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The Stepford Wives
USA 1975
produced by Edgar J. Scherick, Gustave M. Berne (executive) for Palomar Pictures, Fadsin Cinema Associates
directed by Bryan Forbes
starring Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson, Nanette Newman, Tina Louise, Carol Eve Rossen, William Prince, Carole Mallory, Toni Reid, Judith Baldwin, Barbara Rucker, George Coe, Franklin Cover, Robert Fields, Michael Higgins, Josef Sommer, Paula Trueman, Martha Greenhouse, Neil Brooks Cunningham, Remak Ramsay, Mary Stuart Masterson, Ronny Sullivan, John Aprea, Matt Russo, Anthony Crupi, Kenneth McMillan, Dee Wallace, Tom Spratley, Patrick O'Neal
written by William Goldman, based on the novel by Ira Levin, music by Michael Small
Stepford Wives
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Joanna (Katharine Ross) moves from New York City to the small town
Stepford in Connecticut with her husband Walter (Peter Masterson) and
kids, pretty much at his request, and at first, everything seems great,
the village is as peaceful as it is pittoresque, and theren are plenty of
motives for her work as a semi-professional photographer. But she soon
notices theres something very odd about Stepford, as in a way the village
is stuck int he 50s, where men decide everything, and all the wives are
perfect housemakers who talk in trivialities and show little to no depth.
Joanna tries to talk to Walter about this, but he seems to be happy in
Stepford and complains why she can't be more like the other local
housewives. Furthermore, Walter joins the chauvinist men's association,
the city's inofficial control board. Eventually, Joanna meets two women
who don't fit the mold of perfect housemakers, sloppy and brash Bobbie
(Paula Prentiss) and self-absorbed trophy wife Charmaine (Tina Louise),
and they try to get the other wives of town to form a sort of women's lib
- and are surprised that they only fall on deaf ears. Shortly after that,
Charmaine turns into a perfect and perfectly vapid housemaker as well.
Shocked, Joanna and Bobbie make plans to escape from Stepford, which is
cut short by even Bobbie turning. When Joanna tells Walter, he suggests
for her to see a psychiatrist, to which she agrees, but insists of seeing
someone out of town - who strongly suggests to Joanna to pack up her
children and leave town for good. However, when Joanna returns, the
children are nowhere to be found, apparently abducted by the men's
association, and when she goes to Bobbie for help, things escalate and
eventually Joanna stabs Bobbie - who doesn't bleed though or even feel the
pain, but goes into a loop of behaviours, as if she was a robot. Thing is,
that's in the stars for Joanna as well ... The premise of The
Stepford Wives sure is a haunting one, and one that deserves high
marks for originality - however in execution, the film doesn't always live
up to its promise, as it seems to fail to understand the satirical
underscores of its story, instead goes for a straight thriller treatment
that at times comes across as a bit too on-your-nose. Though even as that,
the film gets some truly creepy moments out of the mere representation of
"perfect housewives" and some imagery that stays with one. So in
other words, a film that doesn't quite live up to its potential but
deserves a watch still.
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