Behind the silver screen: Mia Farrow and the making of Rosemary’s Baby
The 1968 cult classic Rosemary’s Baby has been enshrouded in a certain mystery since it hit cinemas 50 years ago: a landmark picture, from director and casting choices to its critical appraisal, the legacy is as potent now as ever. Exploring what went on behind the scenes, movie still pioneer Bill Willoughby’s work on set exemplifies just how the captivating film was created. James Munn and Willoughby collaborated to celebrate the making of Polanski’s masterpiece, amalgamating in THIS IS NO DREAM: Making of Rosemary’s Baby.
Featuring some of the photographer’s never seen before images, the book encapsulates the enigma of movie sets and the intricate work that goes on. Candidly capturing the actors when natural and presenting them in character, Willoughby’s work is a cinematic rarity: showing us what goes on behind that silver screen.
Perhaps Mia Farrow’s most intriguing role to date, Rosemary’s Baby was originally a novel by Ira Levin, who was struck with the idea that “a fetus could be an effective horror if the reader knew it was growing into something malignly different from the baby expected”. Setting off with that in mind, the novel sat in the New York Times bestseller list for the bulk of 1967, and was immortalised further by Polanski’s filmic take. Now its brilliance and legacy is epitomised perfectly in Willoughby and Munn’s book. Take a sneak peek inside below.
This Is No Dream: Making Rosemary’s Baby by James Munn is published by Reel Art Press. RRP £29.95/$39.95. For further information and full list of stockists click here. Click through the gallery below for an exclusive look inside.
