Rosemary's Baby (miniseries)

Last updated

Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby (miniseries).jpg
Promotional poster
Genre Horror
Based on Rosemary's Baby and Son of Rosemary
by Ira Levin
Written by
Directed by Agnieszka Holland
Starring
Music byAntoni Komasa-Lazarkiewicz
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes2
Production
Producers
CinematographyMichel Amathieu
Editors
Running time240 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseMay 11 (2014-05-11) –
May 15, 2014 (2014-05-15)

Rosemary's Baby is a 2014 two-part, four-hour television miniseries adaptation of Ira Levin's best-selling 1967 horror novel of the same name and its 1997 sequel Son of Rosemary . It is the third installment overall in the franchise of the same name, and stars Zoe Saldana. Produced by NBC, the series was directed by Agnieszka Holland. [1] [2] Unlike earlier versions, it is set in Paris rather than New York. The work was not well received by critics, many of whom said that it was stretched to fill two two-hour timeslots. Although there are several notable changes, this miniseries is considered to be a faithful updating of the original 1968 film adaptation.

Contents

Plot

After suffering a miscarriage, Rosemary and Guy (Zoe Saldaña and Patrick J. Adams) Woodhouse leave New York City for Paris, hoping to make a fresh start. A series of serendipitous events lead them to befriend affluent couple Margaux (Carole Bouquet) and Roman Castevet (Jason Isaacs), who invite them to live in their prestigious apartment building. While Guy appreciates Roman's taking him under his wing, Rosemary is overwhelmed by the Castevets' interest in their lives.

She finds evidence of the previous couple who lived in their apartment, and after going to Commissioner Fontaine (Olivier Rabourdin) with her suspicions, learns that the woman, Nena (Victoire Bélézy), died by suicide. Following a lead, Rosemary finds Nena's priest, who tells her the apartment building has a dark past, and one of its tenants is a Satanist billionaire named Steven Marcato who eats women's hearts. The priest hangs himself soon after, which prompts Fontaine to investigate.

When Guy's career flourishes, he suggests to Rosemary that they try to get pregnant again. On the night they plan to conceive, Rosemary drinks Margaux's herbal brew and passes out. In a dream-like state, Rosemary sees herself getting raped by a strange man, while being watched by Guy, Margaux, Roman, and the Castevets' friends. Weeks later, Rosemary learns she is pregnant, but her health deteriorates and she is neglected by Guy, who is reluctant to touch Rosemary and has been spending more time with Roman.

Guy is angered when he learns Rosemary went to visit another doctor, as encouraged by her friend Julie (Christina Cole). Guy visits Julie and secretly takes her crucifix necklace; not long afterward, Julie dies in a kitchen accident. Rosemary's pains suddenly disappear, and the rest of the pregnancy proceeds well.

Late into the pregnancy, Fontaine is still investigating the Marcato case and warns Rosemary to keep her eyes open. Rosemary discovers a secret door in their closet, which leads to a study containing books on the occult. Rosemary takes one of the books, which is about witchcraft and contains a handwritten "It's an anagram!" above a page on Steven Marcato. Rosemary shares her suspicions with Guy that Roman Castevet is Steven Marcato, and that the Castevets are witches with sinister designs on their baby, but Guy insists that she is being paranoid. While searching for their passports, Rosemary discovers Julie's crucifix necklace and suspects that Guy is part of the conspiracy.

Rosemary sneaks out of the apartment to meet Fontaine, but he is run over by a truck while Rosemary watches. Rosemary goes to Dr. Bernard (Oisín Stack), Julie's friend, but he thinks that she is delusional and calls Guy. Rosemary is taken back to her apartment, where she has a panic attack and is sedated just as she is going into labor. She wakes up three days later in a hospital and is told that the baby died and that its body was cremated. After being discharged, Rosemary leaves Guy and declares that she is going back to New York.

While packing her things in the apartment, Rosemary hears a baby's cries and starts lactating. She goes through the secret door to the Castevets' apartment, where she finds Guy, the Castevets and their friends standing around a crib containing her baby. Rosemary is disturbed by the baby's demonic eyes, and is told that its father is Satan and the baby is their Prince. Roman encourages Rosemary to be the baby's mother, and she lifts her son out of the crib to nurse him. The film ends with Rosemary pushing her son in a pram, and when passersby admire him, she says, "He's perfect."

Cast

Production

Zoe Saldana plays the lead character, Rosemary Woodhouse Zoe Saldana (Headshot).jpg
Zoe Saldana plays the lead character, Rosemary Woodhouse

Saldana signed on to the project on January 8, 2014. [3] Director Holland was a three-time Academy Award nominee and the original film had earned Academy Award nominations. [1] Saldana signed on with the expectations that fans of the original would not like the adaptation, but she was lured by the Paris setting and more importantly the opportunity to live and work in Paris for three months. [4] Jason Isaacs and Patrick J. Adams joined the cast on January 20. [5] Holland's daughter Kasia Adamik served as the second unit director. [6] Scott Abbott and James Wong wrote the 2014 adapted screenplay. [6]

Unlike the novel and film, the miniseries is set and shot in Paris rather than New York City. [1] [7] While the new adaptation was bloodier than the original movie version, it attempted to be more sophisticated by touching on themes such as "post-feminist meditation on the loss of control that women feel with pregnancy and on the seduction of money and power". [6] Whereas the original movie used the Omaha native housewife transplanted in New York City, the new adaptation presented Saldana's Rosemary as a ballet dancer who was the primary wage-earner and who left New York after a miscarriage to start over in Paris with her husband during his one-year teaching job at the Sorbonne. [6] [8]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Night 1" Agnieszka Holland Scott Abbott & James Wong May 11, 2014 (2014-05-11)3.68 [9]
After suffering a miscarriage, a young married couple, Guy and Rosemary Woodhouse decide to create a new life for each other by moving to Paris, where Guy lands a teaching job at the Sorbonne. The couple soon meet and befriend Roman and Margaux Castevet, a mysterious older couple living in their lavish new apartment building, which Rosemary discovers, has a haunted past.
2"Night 2"Agnieszka HollandScott Abbott & James WongMay 15, 2014 (2014-05-15)3.26 [10]
Roman and Margaux take a strange interest in the couple after Rosemary becomes pregnant. Also when Guy finds success through writing, tragedy strikes Rosemary's personal life and her health starts to decline drastically during the course of her pregnancy, making her believe there is something wrong with the baby.

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the show held a 31% approval rating with an average score of 4.8/10, based on 35 reviews. The consensus read: "Although the Parisian setting and special effects are impressive, this Rosemary's Baby remake resorts to sensationalism and gore." At Metacritic, the show had a score of 51 out of 100, based on 27 reviews, which indicates a "mixed or average" response. [11] [12]

Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times , who called the miniseries a "surprisingly clever remake", felt that the choice of Paris as the setting was not only "one of the best things" about the remake, but it works well with the theme of conflict with neighbors. Furthermore, she noted that it was reasonable that Rosemary (Zoe Saldana) would be naive and dependent because of her unfamiliarity with Paris as a newcomer. [13] Stanley wrote that the host couple, French sophisticates Margaux (Carole Bouquet) and Roman Castevet (Jason Isaacs), were completely different from the one in Roman Polanski's original. [13] Although she said the adaptation took liberties with the source material, James Poniewozik of Time said the adaptation "keeps its essential shape and plot" in comparison to the original film, an opinion shared by Hank Stuever of The Washington Post , who wrote that the new adaptation was "surprisingly and even satisfyingly true to the old movie". [8] [13] [14] Poniewozik stated that although director Holland had successfully directed complex and lively episodes of The Wire and Treme , this adaptation was "leaden and slack", which may have been due to an attempt to fill two two-hour time slots. [14] Stuever also wrote that it was "way too long", and added that the show lacked suspense. [8] Poniewozik characterized Rosemary and Guy (Patrick J. Adams) as "anesthetically generic" without a "complex relationship"; he likened the miniseries to a "lifestyle show" that becomes a "slasher movie". Despite some "redeeming notes", he ultimately called it "too dull". [14] Stuever noted that the 2014 adaptation was set in "the hyper-aware boutique pregnancy" era, and pointed out one modernization that eased Rosemary's burden: Google image searches on Satan. [8] David Bianculli of NPR felt the shift to Paris was unnecessary and that the adaptation was "neither refreshing nor original"; he summed it up as "just dreadful". He described Saldana's Rosemary as more appealing, but no smarter, than Mia Farrow's. [15]

Related Research Articles

<i>Rosemarys Baby</i> (novel) 1967 horror novel by Ira Levin

Rosemary's Baby is a 1967 horror novel by American writer Ira Levin; it was his second published book. It was the best-selling horror novel of the 1960s, selling over four million copies. The high popularity of the novel was a catalyst for a "horror boom", and horror fiction would achieve enormous commercial success in its wake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariel Hemingway</span> American actress (born 1961)

Mariel Hemingway is an American actress. She began acting at age 14 with a Golden Globe-nominated breakout role in Lipstick (1976), and she received Academy and BAFTA Award nominations for her performance in Woody Allen's Manhattan (1979).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoe Saldaña</span> American actress (born 1978)

Zoë Yadira Saldaña-Perego is an American actress. Known primarily for her work in science fiction film franchises, she has starred in four of the highest-grossing films of all time. Films she has appeared in have grossed more than $15 billion worldwide and, as of 2024, she is the second highest-grossing lead actress and the highest-grossing actress overall. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosemary Harris</span> British actress (born 1927)

Rosemary Ann Harris is an English actress. She is the recipient of an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and three Laurence Olivier Awards. Harris was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1986, and she won the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre in 2017.

Zoë Tapper is an English actress who first came to prominence playing Nell Gwynne in Richard Eyre's award-winning film Stage Beauty in 2004. She is known for portraying Anya Raczynski in Survivors and Mina Harker in Demons.

<i>Look Whats Happened to Rosemarys Baby</i> 1976 American made-for-television film

Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby is a 1976 American made-for-television horror film, which serves as the sequel to Roman Polanski's 1968 film Rosemary's Baby, and the second installment in the franchise of the same name. The movie stars Stephen McHattie, Patty Duke, George Maharis, Ruth Gordon, Ray Milland and Tina Louise; premiering as the ABC Friday Night Movie on October 29, 1976.

<i>The Losers</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Sylvain White

The Losers is a 2010 American action film and an adaptation, by Peter Berg and James Vanderbilt, of the Vertigo Comic series of the same name by Andy Diggle and Jock. Directed by Sylvain White, the film features an ensemble cast that includes Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldaña, Idris Elba, and Chris Evans.

<i>Rosemarys Baby</i> (film) 1968 film by Roman Polanski

Rosemary's Baby is a 1968 American psychological horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on Ira Levin's 1967 novel. The film stars Mia Farrow as a newlywed living in Manhattan who becomes pregnant, but soon begins to suspect that her neighbors are members of a Satanic cult who are grooming her in order to use her baby for their rituals. The film's supporting cast includes John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy, Patsy Kelly, Angela Dorian, and Charles Grodin in his feature film debut.

<i>Son of Rosemary</i> 1997 horror novel by Ira Levin

Son of Rosemary is a 1997 horror novel by American writer Ira Levin. It is the sequel to his 1967 novel, Rosemary's Baby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoe Davis</span> Soap opera character

Zoe Davis is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, portrayed by Ally Fowler. The actress was initially approached in 1985 about a role in the serial shortly before it was cancelled by Channel 7. When it was picked up by Network Ten, the role came up again. Fowler chose to put off a planned overseas trip to join the cast for a year. Fowler did not want to be typecast and felt that a year was just long enough. She began filming in the first week of December 1985 when production stated up again. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 January 1986.

<i>Awake</i> (TV series) American police procedural fantasy drama television series

Awake is an American police procedural fantasy drama television series that originally aired on NBC for one season from March 1 to May 24, 2012. The pilot episode had an early release on Hulu on February 16, 2012, two weeks before the series' premiere on television. Kyle Killen, the series' creator, was primarily responsible for the program's concept. Killen and David Slade served as executive producers of the pilot episode, and Killen continued producing the series along with Jeffrey Reiner and Howard Gordon.

Pilot (<i>Awake</i>) 1st episode of the 1st season of Awake

"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake, which originally aired on NBC on March 1, 2012. Written by series creator Kyle Killen, "Pilot" earned a Nielsen rating of 2.0, being watched by 6.247 million viewers upon its initial broadcast. Directed by David Slade, it became the highest-rated non-sports program in its respective time slot on NBC in over a year. The episode has generally received positive reviews, with many critics commenting on the episode's unique script, and the cast members, particularly Jason Isaacs' performance as Michael Britten, who they felt effectively embodied the characteristics of the lead role. It was one of eight honorees at the Critics' Choice Television Awards.

"Chapter 1" is the pilot episode and the first episode of the first season of the American political thriller drama television series House of Cards. It premiered on February 1, 2013, when it was released along with the rest of the first season on the American streaming service Netflix. This episode became the first streaming television webisode to earn Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations. "Chapter 1" was written by series developer Beau Willimon and directed by executive producer David Fincher. The episode also earned 3 other Emmy nominations as well as Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Drama and Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Drama Series nominations.

<i>Camp</i> (TV series) 2013 American television series

Camp is an American comedy drama television series created by Liz Heldens and Peter Elkoff. It follows the antics of a group of campers and counselors at a fictional lakeside summer camp named Little Otter Family Camp, run by director Mackenzie 'Mack' Granger played by Rachel Griffiths. It originally aired on NBC from July 10 through September 11, 2013.

<i>Infinitely Polar Bear</i> 2014 film

Infinitely Polar Bear is a 2014 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Maya Forbes, and starring Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Imogene Wolodarsky, and Ashley Aufderheide. The film premiered in competition at the 30th Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2014. The film was released on June 19, 2015, by Sony Pictures Classics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cynthia Addai-Robinson</span> American actress (born 1985)

Cynthia Addai-Robinson is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Naevia in the Starz television series Spartacus, DC Comics character Amanda Waller in The CW TV series Arrow, and Nadine Memphis on the USA Network series Shooter. She currently plays the role of Tar-Míriel on the Amazon Prime The Lord of the Rings series The Rings of Power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">71st Golden Globe Awards</span> Awards ceremony for film and TV from 2013

The 71st Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and American television of 2013, was broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 12, 2014, by NBC, as part of the 2013-14 film awards season. The ceremony was produced by Dick Clark Productions in association with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Woody Allen was announced as the Cecil B. DeMille Award honoree for his lifetime achievements on September 13, 2013, and Diane Keaton accepted the award for him. On October 15, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were announced as the co-hosts for the second time in a row and as the co-hosts for the 72nd Golden Globe Awards. The nominations were announced on December 12, 2013, by Aziz Ansari, Zoe Saldana and Olivia Wilde. American Hustle, Behind the Candelabra, Breaking Bad, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Dallas Buyers Club were among the films and television shows that received multiple awards.

Donna Zakowska is an American costume designer. According to AMC, "Donna Zakowska has designed for film, theatre, circus, opera, music and puppet theatre, including nine seasons for the Big Apple Circus and a concert tour for Mick Jagger." Her costume designs for the John Adams won an Emmy Award in 2009. Zakowska's costumes for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Period Costumes" in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamora (Marvel Cinematic Universe)</span> Character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Gamora is a fictional character portrayed primarily by Zoe Saldaña in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Gamora is depicted as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, having escaped her previous life as an assassin after she was forcibly adopted by Thanos after he murdered half of her people, including her mother. For the next twenty years, she served Thanos as a cybernetically enhanced warrior until betraying him to join the Guardians. Over time she becomes romantically involved with Peter Quill, and develops a positive relationship with her adopted sister Nebula despite their rivalrous upbringing. She is eventually killed by Thanos when he sacrifices her to obtain the Soul Stone.

<i>Apartment 7A</i> 2024 film by Natalie Erika James

Apartment 7A is a 2024 American psychological thriller film directed by Natalie Erika James from a screenplay she co-wrote with Christian White and Skylar James. It serves as a prequel to Rosemary's Baby (1968). Julia Garner, Dianne Wiest, Jim Sturgess, and Kevin McNally star.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Inzaurralde, Bastien (April 28, 2014). "'Rosemary's Baby' Remake Shifts Horror to Paris". Daily Herald . Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  2. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (January 8, 2014). "Zoe Saldana To Topline NBC Miniseries 'Rosemary's Baby'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  3. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (January 8, 2014). "Zoe Saldana to Star in NBC's 'Rosemary's Baby' Remake". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Why Zoe Saldana remade 'Rosemary's Baby'". CNN. May 9, 2014. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  5. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (January 20, 2014). "Patrick J. Adams, Jason Isaacs Join NBC's 'Rosemary's Baby'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Donadio, Rachel (May 8, 2014). "Bedeviled Anew by a Pregnancy: Agnieszka Holland's Post-Feminist 'Rosemary's Baby' on NBC". The New York Times . Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  7. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (January 20, 2014). "Patrick J. Adams & Jason Isaacs To Star In NBC's 'Rosemary's Baby' Miniseries". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Stuever, Hank (May 9, 2014). "'Rosemary's Baby': A demon seed in the age of ultrasound". The Washington Post . Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  9. ↑ Bibel, Sara (May 13, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'American Dad' & 'America's Funniet Home Videos' Adjusted Up; 'Revenge', 'Cosmos' & 'Dateline' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  10. ↑ Bibel, Sara (May 16, 2014). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' & 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up; 'Reign' & 'The Millers' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Rosemary's Baby: Season 1 (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Rosemary's Baby : Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 Stanley, Alessandra (May 8, 2014). "Wanting a Child in the Worst Way: 'Rosemary's Baby' Is Remade Into a Mini-Series". The New York Times . Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 Poniewozik, James (May 8, 2014). "REVIEW: Rosemary's Baby and Penny Dreadful". Time . Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  15. ↑ Bianculli, David (May 9, 2014). "'Penny Dreadful' Is Wonderful, But 'Rosemary's Baby' Is Dreadful". NPR.org. NPR . Retrieved May 11, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.