There are different approaches to take with a monograph on an individual film, and sometimes the technique relies on the status of the film itself. Rosemary's Baby is an interesting text in film history - it is a seminal psychological horror film, key in the canon of the director, important in production history for Paramount (Gulf + Western). So it doesn't need reappraisal, most viewers accept that Rosemary's Baby does what it does very well. Not that there aren't fascinating aspects of its production, the personnel involved and its subject matter. Michael Newton is not trying to elevate it, rather cement it in the canon - which means he leans to the hagiographic in places even when he is winkling out the fascinating production nuggets.

All this to say that this BFI Classic on Rosemary's Baby is probably everything you would need from a book arguing it is a great film. It gives a solid bio of all the lead players, talks a bit about it not at all troubled movement from book to film (because the film hues so closely to the text there are questions about authorship and whilst Newton is effusive about what Polanski has achieved with the film, he is not precious about the tactics to achieve that). The only real stylistic flourish in this monograph is the choice to split the book into three parts named after the sections of a traditional magic trick (The Pledge, The Turn and The Prestige). But that's just a fancy way of saying pre-production and biography, the production and the release. Since he doesn't really even consider Rosemary's Baby as a magic trick (considering how the film is partially about magic) its an odd choice. But I guess there is always a pull to try to do something away from a standard chronological take - which this is a bare disguise for.   

This is a terrific primer on the film, and is probably all you need at hand if you want to wallow and understand a little more about where it sits in cinematic history, and the tidbits about the versions you might have seen. It struggles a touch with the issues around its lead protagonists, the controversy and potential cancellation of Polanski, and the not complex public and private personas of both Farrow and Cassevetes are all left to to the final section and feel like an after-thought. There is some nice parallels with conspiracy theories, and historical conversation about Satanism, though I would have liked perhaps a few more thoughts about films that have borrowed themes afterwards (The Omen, The Astronaut's Wife, Hereditary, the mini-series remake, even Alien). There is a sense that perhaps there isn't that much subtext in Rosemary's Baby, it is very successful in telling a particularly unsettling kind of horror tale but there's not much more to it that a good story excellently told. But the main thing this kind of monograph should do is make you want to watch the film again, and it succeeds wildly at that.

Okay, I'm a dummy and didn't realize that this was a film analysis. I thought this was by Ira Levin. 
(insert face palm here)

This book is about the film Rosemary's baby which discusses the film and history. I think the author did a fantastic job and now i need to rewatch the film as its been forever since i did. 

If you are a movie buff and like to learn more about films and behind the scenes i highly recommend picking this one up.

thank you netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this early

Rosemary’s Baby by Michael Newton serves as a great companion piece to the 1968 film. Newton dives into the adaption of the book to screenplay, and screenplay to screen. He shares background as to how the film found its cast and crew. 

Newton declares that the “movie possesses the ground between realism and fantasy,” and explores the film’s use of witchcraft and victimizing. He shines a light on Mia Farrow and Frank Sinatra’s marriage, but only to share how it influenced the film. His primary focus is on Roman Polanski. 

If you are looking to read about Polanski’s personal life, including his controversy and the film’s ties to the Manson killing – you will be disappointed. Newton discusses these details sparingly, and only where it adds value to the story he is telling about the film’s creation and reception. His focus is strictly on sharing with you as much insight into the film’s conception, and how Rosemary’s Baby effected the movie going audience at that time. 

Rosemary’s Baby continues to influence the film industry, with Jordan Peele citing both Rosemary’s Baby and The Stepford Wives as inspiration for Get Out (2017). Aronofsky’s Mother! (2017), Aster’s Hereditary (2018), and Krasinski’s A Quite Place (2018) have all found influence from the 1968 film. Making this film and companion piece just as relevant as ever.

This is an enjoyable and fast read, and I recommend it to any fan of the film.

A fascinating examination of a classic horror film.  I haven't watched the movie or read the original book for years but this detailed and thorough analysis has made me want to rediscover the originals.

This is a brilliant and wonderful analysis about what is going on in the classic Polanski film of the 60s, Rosemary's Baby. It's not a critique of how well the director directs or how convincing the actors are. It's all about Polanski's vision of how to get this novel onto the screen, who to cast in it, what it took to get it made, who the financial and intellectual players are, and a very deep reading of what is told, shown and hinted at in the screenplay. It's fascinating to try to imagine the actors who did NOT do the parts, but who were considered. What would this film have become with Jane Fonda as Rosemary, for instance? Jack Nicholson as the husband? Almost impossible to try on for size because the actual casting is perfect.The author sees things and talks about things that would never have occurred to the average filmgoer, yet he doesn't read intellectualism, that really isn't there,  into a commercial, fairly simple plot. He's an honest analyst. I loved his words so much that I put a halt on the book and went to Netflix to see the film again (after 50 years) and saw it in a 90% different way.
I was surprised that he didn't love Ruth Gordon's performance. She just about steals the film from Mia Farrow. He wasn't crazy about John Cassavetes' performance either but I thought he was superb, saving his violent rage for just one scene. Brilliant and sneakily evil.
This book is highly recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this analysis of the classic movie, Rosemary's Baby. I watched the movie for the first time in December of 2019 and enjoyed it immensely, so it was fascinating to read about the history of the film and and all the factors that led to the creation of the movie. Newton does a fantastic job of laying out the history of the movie and why the film became the success that it did.

Rosemary's Baby (BFI Film Classics Series) by Michael Newton is part of the relaunch of this wonderful series. The books provide an overview of the production, reception, and cultural context for each film, as well as some analytical and interpretive discussion. This volume is a great example of what these books offer: an accessible wealth of information to enhance both viewing and understanding.

Rosemary's Baby was made and released during a pivotal time in both film history and US history. It reflects as well as comments on many of the issues of the day. Newton does a commendable job of working through the story itself, bringing key elements to the fore while offering several ways of understanding the action. He also addresses the subtle changes between Levin's novel and Polanski's screenplay (and also between the screenplay as written and what ended up on screen).

I found Newton's ability to put forth what seems to be his preferred reading of the film while also explaining and giving substantive background for readings that he may not fully agree with, or at least that he doesn't find as compelling. This fair-handed approach gives the reader a wide range of ideas with which to approach their next viewing of the film. I know that I am looking forward to watching the movie again.

This is not a "fluff" book in that neither gossip nor speculation is added just to make it more popular. Yet while it does track closer to something academic it is still readily accessible to a casual film lover. Popular film critics are quoted as often as academic film scholars. Because the personal lives of many of the key people are relevant, there is some discussion on the subject but only as it applies to either the filmmaking (Farrow's marital issues near the end) or the cultural aftermath (Manson, Tate, etc).

I would highly recommend this to movie fans and fans in particular of Rosemary's Baby. If you haven't seen the movie yet, I would strongly suggest you watch it first, but this would be a great book to read immediately after the first time you watch the movie.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.