Whenever male authors complain that women are "so mysterious, so hard to write!" I point at Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives. Ira Levin seems to have managed it just fine. His women have real dreams and real motivations. Their fears are valid. He recognized exactly what real world forces were arrayed against them, how easily they could crush someone, and how truly horrifying it was. His villain characters might be part of science fiction conspiracies or supernatural cults, but their real tools of oppression are real and enmeshed in society.

As a 50yr old woman, I've seen this world as a trap. I finally found a way out by learning to unconditionally love myself first and trust my intuition. I think we are finally moving into a world where woman are choosing themselves not the script written for them. This video brought up so many situations from my own life. We aren't that removed from this treatment yet, they just hide it in different ways. Propoganda and social norms disguised as woman empowerment.

When I was an older teen (17), my gynecologist called my father to discuss my lack of sexual history. This was 1978.

Fortunately, Dad was appalled -- by a doctor violating patient privacy -- and reported him.

Anyone who doesn't like HIPAA laws (copaganda shows, for instance), needs to remember how recently rights could be violated.

I’ve watched Rosemary’s Baby countless times, and the heartbreak I feel throughout it is still as visceral as the first time. I tend to cry during the scene when Rosemary goes into labor while all the cult members hold her down on the bed, it’s disturbing and overwhelming, and exactly what I’d expect from horror media about reproduction.

Given what we know now about Epstein's island and his circle of rapists, this movie is more chilling relevant than ever

The ending struck a cord. My home life wasn't the best as a kid and I was put in a mental hospital by my abusers. They really tried to make me look crazy but I was just a wounded traumatized teen. I didn't realize why this movie left me feeling so wrong when I first watched it and you hit the nail. The feeling of being trapped with nowhere to go and knowing no one will listen to you, is suffocating.

I am free now, trying to find safety where I can! ❤️

A man is angry because it's perceived as something happened. A woman is angry because it's perceived as a flaw in her character.

5:14 This reminds me of that terrible French case! A monster of a man drugged his wife and invited strangers over for years. He was caught and she was able to get some justice.

It's terrifying to think someone who is supposed to love you, would do something so awful

I always thought the real horror  of RB was how everyone around her (mostly men) were always telling her what to do, what to think, how to act, etc. like a child.

Ira Levin had a lot to say about women and their rights. I think Rosemary’s Baby and The Stepford Wives are PERFECT examples of the brutality of being a woman in America.

This video was so good, my uterus is now wandering! 😅

It made me so sad and (especially) mad at the end for poor Rosemary. I would've loved it if she had taken that knife and fatally wound a few people, such as that dirt bag Guy and that lady who was by the baby, giving Rosemary a nasty glare for just being there. It makes me so frustrated how those awful people got their way in the end and poor Rosemary had to live with that.

This movie is very disturbing

2:13 apparently when horror author Shirley Jackson was in the hospital giving birth to one of her children, then nurse asked what her occupation was. Jackson said “writer.” The nurse said “oh so you’re a housewife?” Shirley Jackson replied “NO, I’m a writer.” The nurse insisted “I’m gonna write down ‘housewife’.”
So the “occupation: housewife” thing was a way of de-valuing women’s contributions on several levels.

This movie is a horror show on so many levels! From Polanski's torrid deeds, to Sharon Tate's tragic fate, to even the murder of John Lennon in the same building this was filmed.

"Christmas has a funny way of coming back around each year." – "It's always Christmas." 😖
We saw you in this little vintage TV set! 🎄

That Dr Hill part is devastating. Even you,as a viewer, feel helpless, trapped & desperate😢 But, to be fair to Hill, her story does sound like a serious case of paranoia.If we add the "code" between doctors (If one dr gives you a diagnosis, most other drs will stick to it, in respect to their colleague😢)& the fact that dr. S. is famous&considered great, it's hardly surprising that Hill called him&Guy.Most ppl would.Even nowadays.Some would even call the cops to take R.to an institution😢
I agree about the ending.She accepts the baby,but that's the ultimate tragedy.She completely gave up.Poor Rosemary.
What hurts me is how modern the film feels.There're many wives still living similarly. I guess one of the reasons is our unwillingness to believe that someone we love could actually be a complete monster. It applies to women more, bcs we're being taught from an early age that we should be the ones to give & care for love & family more than guys. They give us babydolls to mother them & tea pots of plastic. Boys're taught to care for their personal success above all, like Guy, while family is in the background. And love,especially romantic, is even seen as shameful for a macho man. It's still  prevalent 😢😢😢

This is great! You did your homework! I’ve been studying hysteria- the wandering womb idea is so wild.

Loving this vid!
Two things: the heavy use of yellow in Rosemary's apartment is a reference to Charlotte Perkins Gillman's short story of gaslighting: The Yellow Wallpaper. And about medical misogyny, I highly recommend Jessica Taylors recent book, "Sexy but Psycho".

12:15 did anybody else pause and read that Miltown ad? Wow