Home :: DVD :: Mystery & Suspense :: Mystery  

Blackmail, Murder & Mayhem
British Mystery Theater
Classics
Crime
Detectives
Film Noir
General
Mystery

Mystery & Suspense Masters
Neo-Noir
Series & Sequels
Suspense
Thrillers
The Stepford Wives

The Stepford Wives

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $11.99
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 >>

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Nothing more then a porn movie....
Review: This was clearly a film that attacked and demeaned women, like most movies and TV shows in Hollywood will do, (The latest being the ABC show, Desperate Housewives which is little more then a call girl show). Ross must have been tricekd into doing this movie because she has sinced starred in other movies where she played characters that had more control over their lives. The recent remake that starred Nicole Kidman was a light comedy with a more possitive ending, but this one does not.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A great, but very slow-moving picture.
Review: After seeing the new version of The Stepford Wives (which, incidentally, I loved) I had to seek out the original, which I haven't seen since I was a kid. I was very impressed by most of the performances, most notably Paula Prentiss, who was absolutely magnetic. Although the story was absorbing, and the direction was good, the movie, not unlike Rosemary's Baby, seemed to go nowhere fast. Foot after foot of tape passed through my VCR, but the story unfolded so slowly, it was hard to remain interested........all in all, a must-see because of it's pop-culture influence.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great 70's period peace on feminism and more
Review: Having seen the Nicole Kidman/Matthew Broderick remake of the Stepford Wives made me want to recheck the original. Yes, the original version based on Ira Levin's novel far supercedes the original. On one level, it's a great suspense story that slowly draws the viewer in, peeling away the seemingly paradise of Stepford to reveal something downright sinister and disturbing. On another, it serves as a 1970's time capsule, where women shone the spotlight on themselves at the height of the feminist movement.

Stepford seems to be an idyllic place, where no one has to lock their doors and where the Eberhardts, who have recently moved there from the Big Apple, witness the friendliest car accident in the shopping center parking lot. For husband Walter, a balding and sort of wishy-washy lawyer, charmed by the neighbourliness of their neighbour, Carol Van Sant, Stepford is a change for the better. Not for his wife Joanna, an amateur photographer who misses the noise of the big city.

At first, Joanna's depressed and bored because of the quietude of the place, but then she meets Bobbie Markow, an ex-Gothamite who "doesn't want to squeeze the Charmin." She gushingly praises Joanna's messy kitchen, then tells her about the Men's Association, where all the men hang out. The building itself is a mansion of sorts, and a nocturnal shot of it contains sinister overtones. Well, why isn't there a Women's Association? And why not start one?

Part of the reason is that most of the women are too busy being good little housewives. They do gain an ally in Charmaine Wimperis, but others are politely disinterested. In fact when they manage to get together to start a consciousness-raising session, they find a reluctance to participate except in domestic matters. However, things really perk up when the genteel Carol (Nanette Newman) has a bit too much to drink at a party, repeatedly says the same things to various people, and later, is then made to complacently apologize to everyone for her behaviour, an action Joanna and Bobbie find absolutely galling.

Another is when they accidentally visit a friend and hear her engaging in bedroom activities, calling her man the best. However, when they actually see him, he isn't exactly an Elvis lookalike. Why are the women so complacent here? Because in an exaggerated sense, as Billie Jean King noted in the dissonance of gender equality, "the system here is men."

The mention of consciousness-raising by Joanna and Bobbie makes this a 70's period piece. It was of course during this time that small discussion groups constituting young students, professional women, and suburban housewives like Joanna and Bobbie shared their experiences and frustrations with men as well as rethinking their relationships with the same. They embody those fighting private battles as opposed to other feminists more concerned with the big picture, the political struggles of women en masse. But it also denotes the concern that women want to count. Joanna tells a photo gallery owner to whom she shows her photos that she wants to be remembered. Indeed, if sports was where anyone can make gains, why not women in photography? (q.v. Margaret Bourke-White)

Given the women's lib overtones of this movie, it's no surprise that the female performers outshine the males, and how! With those wide, expressive, and thoughtful eyes, a natural sort of beauty, and someone beautiful yet tough, Katherine Ross (Joanna) serves as one of the pivots in this movie. Paula Prentiss as Bobbie wins second prize, someone with attitude, a tart sense of humour, and someone just plain fun to be with. And after being rescued from Gilligan's Island, Tina Louise moved to Stepford, taking on the role of Charmaine.

With electronic music by Suzanne Ciani, the original Stepford Wives is an intriguing period piece, with more suspense, thoughtfulness, and a terrifying and ultimately heartbreaking ending, set to matching strings.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Cool Movie - bad transfer
Review: I just got the newly released (June 15, 2004) DVD and was surprised to see how low quality the image looks on a HDTV with a progressive scan player. You may want to rent this one before you buy it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Story!
Review: I just watched The Stepford Wives on VHS and was surprised. I didn't think it would be as good as it was! The story is as important today as it was in 1975, when the movie was released. Katherine Ross is a very good actress and Paula Prentiss also gave an interesting performance as her best friend. Patrick O'Neal's heavy was more than appropiate. The evil lurking in Stepford is chilling. I also enjoyed glimpses of one of my favorite cities (New York) as it was in the 1970s.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Classically Creepy
Review: I'm a huge fan of classic movies so I was thrilled when my mom bought this home. I'm also extremely glad to watch this before I watch the new version with Nicole Kidman & Matthew Broderick. Upon watching it I was very pleasantly surprised. The cast is truly amazing and very well casted. I was even more surprised how much I enjoyed Tina Louise among many other noticeable actors today. The movie may start out slow, but ends up in an amazing eye opener plot line in the end. It is a bit predictable if you've read the book or know what the movie is already about, but it is still very entertaining from start to finish. I was also amazed about how creepy it made me feel and made me think for some reason of all new types of conspiracy theories. It's a really nice mix of sci-fi, thriller, and a little bit of horror. I know some people where highly disappointed or did not like the new version. I can't give my opinion on the new film version since I haven't seen it, but I will say always count on the original as being the best. This is no exception. The story is very well written and it's light unlike other thriller or horror movies. Plus the cast is amazing. It's a definite must see.

