Rosemary was based on a story that was so well-known in 1915 that none of the film's reviewers felt the need to synopsize the plotline. Set in England in 1840, the story revolves around the misadventures of Dorothy Cruikshank (
Marguerite Snow) and her large and colorful family. Ordered to marry for money, Dorothy prefers to hold out for love, and thereby hangs the tale. The critic for the trade magazine Variety complimented the film's two directors for their expert handling of an extended storm sequence. The same critic was not so kind to the film's art director, who incongruously hung a portrait of George Washington in the home of a British country squire. Rosemary was planned as a starring vehicle for Francis X. Bushman, but after creative difficulties with producer/studio owner Fred J. Balshofer, Bushman left California for New York, leaving the role to
Lester Cuneo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide