Ep 27 Book to Movie: Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin

Show Notes

In this episode, Matt Kelland and I discuss the 1967 novel Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin and its subsequent movie adaptation by director Roman Polanski one year later in 1968. It was Polanski’s first American film (he also adapted the novel to the screen).

Matt and I examine the background of the novel, its discovery by Polanski, and a bit of production history. We also discuss the adaptation (our first literal adaptation in this podcast series), the casting and acting, the production style compared to the book, and, in particular, the infamous “rape” scene and how the film version differs from the novel.

I used the extras on the Blu-ray disc of Rosemary’s Baby, published by Criterion Collection, along with the BFI Film Guide to Rosemary’s Baby, to aid in my discussion. The version of the novel I read was the Dell paperback published as a movie tie-in in 1968. The film verison of Rosemary’s Baby was a monster hit during the summer of 1968 and influenced popular culture for decades to come.

You can find more info on the background of the Ira Levin novel here, along with an excellent review of the Polanski film here. I highly recommend the BFI Film Classics guide to the film, as it goes into great detail about the production and the 60s culture it came out of.

CO-HOST, MATT KELLAND

Once again, to discuss these book-to-movie adaptations, I’m joined by my good friend Matt Kelland. I always enjoy talking about books and movies with him, because, like me, he’s into a wide variety of different styles, genres, authors, and directors. He also has a professional background in writing, video games, animation, music, and visual art, so he has a lot of different experiences to draw on. He and I don’t always agree with each other, but that’s what makes our conversations interesting! I’d recommend checking out his collection of short stories, Nothing To See Here