist. They're talked about Again. Guy is not very, he doesn't care about her friends, he doesn't like her friends. But when these friends see her, they are instantly concerned because she looks unhealthy, she looks unwell, she is very, very thin. So the friends are very, very concerned about how thin Rosemary looks.
Speaker 2:And they're like who are you seeing? Dr Saperstein. He's supposed to be the best. Is he the best? Because he looks like he's torturing you. Is he not concerned? Well, he says the pain will go away. How long have you had this pain? Since November? This party is already in January. They're like you've been having pain since November. What is wrong with this man? No, you need to go see another doctor. You need to get a second opinion. Rosemary, you don't look great, you should not be having pain. She's like well, the doctor said everybody's pregnancy with them. No, no, no.
Speaker 2:At this point Guy is trying to. He sees that she's breaking down. He tries to get into the kitchen. The friends are like no, no sees that she's breaking down, he tries to get into the kitchen. The friends are like no, no, this is girl time. And guy's like no, but I need to watch. No, no, this is girl time. And they push him out of the way and they essentially lock him out of the kitchen and so, like the four girlfriends and rosemary are supposed to are able to have this conversation with her in peace, in private.
Speaker 2:So, whatever uh party ends, they leave. Rosemary's like I'm not gonna see dr zappersine, I'm gonna go get a second opinion from dr hill. And guy loses his shit. He's like is that what those bitches were telling you? And of course, rosemary's like those bitches excuse me, you're talking about my friends. Now again in the book it's more intense and then it's more of a fight. It's like these are my friends that you just called bitches. And he, he, he doubles down and he's like those bitches don't know what they're, just like these are my friends you're talking about. In the movie is she's more like those are my friends. It's like very subtle, very quiet uh yeah, so, but that anyway, that happens.
Speaker 2:But as they're arguing and guy is like no, you need to go, dr saperstein, it would be insulting to him if you go to dr hill instead. You know being guy, the asshole that he is Suddenly her pain stops and she's like the pain is gone. And of course Guy's like what have you done differently? Well, I stopped taking mini shakes, I've been doing my own thing instead. Well, what has been in those things? It doesn't matter. The pain is gone. And then she feels her belly. He's like he's moving, come feel it.
Speaker 2:And then, uh, she in in the book. It's two very, very funny, slight differences. Uh, but in the book guy doesn't even let her, uh, put his hand on the belly. He's like no, no, no, I, I can't. And then he walks away.
Speaker 2:Um, in the movie she grabs his hand, puts it on her, puts his hand on her belly. He feels a kick and he freaks out. He freaks out. He's like no, no, uh, okay, okay. Uh, that's weird. That's weird to me. I like the book version better because guy's a bitch, he's a little coward. Knowing that he wouldn't even do so to me is a little bit stronger. Um, in the movie it's like something's feeling a baby kick for the first time can feel weird. Um, so I do understand a reaction of like, oh, that was kind of nasty. So to me it's like in the movie. I was like, oh, that's not too far-fetched of a reaction, while in the book, refusing to even touch your own baby quote-unquote is stronger. Um, so I I did like that part in the book a little bit better. Um, so, yeah, anyway.
Speaker 2:Um soon after the pain goes away, though, though, rosemary receives a phone call where she is told that Hutch has unfortunately passed away. This happens a little bit after, so backtracking a little bit After the party. The pain's gone away, she's happy, things are getting better. She starts decorating the nursery, she becomes a lot more livelier, and then she gets the phone call from Hutch about Hutch, and in the movie she starts to feel guilty because she never went to go see Hutch. Now, in the book she did visit Hutch often, but she stops visiting Hutch after her pain goes away. So she still feels guilty, but she feels guilty for not visiting him after her pain went away. She wasn't so much pain that her pain went away. She wasn't so much pain that when it went away she completely had forgotten about hutch, um, and that makes her feel so guilty about it that that she starts feeling bad about herself. So again, slight differences there, um, not major, but I feel like it. It makes a difference to who the characters were, because hutch really was important to her and I feel like you get a little bit more of that in the book by her visiting as often as she did.
Speaker 2:So when Hutch dies, the lady that's been speaking to her over the phone I forget her name, but she's a very minor character. Essentially, at the day of the funeral she hands her a book and she's like Hutch had a little moment of clarity. He in fact thought it was still the next day when he was supposed to meet you. He had a moment of clarity. He gave me the book and insisted that I give you this book, and then he passed away and Rosemary takes the book. It's in a package, so she takes the book and when the lady gives her the book, she also tells her. He also said that the name was an anagram. I don't know what that meant. Again, this was like a little minute of clarity for him, but he may have been delusional, we don't know. He unfortunately just died soon after that. So all Rosemary gets is a book and a clue that it is an anagram. That's it. That's all she gets Now.
Speaker 2:This is another slight difference, as far as I can recall In the book. Going to Hutch's funeral. She arrives, she says hi to Hutch's family, his daughters, she finally meets this lady that she's been talking to over the phone and it kind of gets revealed that her and Hutch had a thing going on which makes Rosemary happy that he had somebody, because she thought that Hutch was basically a single old man at this point In the movie. For whatever reason, they made her arrive late and that she's running late. And so this lady kind of just gives her the book and leaves because her car is leaving. I don't know, it was a weird addition that did nothing. It did nothing other than continue making this movie much more fast-paced than it needs to be. So, yeah, yeah, that happened, uh.
Speaker 2:So she gets the book and she opens the book and discovers that it's a book about witchcraft and she's, as she's flipping through the pages, she notices that some of the things are marked out, some of the things are highlighted, and that that's when she pulls out a piece of scrabble. She puts the title of the book, she tries doing anagram. She like nothing's making any sense, maybe Hutch was losing his shit. Now when she flips the page, she realizes that Hutch had marked a page about a specific witch. Now this witch is the one that had gotten killed in front of the building that they're currently living in. That Hutch had told them the story before they had moved in. So she gets that person's name. She moves the words around and realize that that spells out roman cast of it. The, the son is of this witch, is roman cast of it, who would be steve. I forgot the name. Anyway, he is the son of this witch leader that had gotten killed in front of the building. And so that's when she starts freaking out. She's like, oh my god, they're all witches. And as she continues to read she gets the idea that witches want your baby. Essentially.
Speaker 2:Now, all of this does happen in both the movie and the book, though in the book you get more of her internal dialogue. You get more about her piecing the pieces together. In the movie you're just kind of watching her play Scrabble and you're like, okay, what's she doing? In the book you get more of the details as to how she's coming to the conclusions that she's getting to, which I felt were very important. Um, now you, eventually.
Speaker 2:She eventually gets to the point where she starts realizing making the connecting the pieces, uh, of Guy's involvement. She, referring back to the fantastic, she remembers when they went to go get go to the fantastics. Uh, a certain person had given them the tickets. While she ran, runs into this person, just casually, runs into them. She's like oh, thank you for giving us these tickets to the fantastics. And the person's like I didn't give you tickets. No, yes, guy told me. It's like no guy must have been wrong, because I did, because I wouldn't give anybody tickets to the Fantastics, something along those lines. And that's when she starts connecting the pieces that Guy is in on this, because the day they went into the Fantastics it would have coincided with a day that started a lot of Guy's involvement with the cast of it. So, yeah, that's when she starts getting suspicious of him. She makes the connection that after they got together with the cast of it. So, yeah, that's when she starts getting suspicious of him.
Speaker 2:She makes the connection that after they got together with the cast of it, that's when, suddenly, his career started booming and that's when she remembers about Donald Baumgart. So she gives a call to Donald Baumgart to basically check in on him and be like I'm sorry you went blind. And of course Donald Baumgart's a little like okay, I'm happy for you. You have, your husband has the roles. I don't know why you're coming. She's like I did want to sincerely apologize. Now I noticed that my husband has one of your ties and I was like, yeah, we exchanged ties. I didn't think it was a big deal. I hope it's not a big deal deal. And she's like, no, no, it's not a big deal.
