The Stepford Wives

Rating:
Summary: 70's Feminism Revisited
Review: "The Stepford Wives," based on the novel by Ira Levin, is worth seeing (and for some, owning) and it is good, but I feel somehow it might've been better. Since the phrase "Stepford Wives" has become a part of the lexicon, I assume most know what it's about. Amateur shutterbug Joanna Eberhardt (Katharine Ross) and lawyer hubby Walter (Peter Masterson) move with their two children from New York City to the suburbs where Joanna quickly suspects something is off about the picture perfect Stepford women. Levin's novel reflected the burgeoning women's movement and a certain New York-bred bias about suburbia.

On the plus side is the cast: pretty Katharine Ross; ebullient Paula Prentiss; and Hollywood glamorous Tina Louise (here as red a redhead as you can get). Still, it isn't completely satisfying, to use a cliche and yet fairly apt film review phrase. One of the things that detracts, for me, is the fact that the men are so uniformly unappealing. Obviously this was partially supposed to be the point, but it doesn't work well for me, because at the very least, Walter Eberhardt should come across as an appealing character who has somehow gotten swept up into the Men's Association mania and changed. At one point, Joanna even says to him, when he calls the Stepford husbands "a nice group of guys," "Are you serious?. .That's not me and it's not you." Isn't it? He comes off as a rather obnoxious, self-centered character from the get-go, wanting to "christen" every room in the house, making a comment to another Stepford husband whose wife brings over a "welcoming" casserole, "She cooks as good as she looks" (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) and basically being domineering in a passive-aggressive way. I couldn't see what attracted her to him, and they seemed to have zero chemistry. The fact that Joanna and Bobbie (Prentiss) are commenting that the babes of Stepford have chosen husbands who are "nothing" is rather an irony, since their own husbands are nothing to write home about. Joanna's husband, moreover, is whiny.

Beyond this, there are some anomalies. What's with the older woman who writes about new women coming to Stepford? Is she representative of the active women's movement that once existed? I know this is in keeping with Levin's novel. And what about the children? What fate will they have with robotic mothers?

The ending is pretty creepy, granted (in fact, individual scenes are great) but I also feel this film unintentionally --at least in retrospect -- sheds another light on feminism, exposing some fears that weren't entirely justifiable. Being a strong feminist myself, I don't want to suggest in any way that feminism wasn't necessary and vital or that the need for it has passed. Heaven knows that women are still back in the Stone Ages in many countries without many rights to speak of. But the hysteria here of suggesting that men would literally turn their wives into robots (even if it is a metaphor for the subservient role that already existed -- the "decorative but mindless" ideal the media has long put out)-- well, it didn't happen, did it? The women's movement did happen and now women are in the boardrooms and fighting to have the luxury of being stay-at-home moms. You can't really have it all, whether you are male or female without some compromise. But, in any case, nothing on this scale in essence happened in our country or society. And if men were looking for ideals, would they choose those peasant dresses and floppy hats? I guess that was 70's chic.

Oh -- and the Tina Louise character -- irony of all ironies -- has a maid and makes the disparaging comment about her that being from whatever country she is from, makes her good at "serving." Joanna and Bobbie later are shocked and disturbed that Tina Louise has fired her housekeeper so she can do her work herself. I was uneasy that she had the housekeeper to start with! She was as oppressive and condescending in speaking about the woman as the husbands were about their wives.

But in spite of what I consider to be a sense of lacking in this film, it's still a good one. Seeing the women behave as robots is the thriller part and it is very effective. The companionship of Joanna and Bobbie is appealing, and the other "wives" are quite good, especially when they sound as if they are doing advertisements for cleansing products. It has a good musical score, highlighting all that is twisted and unsettling. And some of the dialogue is a hoot. All in all, it's worthwhile and fun to watch -- just not as great as what might have been.


Rating:
Summary: an effective thriller; a good social commentary
Review: This movie has usually been reviewed as an effective thriller--which it is. And slow-moving--which it is, too, but in terms of this Pre-Rambo era, this was normal. Many features of the time were slow moving--The Conversation, The Parallax View, Soylent Green, and most notably, Picnic at Hanging Rock, were all excellent movies that took quite a while to get moving. You're supposed to absorb everything that's going on.

The Stepford Wives, however, is underrated as a social commentary of the times. It's probably the only good movie that deals with Feminism, which was a cultural war very much on our minds at the time.

Many of the references will probably bewilder those younger than 35. For example, the scene with Joanna and Bobby on the steps. Talk is made of "the Women's Lib thing in New York" "a Maidenform [bra] bonfire", a "consciousness-raising group". Concerning the "bonfire", burning bras was a big thing in the early 70s--it symbolized freedom from feminine restraints.

Watch the scene of the men's party at Joanna's house--the camera dwells on Joanna's feminine curves, very obviously both bra-less and pantiless. This is a visual allusion to the "bra-burning" trend. At the end of the movie, there's a scene with "Joanna", bra-less, and much better endowed than before. There's a scene with pantyhose--a vital scene--too revealing to give away here. Pantyhose, widely worn in the 70s, was that most feminine, that quasi-sexist garment that can be said to strangle Joanna's sensibilities, her independent ambitions. Our sensitivities have been numbed by a generation of mindless, Rambo-type movies. This is why many of the reviewers have looked at this movie with too literal an eye.

