Color, 1972, 85 mins. Directed by Ted Post
Starring Ruth Roman, Anjanette Comer, Marianna Hill, Susanne Zenor, David Manzy, Michael Pataki, Beatrice Manley Blaue / / Written by Abe Polsky / Cinematography by Michael D. Margulies / Music by Gerald Fried
Format: DVD - Image (MSRP $24.98)
Full Frame / Dolby Digital Mono
One of the sickest movies to ever receive a PG rating, The Baby, a neglected drive-in shocker, offers more insanity per minute than our current politically correct climate would ever allow. Boosted by a surprisingly good performance by Ruth Roman (best known as the wooden leading lady of such films as Strangers on a Train), this twisted little gem may have limited appeal but certainly delivers the goods for those in the right frame of mind.
Ann Gentry (Anjanette Comer), a kindly social worker, becomes intrigued by the case of Baby, a full grown young man whose suffocating mother (Ruth Roman) and sisters (Mariana Hill and Susanne Zenor) have kept him in a state of mental infancy, even forbidding him from learning to walk. Ann devotes most of her time to Baby, much to the consternation of her boss -- who points out that the last social worker to take on Baby disappeared without a trace. Still grieving from her husband's debilitation in a car accident, Ann finds herself growing more attached to Baby and concerned for his welfare, while Roman and company sink deeper into insanity, indulging in such activities as whipping Baby's overly affectionate babysitter.
Despite the film's obvious low budget (Baby's crying is dubbed unconvincingly with the sound of a real infant) and frequent lapses in taste (Ann's visit to a class for the mentally handicapped), The Baby remains compelling viewing and has aged quite well. Stanley Kubrick's first composer, Gerald Fried, contributes a poignant and haunting score, while Comer makes a reasonably sympathetic central character... though her pronunciation of the word "cost" is unintentionally hilarious. Best of all, the twist ending is unforgettable and absolutely sick.
Not exactly a film that would seem a prime candidate for DVD, The Baby has been brought to the format by Image with more care than anyone could have expected. A drastic improvement over the old, long out of print VHS editions, the print exhibits some noticeable damage during the opening credits and two reel changes, but otherwise the quality is excellent. Color saturation is rich and vivid, particularly for an early '70s title (an era widely known for its bad film stock), while the audio is clear and features no evident signs of wear. The film is presented completely open matte, with a great deal of extra unused space exposed at the top and bottom of the frame throughout. The disc also includes an extremely melodramatic Spanish language track and an alternate isolated music and sound effects track, all the better to appreciate Fried's contribution to the film. Incidentally, the original press materials indicated a running time of 102 minutes, a length which has perpetuated through such sources as Leonard Maltin. However, the true running time appears to be the 85 minutes presented here, as no material seems to be missing.