Speaker 2:Uh, but in the book that's in the movie they just kind of leave it at that and that conversation in the movie seems very heartless. Um, I would put it heart as as that. It seems very heartless from rosemary, uh, while in the book she's very sincerely apologetic, um, but you also start seeing her, the gears in her head, turn of reading in the book that you know what one of the curses is you take somebody's clothes and that's how you're able to curse them. And she makes the connection that, um, this guy, donald, uh, exchanged ties with guy and that's how they were able to do a blind curse on him of some sort hutch before he left rosemary's apartment couldn't find his glove. The next day is when he goes into a coma. So she thinks maybe guy took his glove, and that she starts connecting all of these pieces in the movie. It's just dialogue. They mentioned oh, my husband has your tie. Yeah, we exchanged them, that's it. We don't see the gears churning in her head to connect all the pieces and I think that was a little frustrating for me to watch that in the movie, knowing I know what the answer is because I read the book. Whoever's watching the movie without having read the book has no idea what any of that means. So I was getting a little frustrated there. So, yeah, that those little details were were were really missing.
Speaker 2:So, uh, she decides to go to, uh, dr saperstein. She packs her bag. She's like I cannot trust the kestovitz, I cannot trust my own husband. I'm going to dr saperstein. She packs her bag. She's like I cannot trust the kestovitz, I cannot trust my own husband. I'm going to dr saperstein now. She goes to his office and goes to a reception. Like I need to go in. She's like okay, you, there's two other ladies before you. Is there something wrong, like no, I just need to talk to him, um. And then she sits down. Oh, I should mention, before going into the doctor's office she had ripped the necklace off and thrown it down the drain, down the drain on the street, one of those sewer thingies. So when she sits down at the office the nurse is like you smell pretty today.
Speaker 1:Oh, thank you.
Speaker 2:You're so lovely. Yeah, you don't have that usual bitter smell. Dr Saperstein has a similar smell sometimes and that's when Rosemary clicks. She's like what? He's he's like yeah, I don't know if it's a cologne or perfume, but I'm guessing you didn't notice because you were smelling the same smell on you and that's when rosemary's like okay, and then she casually leaves the office.
Speaker 2:She's like my husband's answers, I gotta go, and she basically takes off. Um, this does happen in both the book and the movie. Um, in the movie she goes into a phone booth, um, and she starts freaking out and she tries. She's calling dr hill and she's like I need to see you right away. It is an emergency. Um, dr hill, it is an emergency, please, please, see me tonight.
Speaker 2:A little bit that is missing about that in the again, it's just the little details in the book. She gets into the phone booth, she panics, she calls dr hill and as she's waiting for this phone call, she makes the realization why am I on the phone booth? She panics, she calls Dr Hill and as she's waiting for this phone call, she makes the realization why am I on the phone booth that's right across the street from Dr Saperstein's office. He's going to come here, he's going to find me. I screwed up, but now that I've called Dr Hill, he's going to call me back to this specific phone booth. So there's this whole panic going on. We're in the book, you're tense. In the movie you're just like well, I guess we're waiting for Dr Hill to call her back and that's it. There's no rush, there's no urgency there, which sucks. So Dr Hill agrees to see her. She essentially tells him everything the witchcraft thing, her suspicion of her husband, her suspicion of the cast of it, and, oddly enough, dr Hill seems to be in agreement with her bits. And, oddly enough, dr hill seems to be in agreement with her. He takes her to a room and he says you wait right here, you're not going crazy. People are weird, they do weird things. It's okay. But when he comes back to go she, she lays down, she knocks out because she hasn't slept, she's stressed out. When she wakes up, dr hill enters, followed by saperstein and Guy.
Speaker 2:Now I do want to point out one instance in the movie that I did love. Dr Hill genuinely believes her until she says Dr Saperstein. Once she mentions Dr Saperstein, the actor had this reaction of oh, you're lying, it wouldn't be Dr Saperstein. It's such a subtle acting choice, but it was such a strong choice for me, because in the book I was very much like why would dr hill just turn her in like that, like sure, maybe she thinks she's correct, he thinks she's crazy, maybe he just told her he believed her because you know he wanted her to calm down and relax. I get all that, but it still felt like out of left field for him to just okay, I'm gonna turn you into your husband and this doctor.
Speaker 2:Well, as in the movie, because of that specific acting choice, you do get the idea that it was. It was it's doctor's loyalty, essentially. Uh, dr zephyrstein is considered to be one of the greatest doctors in the city and dr hill hears his name and it's like, okay, any other doctor I would have believed you, but not not Dr Saperstein. That guy could do no wrong. He's my homeboy. So, anyway, dr Saperstein and guy arrive to take her. It's funny because the same actor that made a great acting choice follows it with a weird acting choice when he's mad, dogging Rosemary the entire time she's leaving this office. I was like what are you doing, bro? Like why are you so mad at her? Do you like Dr Saperstein that much? What the fuck? That was a weird choice.
Speaker 2:I do want to note that another cool thing that we got to see in the movie, in the book you know Dr Saperstein arrives and he's in control. You know he's the one that's like you're coming with us, we're taking you back to your home and you're gonna stay at home. In the book you get to, in the movie you get a visual guy cannot even look at rosemary and he is terrified of dr saperstein. And that's when you're like oh, you just a little bitch, aren't you? Fuck you, guy, mr, I'm in control. You do as I say, you're just a little ass bitch. So that was really really nice moment to see in the movie.
Speaker 2:So anyway, they take her back to the apartment building. They're gonna get on the elevator and Rosemary pretends like she dropped her money. Now all of the men, including the elevator, the elevator kid go to pick up the money and in doing so she runs, grabs the elevator. It's one of them, manual elevators, so she has a hard time, but she still gets to her floor. She runs into her apartment and she barricades herself inside her apartment thinking she is safe. Now, when she goes to make a phone call in the book, as far as I remember, she makes the phone call In the book. As far as I remember, she makes the phone call. Next thing she knows Dr Saperstein is inside with Guy and two other men. That she doesn't realize how they got in. It later becomes revealed that there is a closet. There is a closet, that is funny. The first tenant had blocked off with a cabinet but now that closet was available, that closet had the wall connecting the two apartments.
Speaker 2:But in the movie, as she's on the phone trying to call someone, these men, in the most comical way, do a little sneaky, sneaky walk behind her and I was like that was so funny, I was laughing my ass off and I was like I don't think that was meant to be funny. I think we were supposed to be scared for her because how did this man come in? But the way they walked was so funny that I could, I couldn't help but laugh. So, yeah, yeah, later on, uh, she makes the connections like they uh basically drug her, um, and just they, they knock her out and she starts going into labor, she's gonna have the baby and essentially where, where she's uh kind of half in this half dreamy, half drug state is when she kind of starts piecing even more stuff together. One of the dreams that she starts remembering is being slid, being carried when she was drugged by a guy, with the chocolate mousse being carried through the closet, uh. So that's kind of how she makes the connection that, um, that they were using, how she makes the connection that they were using that closet was the connection between the two. So, anyway, she has the baby and she wakes up.
Speaker 2:She's like in the book. She's like where's my baby, what the hell? In the movie, for whatever reason, she's suddenly like, oh, where's my baby, is everything okay? So I'm like I don't think she would react after all the fears that she's had, um, this coven is after her baby, I don't think she'd be that normal. Well, dr saperstein says I'm sorry the baby died. Uh, were we in a hospital I would have been able to save him. But you know, because of you we had to birth your baby here and the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, he's dead. So obviously that's gonna depress anybody. But this I'm gonna call this coven. Uh, has somebody watching rosemary 24 7? They don't want to let them out of their sight.
Speaker 2:Now what ends up happening is obviously, uh, it as a woman that just had a baby. She's uh, milk milking, breasting. There's breast milk coming out of her breasts that need to get pumped out. So they always send a woman to come and get milk out of her breasts and she is like. She's like what do you do with that? She said, well, we just dump it out because you know we don't need it. We're just making sure that you're OK and we're doing this for you.
Speaker 2:But she starts getting a little suspicious. She's like something's not right. One of the nights she hears a baby. Now of it's not right. One of the nights she hears a baby. Now, of course, when she brings this up to Guy, guy's like, oh, it's because we have new neighbors on the eighth floor, they have a baby. And she's like, uh-huh, okay, they also start giving her these pills, which she starts to not take and hide them under the bed or hide them in different parts. Like it's another comical not meant to be comical moment in the movie where she's like taking the pills right in front of them and removing them. And I was like everybody can see you, I don't understand. Okay, whatever, that's a weird staging choice. But one of the times that they they take her milk, the lady's like, okay, I'm gonna take the the dishes now. And rosemary's like, oh, I have a couple dishes. She grabs a spoon that had been in coffee and dumps it on the breast milk and the lady lady freestyles like no, don't do that. Rosemary's like why not? That's for, that's just to get dumped out, right. And she's like oh yeah, blah, blah, blah Makes up an excuse. And that's when Rosemary starts becoming suspicious that they have my baby and they're probably going to eat my baby.
Speaker 2:Now in the book, rosemary, with all the pills that she has not taken, she collects them and this lady uh, the one that's like guarding her she's essentially the, the guard dog brings her coffee. And then rosemary's like oh, could I have some cookies? I forget what she asked for anyway, the. The lady has to go into the kitchen. While she goes into the kitchen, rosemary breaks open the, the tablets onto the other lady's drink. She mixes it in, and so that when the lady comes back she drinks her coffee, she knocks out.
Speaker 2:And this is when Rosemary goes to the closet. She takes the shells off, she realizes that they're connecting and through the peephole she can see a baby. I think it's called a bassinet, a baby's bassinet. It's like a crib but rocks, I think it's bassinet, whatever that thing is called. She notices and she's like these fuckers have my baby. She grabs a knife, she goes through the hallway with the goal of just going straight to the baby. Now she realizes that these people are are in the room, including roman and minnie, who are at this point supposed to be out of town because they took an out-of-town trip, because roman is supposedly basically on his deathbed. Blah, blah, blah. Clearly that's a lie, because they're there in the room, they see her and they freak out a little, but she keeps walking towards the baby.
Speaker 2:In the movie she doesn't drug anybody. They kind of just, for whatever reason, decide to leave her alone that day. Sure, and then she proceeds and in the movie they make it seem like she grabbed the knife in order to stab these people and then sees the bassinet, which to me it kind of makes a difference, I feel. In the book she just walks in like a total badass. She's like I don't give a fuck who you are, I'm going to my baby. I don't know. And the movie it was just kind of like oh, what exactly is her plan? I don't know what her plan is. So anyway, she gets to the baby and she's like oh, he's all bundled up. And then that's when you have the infinite, infamous line what have you done with his eyes? Because he has his father's eyes, aka Satan.
Speaker 2:Basically, everything gets revealed to her. At that point Roman is saying hail Satan. They also say hail to the baby's name and Rosemary is just like fuck, like she's in, she's a little bit in shock. No, what, what ends up happening there? Uh, rosemary's is kind of in shock, obviously. Uh, she just gave birth to the devil's baby and as she's waiting in shock, one of the other ladies from the coven is trying to to rock the baby. But this lady has clearly never dealt with a child in her damn life, cause she's like rocking the kid, like I don't even know how to explain it. It's just like back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And Rosemary is like that's not going to put the baby to sleep and this thing is like shut up, what do you know? And Rosemary walks up, goes to the baby. The baby instantly knows that's mom because he gets quiet as soon as he's in the presence of mom. She rocks him nice and smooth and the baby goes to sleep.
Speaker 2:Now this is where we start seeing some differences. Now in the book you have so much of her internal dialogue. Now in the book she does grab the baby, she picks him up and she knows the baby has horns, has a tail and has those yellow eyes, but the baby is very clearly happy with his mama. In the movie you don't see the baby, you don't know what the baby looks like, which makes sense to me because, especially in that era of the 60s, making a little baby with horns and a tail might have come out really funny. It might not have delivered the fear that they would have wanted and I think living it up to the imagination would be a lot scarier.
Speaker 2:However, I looked up the why and that is not the why. The reason was because Mr Roman Polanski wanted the audience to be left with the feeling of was this real or was she crazy all along, and that just told me everything I need to know about how he directed this movie and why this movie has bothered me, like, even though so far the book and the movie it's basically been word for word. The book, his focus was more so on making Rosemary look hysterical as opposed to focusing on the fact that this is a woman who is being manipulated, abused by her husband and her neighbors, and that just drives me freaking crazy that this man would take this story of abuse and be like, no, it's about a woman being hysterical. Oh, that drives me fucking crazy. And yeah, I made myself a note this movie needed a woman director. It needed someone who could take a woman's experience and create this movie and make it stronger. Yeah, anyway, continue on. Before I continue ranting, I will rant some more. I probably will.
Speaker 2:One of the just in the movie. She's rocking the baby. You see her rocking the baby. She kind of smiles and that's kind of it. You don't know why you get the idea of well, she is a mama, she's going to be the mama. Well, in the book you have a whole dialogue. You have a whole dialogue of her internal thoughts of I'm going to kill myself. That's her first thought. Next thought no, I should kill this baby, this baby is the son of Satan, I should kill it. Until she gets to the point where she says, sure, this baby is the son of Satan, but he doesn't have to complete his role. I'm going to be this baby's mother to lead him to the good side, to stay away from his role as the son of evil. And I think that's a very interesting way to end it. It completes Rosemary's story, as opposed to just being left so ambiguous.
Speaker 2:And oh, is the woman crazy or not. It's just crazy women, right? Oh, that pisses me off and that explains why Guy was directed in the way he was. He wasn't the total asshole that he is in the book and, yeah, that frustrated me. That frustrated me too. I do not know if that's what Ira Levin intended in writing the book, but it reads that way. It reads that she is is manipulated, she's being abused, she's being isolated. Guy does every effort to keep her away from everybody around her. So I feel like there was a whole lot, there was a whole lot in the book internally, um, that we did not get in the movie, um. So yeah, and that's how the movie ends. It does end really, uh, abruptly.
Speaker 2:I do want to point out that once it's revealed that it's a coven, guy is a little bitch, he continues being a little bitch towards the end of the movie. He's just a coward, um, and it's glorious to see him be a coward. And in the book, I will say, rosemary comes out so strongly and it's badass to see that opposite flip. You don't see that in them. You do see guy a little bitch, but you don't see Rosemary's strength as much, and I thought that that was missing. Now there's a lot of changes, more in personality. For example, in the book, roman and the Asian doctor that's how it's written the Asian doctor. It's ridiculous. But they have a lot more respect for Rosemary, while the rest of the coven is a little scared. But because Roman is the leader, they essentially do what Roman says. In the movie it seems like they're all like yay, he's the mom, she's the mom, let her be. It's not as tense, it's not as what's the word. The stakes are not as much there. Yeah, the ending is still abrupt in both, but that is. That is essentially the comparison of Rosemary's Baby.
Speaker 2:I feel like I jambled, I blabbered a lot, I talked a lot, but I hope you were able to follow along to my crazy rambling. If you look at it from a script value, yes, the movie is faithful to the book. However, you are missing a lot of what's going inside rosemary's head. Uh, you're missing a lot of the tiny little details that may have seemed unimportant, but I think they were very important to the, to the overall major point of the story. So I guess this is where we get down to the important part.
Speaker 2:This is where yuvia gives her ratings. I rated the. I rated the book three stars on goodreads and I rated the movie three stars on what's it called letterboxd um, just so I can keep track of my ratings. However, if goodreads were to allow half stars, I would say it's a three and a half stars. So time to declare the official winner.
Speaker 2:How does Yuvia do her drum roll? The book, the book wins because you just get so many details. It is a faithful adaptation. Sure, every step, every scene happens. However, the movie is so incredibly fast-paced, to the point where it gets jumpy. It is missing so many minor details, so many important details that give you a full character arc of who Rosemary is, who Guy is and a better understanding. And I just feel like the overall, the biggest horror for me in this book I did not find it to be a scary book, I did not find it to be a scary movie the biggest horror is the abuse and the manipulation from Guy, the cast of it's two, but primarily from Guy, who is the husband. He essentially sold his wife to Satan for his career and then proceeds to manipulate the living hell out of her. The biggest villain in this movie, more than satan, is guy. Guy is the bad guy here. Bad guy anyway, he is the villain and I feel like you definitely get that in the book, you don't get that. You don't get that a lot in the movie. Sure, it's hinted at, but I think that wasn't the problem. It's hinted, it's not said, it's not as clear as it is in the book. So for that reason, I think the book wins.
Speaker 2:Now, as I mentioned, I gave the book a three star. It was not perfect. I do wish there was more of an ending. My understanding is that there's a second book called the Son of Rosemary. However, based on reviews, it is not a very well loved book. But who knows, maybe I'll still give it a shot just to know where exactly the story wraps up, because I felt like the ending was too abrupt.
Speaker 2:Um, it was a good read. I was entertained. Um, I do recommend it for it's it's, but I I wouldn't say it's like oh my god, it's the scariest book I've ever read. I was so terrified. Um, especially considering because when I returned the exorcist, this was the one what was recommended. When I returned the Exorcist, this was the one what was recommended to me. Now, the Exorcist was a scary read for me. I was going to the bathroom with every single light on in the room because I was like I'm not, yeah, I'm not fucking with this. Rosemary's Baby was more of a casual read for me. I would categorize it more in the drama category with a horror ending twist. So yeah, but yeah, so just really quickly.
Speaker 2:I could not end this episode without bringing in my love for the paranormal. As anybody who knows me knows, I love the paranormal, including cryptids, ghost stories, anything of that matter. So I just want to bring out some fun facts Before going into the creepy ones. There was two that I thought were really interesting. There is a scene in which Mia Farrow's character walks into oncoming traffic. Turns out, roman Polanski actually had Mia Farrow walk onto real oncoming traffic, saying no one would hit a pregnant woman. Now, this situation was so dangerous, so bad that none of the crew refused to go on camera. So Roman Polanski had to get behind the camera himself, walking behind Mia Farrow, because nobody would do this. It was too dangerous, and it makes you so glad that we have all these regulations now, because what the fuck, roman Polanski? He put Mia Farrow in danger. Because what the fuck Roman Polanski? He put Mia Farrow in danger and unfortunately, it does seem that Mia Farrow, at this point in her career, was doing whatever the director said, because that's the way things were back then.
Speaker 2:Another instance of that of putting somebody in danger there's a scene in which she eats chicken liver In the book it's supposed to be chicken heart in which she eats chicken liver In the book it's supposed to be chicken heart and the reason she eats this is because in the witchcraft book she reads that chicken is essentially considered holy, which is why she throws it off. In the movie you don't get any of that explanation. You just see her eating chicken liver and that's it. You don't understand why, but anyway she ate raw chicken liver, which anything raw chicken wise is already dangerous. But she was vegetarian. She was vegetarian and ate raw chicken liver for a couple of I'm sure a lot of takes um just because the director said so, and that that is upsetting to me. That is. I'm so glad we're in a different era of filmmaking where actors don't have to be put through torture, because that is just horrible. Those are two unfun facts that I found, but paranormal wise.
Speaker 2:As all films having to deal with the devil, this film is considered to be a cursed film. So what events happened to give it, making it called the cursed film, the producer, William Castle. He also played a small part in the movie. I'm not exactly sure. I'm guessing he's one of the coven members. He had to be hospitalized after receiving hate mail from the movie and, in a delirious state of mind, yelled Rosemary, for God's sake, drop the knife. That was one instance. Another one the composer, krizistov Komeda. He fell off a rocky escarpment and ended up in a four-month coma from which he later died, which is, ironically, very similar to what happened to Hutch. Hutch went into a coma and later died, so people have always thought that that was part of the curse. Now, of course, the most infamous and most well-known event is the Sharon Tate murders. Sharon Tate was Roman Polanski's fiance. She was pregnant with the baby and I believe she was very far along. I don't know exactly how many months along she was, but she was murdered by the Manson family and a lot of people believe that this was attached to the curse. Now, this one, I don't know this next one, I don't know that I would count it as a curse, but people count it.
Speaker 2:Mia Farrow was married to Frank Sinatra. Now, frank Sinatra insisted that she not take the role, but she accepted it because she was being promised that this was what was going to get her the Oscar. So she took it and during filming, frank Sinatra filed for divorce and it is said that she actually served the papers a while on set. Now that is what a lot of articles say. Truthfully, it seems to be that Frank Sinatra didn't want her to take the part because he was already in another film I think it was the Detective and their schedules weren't weren't matching and because she decided to give more priority to the movie rather than to him. That's when frank sinatra called it a divorce, so that I wouldn't say frank sinatra was like against the movie was more so. He was against her not giving time to him, which is kind of selfish, if you ask me. I mean, you're acting, bro, why can't she act as well? Men seem to be kind of assholes and it's. It's kind of ironic that I'm recording this on international women's day, because I'm reading about a lot of these men who are being unfair to women. Go figure, but anyway that that is the reality. But people think that this divorce is part of the curse.
Speaker 2:Also, adding on to that, she again took this role because she thought that she was gonna get the oscar. Unfortunately she was snubbed. She did not get it, uh. But not only did she lose the oscar, she lost the oscars on a year in which the leading actress oscar ended in a tie. She lost not only to one person, she lost to katherine hepburn for the line in the winter and barbara styson for funny girl. So I don't bad, but that sucks. Not only did you lose to one person, you lost to two people who tied for the leading role for the leading actress category.
Speaker 2:Now if you ask me if she was snubbed, I don't think so. I don't think her performance stood out and it's not her fault. I just feel like she was directed in a weird way. Overall, the movie felt very cartoony. For me, the acting felt very cartoony, so I don't personally feel like she was snubbed. Now people were like, oh, the movie is cursed. It can't have been that cursed because the lady who played Minnie what's her name? Ruth Gordon. Ruth Gordon, who played Minnie, did win the Supporting Actress Oscar that same year. Now a lot of people have said that her not getting the curse, her not getting the Oscar, was probably godly punishment for taking the role, especially because, apparently Mia Farrow was at one point in her life considering being a nun, so people thought that that was godly punishment. I don't think so, but whatever.
Speaker 2:Now, another event that has been tied to this movie's so-called curse, uh, is that john lennon was killed in 1980. He was basically shot by a fan who was a little crazy, but where he was shot is just a few steps away from where terry's death happened in the movie. Um, it is, it's, yeah, just a few steps away, it's so close to it. So people have thought that that was part of the curse. I don't know, I mean, that's a little bit too far ahead. John Lennon died in the 80s, 1980. He was killed in 1980. This movie is 1968, 67. You'll be able to put the year, but that is too far. I feel like that's too far ahead for it to be part of the Rosemary Curse. However, with that said, the Dakota building itself is considered to be severely haunted. So who knows, Maybe it's not just the movie, maybe it's the film location that has the curse. Who knows? There's a lot of haunted ghost stories about that building, which of course makes me want to visit it, and that's just me.
Speaker 2:I also wanted to point out two little Easter eggs. One of them in the phone booth scene. Rosemary is heard mouthing 4377 a couple of times Now 4377, if you were to flip the numbers around, apparently they spell hell. I feel like that's a bit of a stretch, but people think that Roman Polanski did that on purpose, to kind of hint that there is a little bit of evil, one that completely went over my head. Both in the book and in the movie. The baby is born in June of 1966. Which spells out the numbers 666. I knew in the book the baby was born in June In the 60s. I never connected that it was 6 of 66. So yeah, small little Easter eggs, but yeah, that is about all I have.
Speaker 2:I think I ran this episode a little long. I am so sorry. Yuvia and Yuvia listeners, yuvia fans, thank you, thank you for allowing me to do this episode. I hope I didn't ramble too much. I hope it makes sense. But yeah, I hope everybody enjoyed me taking over Books vs Movies podcast for today.
Speaker 2:Let Yuvia know what you think. Be honest, be honest with her. I will not be offended if anyone's like please, for the love of God, never bring him on again. Be honest with her. But yeah, let her know what. You want her to have me come in again and do another horror kind of review. My specialty is horror and superheroes. I have burnt Yuvia out of superheroes so I don't think she wants to watch another superhero movie ever again. So maybe that could be a category. But horror, as she mentioned, she does watch horror movies with me. She doesn't necessarily like it, but if it comes to demons she's out, she's dead. No, it's an absolute no for her. But yeah, let her know. If there's something, if you enjoyed it, let her know. If you want me to come back or if you want me to never step foot on this again, feel free to let her know. Other than that, thank you all so much. Hope you all enjoyed the episode. Bye, bye.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much to Orlando for hosting this week's episode of Books vs Movies. If you're enjoying the podcast, please be sure to leave it a rating and a review on either Apple or Spotify or wherever you're listening to this podcast. I still don't know what I'm reviewing next week, but I have an idea. But I don't want to say just in case it's not that, but be sure to follow us and tell your friends all about it and see you next time. Bye.