Some of the feminists allusions are too obvious to go into here. Suffice it to say they're numerous. As an example, one of the wives used to be the head of a women's group. Joanne and Bobby hear of this, and want to know more.

Listen closely to the dialogue. Much of the time, it's revealing. Bobby refuses to "squeeze the goddamn Charmin" or "become one of those 'pot-scrubbers'". The gossip talks about "the first black couple to move in town--is it a good thing"? Later on, in the supermarket scene, the new black couple is arguing. Listen closely--the wife's unhappy, and wants to leave Stepford, and we viewers can see the cycle starting all over again.

The only criticism I can land on this movie is that the editing is flabby in spots. Establishing shots, in particular, seem too drawn-out, even for the era. But overall, I highly recommend this movie, both as a thriller and as a social commentary of the times.

Rating:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
Summary: The original visit to the quaint little town of Stepford
Review: With the remake of "The Stepford Wives" coming out on DVD next week I decided to watch the 1975 original again. This is one of the most understated horror films of all time, more akin to an episode of "The Twilight Zone" than the bloodbaths that usually defined the genre at that time. Of course, with William Goldman adapting Ira Levin's novel, you knew that this one was going to be more cerebral.

Stepford is a quaint little Connecticut town where the Eberharts have moved to in order to escape from New York City, whose urban horrors are reduced to the sight of a man carrying an inflatable rubber doll down the street. The decision to move the family was done by the husband, Walter (Peter Masterson), who apparently makes all of the decisions for the Eberharts, much to the distress of his wife, Joanna (Katharine Ross). She finds the idyllic life of Stepford to be too different and actually admits she misses the noise of the big city. While her husband makes plans to join the local men's club, Joanna finds herself turning back to her love of photography as a way of keeping sane. Then she finds a kindred spirit in neighbor Bobbie Markowe (Paula Prentiss), and they go off in search of other like-minded ladies for some increasingly necessary female bonding.

Everything that is wrong with Stepford is personified by Carol Van Sant (Nanette Newman), the perfect model of a Stepford wife, who lives next door. There is something odd about Carol, for whom cleanliness is before everything else. All of the other wives seem to be like Carol, with the exception of Charmaine Wimperis (Tina Louise), who seems all ready to complete the triad of sanity with Joanna and Bobbie. But then, overnight, Charmaine becomes just like Carol and the others. Bobbie thinks it has to be the water. Of course, she never suspects the truth until it is way too late.

Of course everybody knows the twist. "The Stepford Wives" became a paradigm for the flip side of the feminist movement of the Sixties. While many women were interested in having their consciousness raised, some men were wishing they could drag their spouses back to the Stone Age. Of course, Levin found a solution by going in the opposite direction.

My reading of this film has always been slightly idiosyncratic. My sympathies are with Joanna, not because she is a gifted artist with a camera who deserves to become self-actualized and do more with her life than take care of the house and kids seven days a week, but because she is Katharine Ross. After "The Graduate" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," Ross was the actress from the Sixties that I thought of as being the most beautiful. Consequently, when Walter is unsatisfied with his wife I find it unbelievable because the man is married to Katharine Ross. She is bright, she is articulate, she has a cute smile to go along with great eyes, and there is no reason to enhance her bust line. Walter is a toad who has married far above what he deserves.

"The Stepford Wives" is an exercise in misdirection, and not simply because most of the clues hint at something simpler than advanced robotics. The story spends most of its time trying to figure WHAT is going on, with directly addressing the question of WHY. Goldman's satire is often too subtle. A pivotal scene is when Joanna, Carol and Charmaine get together with a couple of the other wives to unburden themselves. The three women each admit deep dark secrets, unbarring their souls. The other women get rhapsodic over cleaning agents. Clearly there is a wide gulf here, but the idea that gender equality would result in a male backlash that would do more than simply yearn for the good ol' days never becomes explicit. There is a lot more going on here than rehashing "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" for a new generation.

The movie also requires Joanna not to put two and two together in enough time to flee Stepford, although she does have two children who can be used against her at the key moment. Still, "The Stepford Wives" cannot be accused of being heavy handed, which is usually the fatal flaw in such thrillers and the final scene is as elegant a conclusion to a horror movie as you are going to find in the genre. I still pity the Stepford husbands, who think that perfect housewives make the world a far, far better place.

Rating:
Summary: 70s Thriller Classic That Skewers its Era
Review: The Stepford Wives is a great, slick piece of entertainment. Beautifully shot, carefully directed and well cast, this makes for some first-rate entertainment. Is it about feminisim? Chauvanism? The quest for perfection? Any and all really. Goldman did a great job scripting Levin's novel. It is mysterious, creepy, sometimes languid and it still manages a great number of tongue-in-cheek moments. Ultimately, it's not WHAT is happening to these women (how many clues and winks can they give you) rather it's about whether our heroine will succumb to the same fate. The final shot is the ultimate gasp and chuckle moment. Ross, O'Neal and Masterson are fine. Paula Prentiss is the perfect wiseass who keeps it in check just enough so that she herself does not become a joke. The film holds up well and the DVD looks great. A must see.

Rating:
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...