The DVD is very fun to and I was also surprised to see that it has extra's. A lot of classic films do not unless it was a big blockbuster. It has a behind the scene's (kind of) 18 minute clip of the actor's and director discussing the movie. Not to mention other enjoyable basic extra's.

So over all it's a must have for any fan of this genre or a lover of the classics.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: "Something strange is happening in the town of Stepford"
Review: In this 1975 screen adaptation of Ira Levin's novel, Katherine Ross and Peter Masterson star as the married couple who trade the big-city hustle for the serenity of a small Connecticut suburb; Stepford. This is a town in which perennially chipper wives dutifully tend to their husbands' every need, feverishly clean their houses and swoon over their children. The new women in town (Ross and Paula Prentiss) try to discover what's behind this domestic bliss, and their confrontations with the various townsfolk are what make the movie such a creepy, truly spine-tingling blast.

"The Stepford Wives" provides audiences with some fairly interesting social commentary and cautionary feminist undertones while maintaining a satisfying level of suspense, and if nothing else, makes the pathetic 2004 remake look like precisely what it is; garbage. After the disastrous remake, I really appreciated director Bryan Forbes' distinct story focus and his careful building of suspense. It was wonderful to be able to watch an intelligent thriller that doesn't rely on special effects and blood for thrills and chills!


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Invasion Of The Wife Swappers...
Review: Katherine Ross and Paula Prentiss are great as Joanna and Bobbie, two women who can't figure out why the rest of the females in Stepford are so subservient and docile. Of course, the husbands are all thrilled with their blank, utterly domesticated spouses. Joanna and Bobbie attempt to put together a women's consciousness-raising meeting, only to find the other wives discussing their homelife, chores, etc. Any effort by our heroines to actually discuss anything with substance is squelched by more "brownie recipe"-type blather. Joanna and Bobbie are joined by Charmaine (Tina Louise) who shares their suspicions and disgust for all things Stepford. Unfortunately, just when this trio gets going, Charmaine is somehow assimilated into the mindless suburban collective! She even lets her husband bulldoze her beloved tennis court to put in a swimming pool he desires. Things really start getting weird! Bobbie goes on a weekend getaway with her hubby. When she returns, she too is a member of the frilly apron society! Joanna confronts the "new" Bobbie in her kitchen. In the freakiest scene of the movie, Joanna stabs Bobbie with a steak-knife, causing her to short-circuit and repeat the same words and actions over and over! Joanna is now alone in a nightmare world of idiot bliss. Determined to get to the bottom of it all, she meets face to face with the true horror behind Stepford and it's Men's Club. The final scene is a classic moment of sheer terror! Highly recommended...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MUCH BETTER THAN THE REMAKE AS THIS IS NOT A COMEDY (!!!)
Review: Much better than the remake as this is not a comedy.
Much more enjoyable and satisfying.
And of course this version has the happy ending!!!

Personally I prefer human social reality.
`Slaughter, Rape and Pillage' as historically 99.9999%
of human history has been.
But then all people must pay a price to live in a civilized
And stable society (!!!)


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Stepford Wives
Review: Stepford Wives was a really good movie; I had no idea I would like it so much.The plot is really well adapted from the book let alone a great presentation of the standard quality that some expected from a wife or family.The acting really wasn't half bad and neither was the dialogue. Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, & Peter Masterson do great performances with Bryan Forbes doing a fabulous job directing.This scifi/horror flick is an almost perfect film that will certainly give it's share of chills and spooks.This film is deeper than just a spooky story.I want to see the remake, but haven't heard very good reviews to say the least.Anyway if your in the mood for a great movie check out The Stepford Wives.Are You Ready To Get Stepfor-ized!

Katharine Ross stars in this classic horror film as Joanna, a woman who moves to Stepford, Connecticut, along with her husband Walter (Peter Masterson) and her best friend Bobbie (Paula Prentiss). As the two women meet the other housewives who live in Stepford, they begin to notice that all of them are interested only in cooking, cleaning, and pleasing their husbands. Joanna and Bobbie are alarmed further when their husbands join the mysterious Stepford Men's Club, which convenes in a heavily guarded mansion and harbors a nefarious secret agenda. Based on the novel by Ira Levin (ROSEMARY'S BABY) and followed by the made-for-television sequels THE REVENGE OF THE STEPFORD WIVES, THE STEPFORD CHILDREN, and THE STEPFORD HUSBANDS.


<< 1 2 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates