8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
A young couple move into an apartment, only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins to control her life.
Starring: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon (I), Sidney Blackmer, Maurice EvansDrama | 100% |
Horror | 100% |
Psychological thriller | 52% |
Mystery | 44% |
Surreal | 35% |
Supernatural | 24% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (224 kbps)
German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Dutch
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A lot has been written about a supposed curse surrounding the production of Rosemary's Baby which according to some conspiracy theorists somehow resulted in both the horrifying murder of director Roman Polanski's pregnant wife Sharon Tate in the Manson atrocities, but also the somewhat lesser known tale of composer Krzysztof Komeda, who died under what some claim were mysterious circumstances, actually several months before Tate met her terrifying fate in August of 1969. As fanciful as some of these "theories" may be, they at least tend to point out the visceral intensity that Rosemary's Baby engendered when it was first released in 1968, and which frankly continues pretty much unabated, even if just about everyone knows what the "big secret" in the film is.
Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc
included in this package.
Rosemary's Baby is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of
Paramount Pictures with an HVEC / H.265 encoded 2160p
transfer in 1.85:1. While
admittedly minor, the correcting of the aspect ratio from the
older 1080 disc's 1.78:1 framing is one of the positives here,
but I'm frankly not sure many
viewers coming to this version will be noticing that as much
as some of the distinctly different grading that HDR and/or
Dolby Vision give(s) to this
presentation. The overall look of the 4K version is
considerably darker than the older 1080 disc, which probably
at least subliminally supports the film's
(chalky?) undertone, but a lot of sequences, especially in the
early going, are noticeably browner and I would argue a bit
dowdier looking now when
compared to the 1080 version. Some of the wide variances in
densities, clarity and grain structure that have been part and
parcel of previous 1080
versions are probably only exacerbated here, but cutting a bit
of slack for those passing anomalies allows for a better
appreciation of some decent if not
overwhelming upticks in fine detail and at least a bit more
shadow detail. The older 1080 disc in this package is afflicted
by some really chunky yellow
and near pixellated grain that can be intermittently on
display (as in the opening Paramount masthead), but that
deficit has been tightened in this version, if probably only
incrementally.
Rosemary's Baby features a Dolby TrueHD 2.0 Mono track that very effectively conveys the rather baroque sound design of the film, which can blend "everyday" ambient environmental sounds with considerably more sinister effects. Komeda's score sounds fantastic throughout, and dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and French subtitles are available.
The 4K UHD disc sports no supplemental content. The 1080 disc in this package offers the following bonus items:
If you need one final example of just what a pervasive influence Rosemary's Baby has had with sometimes unexpected demographics, herewith in true Rod Serling fashion is an anecdote submitted for your approval. In my guise as a musician, I was beset one day with a, well, demonic little boy who kept coming up to the piano and pounding on its upper registers while I was attempting to perform, with his parents thinking it was just so sweet and funny that telling him to stop was not an option. After he finally left, I launched into a version of Krzysztof Komeda's absolutely stunning Lullaby which serves as the main theme for Rosemary's Baby, not really expecting but probably still hoping someone would get the joke. Lo and behold, as I was leaving the gig, an absolutely elderly woman who was eighty or ninety if she was a day walked up to me and without offering any context, which I guess she assumed I would understand (and which I instantaneously did), said, "You know, I always preferred Mia Farrow's version to Claudine Longet's". (Lest it not be clear, there were two vocal versions released by these, um, legendary singers of the Komeda theme, and those interested can find them online with a little sleuthing.) While "mind blown" would be an understatement, that moment actually (no music pun intended) underscored a kind of subliminal appreciation I had had for years about just what an impact both Levin's original source novel and this film have had, and that influence continues unabated to this day, as evidenced not just by wannabes but also the completely boneheaded "remake" I reviewed several years ago. My hunch is the color timing here may surprise people, but with that one caveat this comes Recommended.
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