The Stepford Wives (1975 film)

Infobox Film
name = The Stepford Wives


image_size = 225px
caption = theatrical poster
director = Bryan Forbes
producer = Gustave M. Berne
"(exec. prod)"
Edgar J. Scherick
writer = Novel:
Ira Levin
Screenplay:
William Goldman
starring = Katharine Ross
Paula Prentiss
Peter Masterson
Nanette Newman
Tina Louise
music = Michael Small
cinematography = Enrique Bravo
Owen Roizman
editing = Timothy Gee
distributor = Columbia Pictures
Paramount Pictures (2004 DVD)
released = 12 February fy|1975 "(USA)"
runtime = 115 minutes
country = FilmUS
language = English
budget =
gross =
imdb_id = 0073747

"The Stepford Wives" is a 1975 science fiction/horror film based on the 1972 Ira Levin novel of the same name. It was directed by Bryan Forbes with a screenplay by William Goldman. Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson, Nanette Newman and Tina Louise starred in the film, which was remade in fy|2004.

While the film was only a moderate success at the time of release, it has grown in stature as a cult film over the years. Building upon the reputation of Levin's novel, the term "Stepford Wife" has became a popular science fiction concept and several sequels were shot, as well as remake of the film in 2004.

Plot

Joanna Eberhart (Katharine Ross) is a young wife who moves with her husband Walter (Peter Masterson) and two children from New York City to the idyllic Connecticut suburb of Stepford. Loneliness quickly sets in as Joanna, a mildly rebellious aspiring photographer, finds the women in town all look great and are obsessed with housework, but have few intellectual interests. The men all belong to the clubbish Stepford Men's Association, which Walter joins to Joanna's dismay. Witnessing neighbor Carol Van Sant's (Nanette Newman) sexually submissive behavior to her husband Ted, as well as her odd, repetitive behavior after a car accident also strike Joanna as unusual. Things start to look up when she makes friends with another newcomer to town, sloppy, irrepressible Bobbie Markowe (Paula Prentiss). Along with glossy trophy wife Charmaine Wimperis (Tina Louise), they organize a Women's Lib consciousness raising session, but the meeting is a failure when the other wives hijack the meeting with cleaning concerns. Joanna is also unimpressed by the boorish Men's Club members, including intimidating president Dale "Diz" Coba (Patrick O'Neal); stealthily, they collect information on Joanna including her picture, her voice, and other personal details. When Charmaine turns overnight from a languid, self-concerned tennis fan into an industrious, devoted wife, Joanna and Bobbie start investigating, with ever-increasing concern, the reason behind the submissive and bland behavior of the other wives, especially when they learn they were once quite supportive of liberal social policies.

Spooked, Bobbie and Joanna start househunting in other towns, and later, Joanna wins a prestigious contract with a photo gallery with some photographs of their respective children. When she excitedly tells Bobbie her good news, Joanna is shocked to find her freewheeling and liberal friend has abruptly changed into another clean, conservative housewife, with no intention to move from town.Joanna panics and at the insistence of Walter, visits a psychiatrist where she voices her belief that all the men in the town are behind a conspiracy of somehow changing the women. The psychiatrist recommends she leave town until she feels safe, but when Joanna returns home, the children are missing. The marriage devolves into domestic violence when Joanna and Walter get in to a physical scuffle. In an attempt to find her children, she hypothesizes Bobbie may be caring for them. Desperate, Joanna stabs Bobbie with a kitchen knife trying to prove her humanity, but Bobbie doesn't bleed or suffer, instead goes into a loop of odd mechanical behavior, thus confirming she is a robot.

Feeling she will be the next victim, Joanna sneaks into the mansion which houses the Men's Association to find her children, but chances upon the mastermind of the whole operation, Dale "Diz" Coba, and eventually her own robot-duplicate. Joanna is shocked into paralysis when she witnesses its souless, black, empty eyes. It is then suggested that the Joanna-duplicate strangles the real Joanna. In the final scene, the duplicate is seen placidly purchasing groceries at the local supermarket, along with the other "wives." The final shot focuses on Joanna's now-finished eyes.

Cast

*Katharine Ross as "Joanna Eberhart"
*Paula Prentiss as "Bobbie Markowe"
*Peter Masterson as "Walter Eberhart"
*Nanette Newman as "Carol Van Sant"
*Josef Sommer as "Ted Van Sant"
*Tina Louise as "Charmaine Wimperis"
*Franklin Cover as "Ed Wimperis"
*Toni Reid as "Marie Axhelm"
*George Coe as "Claude Axhelm"
*Carole Mallory as "Kit Sundersen"
*Barbara Rucker as "Mary Ann Stravros"
*Judith Baldwin as "Patricia Cornell"
*Michael Higgins as "Mr. Cornell"
*William Prince as "Ike Mazzard"
*Carol Eve Rossen as "Dr. Fancher"
*Robert Fields as "Raymond Chandler"
*Remak Ramsay as "Mr. Atkinson"
*Patrick O'Neal as "Dale Coba"

Cast notes

*"Brat pack" actress Mary Stuart Masterson made her film debut here as one of Joanna's children. Masterton is the daughter of Peter Masterson.
*Nanette Newman is the wife of director Bryan Forbes.
*Dee Wallace, later known for her role in "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial", appears as Charmaine's maid. Franklin Cover, of the television show "The Jeffersons" also appears in a supporting role.
*Tina Louise originated the role of "Ginger Grant" on the television show "Gilligan's Island". When the actress declined to appear in later incarnations, she was replaced by actress Judith Baldwin, who had a role as one of the minor wives. Baldwin also appeared in a small role in the telesequel "The Stepford Children".

Production

The film was shot in a variety of towns in Western Connecticut, primarily in Darien, Westport, and Fairfield. Director Bryan Forbes purposefully chose white and bright colors for the setting of the film, attempting to make a "thriller in sunlight". With the exception of the stormy night finale, the film is almost oversaturated with bright light and cheery settings. All the locations were actual places; no sets were built for the film.

Tension developed between Forbes and screenwriter Goldman over the casting of Nanette Newman (Forbes's wife) as one of the wives. Goldman had wanted the wives to be depicted as model-like women who dressed provocatively. But after casting Newman this was not to be, as Goldman stated he felt that Newman's physical appearance did not match the type of woman he imagined, and as a result this caused a change in appearance in costuming for all of the other wives. [http://www.reel.com/movie.asp?MID=41574&buy=closed&PID=10114361&Tab=reviews&CID=18#tabs Reel.com review] ] Goldman has said that he found Newman to be a perfectly good actress, however. Goldman was also unhappy with some rewrites that Forbes contributed. In particular, Forbes toned down Goldman's "horrific" ending. Actor Masterson, who was friends with Goldman, would secretly call Goldman for his input on scenes creating additional stresses.

The film's tone is reminiscent of Levin's earlier work "Rosemary's Baby", where it is unclear whether or not the film's protagonist is truly threatened or merely paranoid; in both cases, the films make the threat more concrete.

Casting

Initially, Joanna Cassidy was cast as Bobbie. When she left after a few weeks into production, her scenes were reshot. Diane Keaton initially accepted the role of Joanna, but cancelled before filming began.

Reception

"The Stepford Wives" has a 67% fresh rating on "Rotten Tomatoes.com". Some critics deride its leisurely pace. Most applaud the "quiet, domestic" thrills the film delivers in the final third and earlier sections as "clever, witty, and delightfully offbeat". [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/09/04/the_stepford_wives_dvd_review.shtml BBC review] ] As for the satire in the film, Roger Ebert wrote, " [The actresses] have absorbed enough TV, or have such an instinctive feeling for those phony, perfect women in the ads, that they manage all by themselves to bring a certain comic edge to their cooking, their cleaning, their gossiping and their living deaths." [ [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19750101/REVIEWS/501010364/1023 Roger Ebert.com] ]

Initial reaction to the film by feminist groups was not favorable, inferring that it was "anti-woman". Cast and crew vehemently disagree, as the men in the film are characterized as "swinish and grotesque", and the heroine is dispatched in the finale.

Awards and nominations

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror films
*Best Actress 1975--Katherine Ross-Won
*Best Science Fiction film 1975--nominated

equels

Many sequels have been produced over the years including:
*"Revenge of the Stepford Wives" (1980) Starring Don Johnson, Sharon Gless, and Julie Kavner.
*"The Stepford Children" (1987) Starring Barbara Eden.
*"The Stepford Husbands" (1996) Starring Donna Mills and Michael Ontkean
*The remake "The Stepford Wives" (2004) Starring Nicole Kidman and Matthew Broderick

Parodies and popular culture

*"Married with Children" - Season 11, Episode 10 was titled, "The Stepford Peg", where Peg (Katey Sagal) bumps her head on the coffee table after slipping on a candy wrapper and becomes a stereotypical housewife thanks to Al (Ed O'Neill) implanting suggestions that she does do housework.
*"The Chronicle" - Season 1, Episode 18 was titled, "The Stepford Cheerleaders."
*"Homeboys in Outer Space" - Season 1, Episode 10 was titled, "A Man's Place is in the Homey, or The Stepford Guys"
*"Desperate Housewives" - In Season 1, Bree Van de Kamp is said to be running for the "mayor of Stepford" because of her perfection.
*"Newhart" - Season 2, Episode 4 was titled, "The Stratford Wives."Note: The BBC movie soundalike "The Stretford Wives" (2002) is not related.

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0073747|title=The Stepford Wives
*tcmdb title|id=91401|title=The Stepford Wives
*amg movie|id=1:111705|title=The Stepford Wives