The Stepford Wives

Plot synopsis:
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. Neighbor Carol Van Sant's (Nanette Newman) sexually submissive behavior to her husband Ted, and 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 "Dis" 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 house hunting 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 of moving 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. Joanna, still mystified by Bobbie's behavior, is desperate to prove her humanity but intuitively stabs Bobbie with a kitchen knife. But Bobbie doesn't bleed or suffer, instead going into a loop of odd mechanical behavior, thus revealing she is a robot.Despite feeling she may be the next victim, Joanna sneaks into the mansion which houses the Men's Association to find her children. There, she finds the mastermind of the whole operation, Dale "Dis" Coba, and eventually her own robot-duplicate. Joanna is shocked into paralysis when she witnesses its soulless, 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" all wearing similar long dresses, large hats and saying little more than hello to each other. The final shot focuses on Joanna's now-finished eyes.

Tags: tragedy, cult, satire

Review:
Even today, more than thirty years after Ira Levin's bestseller startled the reading public, we are likely to refer to such a woman as "a Stepford wife"--a creature who seems both perfect and perfectly shallow.The 1974 film version follows the Levin novel quite closely.
So odd that she begins to question her sanity.The film works on several levels, not the least of which is the macabre sense of humor with which director Byran Forbes endows the film: it is often very funny in a disquieting sort of way, as when Joanna and Bobbie's efforts to start a women's group results in a gathering of perfectly manicured women exchanging recipes and comparing floor polishes, or when Joanna and Bobbie accidentally overhear a Stepford couple making love.
The supporting cast is equally fine, most particularly so with Patrick O'Neal as the unnerving "Diz" and a nice turn by Tina Louise as Charmaine.Ultimately, THE STEPFORD WIVES is something of a "one trick pony:" it works best on a first viewing, when you don't know what's coming, and on subsequent viewings the film tends to read as unnecessarily slow.
The look of the movie seems low budget at times, but this simple use of direction and story telling adds to the setting of Stepford.
Scary and utterly horrific by the end, the Stepford Wives is a success as the movie makes its audience think..
On "Stepford", while many of its comments add spice to the story (someone affirms that blackmail is what makes America great, another male has been sent to Panama maybe to arrange things for a new revolution or a new invasion), they also point to social and political reasons for this state of things, of this dehumanized community that money and know-how can buy.
"The Stepford Wives" certainly isn't the greatest thriller ever made, it isn't one of my all-time favorite movies, yet I've probably seen it 25 times and I'm always willing to return for more of its creepy, seductive ambiance.
She becomes friend of Bobbie Markowe (Paula Prentiss) and Charmaine Wimperis (Tina Louise), and when they change their behaviors and viewpoints, Joanna discloses a dark secret in the place.On 21 April 2005, I saw the remake of "The Stepford Wives" and I found it a funny entertainment.
Based on Ira Levin's satirical novel The Stepford Wives is a story that at first seems like a simple thriller but on a closer look offers so much more.
For the most part the film moves along slowly and quietly, painting a peaceful picture of a suburban dream life and even when Joanna begins to suspect something is amiss nothing in the movie gives away just how life shattering the town's secret is.
All the women, the Stepford wives that is, give brilliant performances of perfect housewives so clearly inspired by the phony females in adds that they manage to give a comic edge to the story, perfectly hitting the note so it slowly increases the sense of something wrong rather than making the tone too light.
Especially Ross (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 1969) is great as the heroine, at once feisty but still insecure and self-doubting from the insanity of the situation, and Prentiss (The Parallax View, 1974) is a delight as the bubbly Bobbie just as the beautiful Louise (Day of the Outlaw, 1959) brilliantly shows the insecurity hidden underneath the beautiful face of the feisty Charmaine, while Newman (Captain Nemo and the Underwater City, 1969) delivers the perfect archetype Stepford wife persona as Carol Van Sant.
The movie is simply about a beautiful woman named Joanna Eberhart, who moves with her husband and two children from New York to the lovely town of Stepford,Conneticut.
Yes, the seventies Stepford Wives may be just a little bit dated (play 'spot the flared trousers etc), but, if you're serious about horror, then there's no comparison.If you don't know...
a family move to the quiet, secluded little American town of Stepford where the man of the family joins the (secretive) 'Men's Association,' leaving the woman of the family to make friends with some of the most submissive and prim women ever.
It's something darker, but then as it's a horror film, you probably could guess that anyway.On the off chance you haven't seen 'The Stepford Wives' I won't say too much about the plot.
Well, I've seen it three more times since then and each time I'm taken in by the storyline, not to mention well entertained.THE PLOT: Katharine Ross and her husband move to Stepford, CT, where many of the wives of the village seem to be oblivious to the current women's liberation movement; they seem wholly dedicated to their husbands, home & garden and keeping themselves well-groomed and primed for sex.
As Joanna, a new-to-Stepford wife, Katherine Ross is likable and sympathetic; she's virtually in every scene in what is probably her best screen performance.
Although it starts as a common life sort of drama about a married couple and their problems this film must be watched keeping in mind its a thriller and a sort of sci-fi product.Director Bryan Forbes takes the best out of Ira Levin's unpretentious novel and builds an entertaining and most enjoyable product in the genre.
He achieves an accurate and tense atmosphere that increases constantly as the picture runs towards its climax at the sinister and sordid Stepford men's club.Katharine Ross renders a perfect performance as the all-feminist Joanna Eberhart and so does Paula Prentiss as her sloppy friend Bobbie.
I've always wondered why whenever they remake films they feel forced to add some sort of an extra final twist in the plot that only hurts the product badly (Mel Gibson's "Ransom" compared to Glenn Ford's 50's first version being a perfect example).If you enjoy thrillers don't miss this one.
The Stepford Wives is a good movie because of its portrayel of social (feminist) issues of its time.
It's like a call for people to open their eyes and question men and their motives towards women, and women to question themselves, making sure they are individuals.The characters the embody Stepford Wives in the movie make the viewer sick.
Our protagonist, Joanna, superbly played by Katherine Ross, doesn't agree with her husband, Walter, or his involvement with this men's committee and starts to rebel, a behaviour that doesn't go unnoticed.Attempting to start a rival, all female group, she also gets more and more aware and concerned by the sudden placidity of some of her new friends.
I saw the sad thing that they called the remake of the Stepford Wives, wasn't impressed and I think part of that made me want to turn away from the story, but I found the rental and watched it the other day, this movie just creeped me out.
Just thinking about the subject makes you think and the film makes a clever and well acted cult classic thriller.Joanna and Walter have just moved to Stepford, everything seems just so perfect, a little too perfect, Walter has a great new job with tons of friends, Joanna has made some friends too.
But when things get a little too suspicious when one of Joanna's friends who was with her on the women's movement has become all "Stepford", she starts to wonder what's really going on.The Stepford Wives is definitely a classic in it's own right and really is a conversation movie.
I would recommend this for movie buffs or if you're looking for a creepy thriller to watch, this is a fun classic and is always the perfect joke for our "Stepford" wives of today.7/10.
Ginuenly creepy, this classic 70's thriller based upon Ira Levin's novel is still an effectively suspenseful film.Housewife moves to a Conneticut town where she discovers that the women live in a weird, constant state of mindless bliss.
All the more helpful are the films well-drawn characters and the question of just what role they play in this mystery.The cast is excellent, the best being star Katharine Ross.A rewarding thriller all the way, The Stepford Wives remains a classic for good reason.*** 1/2 out of ****.
I'd never been that keen on comedy thriller but fell in love with and bought it when it came out in December.Having heard it was a remake from a 1975 sinister thriller; which starred Katherine Ross and Paula Prentiss, and from a novel by Ira Levin  the same man who wrote the menacing Rosemary's Baby, I decided to give it a chance and rent in May this year.The plot synopsis is pretty simple about a couple (Ross and Masterson) who move to the town of Stepford where a dangerous secret lies, revolving around why all the wives seem to be devoted to their husbands and are un-human-like.From the minute we begin watching this film,.
The supporting cast are equally excellent, particularly from Peter Masterson, Nanette Newman, Patrick O'Neal and Tina Louise.The only key problem with this movie would be, from my memory, we don't actually learn much about how the robots work and how they're programmed  trivial but disappointing.My own personal displeasure would be the ending.
Joanna Eberhart (Katharine Ross) has come to the quaint little town of Stepford, Connecticut with her family, but soon discovers there lies a sinister truth in the all too perfect behavior of the female residents.Written by William Goldman ("Marathon Man") from a book by Ira Levin ("Rosemary's Baby"), this story has become a modern classic, spawning three sequels and a remake.
The Stepford Wives begins with Joanaa (Katherine Ross) and Walter Eberhart (Peter Masterson) taking their two daughters away from the Sodom and Gamorrah of New York City and moving to the quaint little town of Stepford.
The writing is solid if occasionally contrived, the direction is simple yet gripping, but my favorite part of The Stepford Wives is Katherine Ross's and Paula Prentiss's performances.
I can't, and don't even want to, say too much about Stepford Wives -- I don't want to spoil it for you -- except that it is a pretty perfect movie: intelligent, full of suspense, subtle, entertaining, thought-provoking, innovative, well acted.
And in contrast to a myriad of movies trying to make a political statement, Stepford Wives is political and entertaining at the same time.By marked contrast, the 2004 remake with Nicole Kidman and Matthew Broderick is just bland, boring, drawing by numbers.
this is one creepy and suspenseful movie.unlike the remake,which was supposed to be campy and funny(failing miserably)the original is dark and works very effectively.you know there is something odd in the town of Stepford,but just what it is,is not really revealed until the end.even then,there is an air of mystery,as the reason for everything is not really revealed.the second last scene has quite a sinister feel to it.this is not a fast paced movie,it moves very slowly,with things happening subtly.nevertheless,i found it very interesting and intriguing.i thought this was a movie definitely worth watching.for me,The Stepford Wives is a 7/10.
Like "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Boys from Brazil", "The Stepford Wives" has the distinct feeling of an Ira Levin novel: the slowly but surely evolving sense that something isn't right.
In this case, Joanna Eberhart (Katharine Ross) and husband Walter Cresby (Peter Masterson) move to the small town of Stepford, Connecticut, to start a new life.
It's especially weird now that I know that Tina Louise played one of the roles (I hadn't yet started watching "Gilligan's Island" when I saw this movie); in fact, her replacement for the show's reunions also appears here.Either way, you're likely to get very shocked by what happens here.
This leads Joanna to panic, despite her husband's reassurances, and it becomes a race against time before Joanna learns what the real secret of Stepford is.While the film is something of a time capsule to the paranoia of the 1970s, there is some great acting and wonderful social commentary.
Certain lines and situations had audiences giggling at the goings on.As two of her best friends who also show some degree of independence until they become Stepfordized, PAULA PRENTISS and TINA LOUISE are effectively cast, especially Prentiss who has some of the film's most caustic comments and observations to make.
She easily takes the focus off Ross' more conventional, low-key role.Whether you enjoy this on the level of a comedy or a sci-fi horror film, it's another clever tale from the pen of Ira Levin (ROSEMARY'S BABY), not quite as chilling but certainly more fun to watch.
She allows us to like her, she's approachable as a close friend would be.Back to the movie, I challenge the remakers of this film to supply us with as much fascinating social commentary as the original.
The wife, Joanna, soon meets up with fellow new arrival Bobbie Markowe and the two begin to believe that something has happened to the other women, and decide to investigate.The atmosphere is a key element in this film, and director Bryan Forbes capitalises on that by giving Stepford a welcoming atmosphere that always borders on being mysterious and somehow not quite right.
The story can be a little slow at times, and as most people will know the twist before going into the film, it can sometimes feel like its taking ages to get where it's going.
Overall, The Stepford Wives isn't quite a masterpiece - but it's certainly a very good film and I definitely recommend it!.
The Stepford Wives is simply my all-time favorite movie.
Sexy women like Katherine Ross and Paula Prentiss, a plot that keeps you guessing right till the end and in my opinion the most scariest scene in film history.
Struggling New York photographer Katharine Ross is convinced against her will by her lawyer husband Peter Masterson to relocate to the peaceful community of Stepford; there she bonds with ditzy newcomer Paula Prentiss as she makes her incredulous way through the perfect households of obliging neighbor Nanette Newman, tennis-playing redhead Tina Louise, etc.
But, anyway, I bought the 1975 version on DVD and was kind of disappointed in it at first, feeling it to be a bit slow moving (I AM an American, we like our stuff fast-paced and in-the-face) but I couldn't get it out of my mind and I kept going back and forth with SCENE SELECTION until, by God, it ended up as one of my favorite movies, ever.
If you like different movies then check out The Stepford Wives!.
THE STEPFORD WIVES is a semi-interesting cult-film that tells the story about a young wife (Katharine Ross) who together with her family moves from New York to suburban Stepford were she soon starts suspecting that there's something wrong beneath the all too perfect surface.
"The Stepford Wives" is a fresh and engaging Sci-Fi/suburban black comedy, adapted from a novel written by the same guy who also thought up "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Boys from Brazil" (what further recommendation do you need?) and atmospherically taking place in the typically 'small town with a dark secret' setting.
That would have made a much better remake.It might be just a B-movie with A- grade production values but this film has slipped a phrase into the language, the Stepford Wife, a male fantasy that arose out of the emancipation of women.
You get the feeling they know they better do something soon about their wives before these women get a good look at them!!
I think the most appealing aspects of this movie are the performances by the two leads Katharine Ross (The Graduate) and Paula Prentiss (Man's Favorite Sport?.) Ross plays a young wife, mother of 2, who moves to Stepford, Connectituct with her family.
A good horror movie, with this much insight, is RARE these days, and that's why "The Stepford Wives" has endured..
Ira Levin was a terrific writer .He seemed fascinated by small conspiracies (This story and "Rosemary's baby") as well as huge ones (the world of his classic sci-fi "this perfect day" ) Actually,Levin's novel fuses "Rosemary's baby"(1967:the novel of course!) secret plot with this unbearable happiness depicted in his nineteen eighty fouresque "perfect day" (1970).Johanna is not unlike Rosemary ;both are modern feminist women who discover a strange conspiracy which might exist in their mind only;when Johanna visits her shrink,how can't we think of Rosemary and Dr Hill?These Levinesque heroines see their familiar every day life fragment at the edges and one day they are on their own,against apparently nice people.The difference between "Rosemary 's baby" and " the Stepford wives" lies in the directing:the former is an undisputed masterpiece while the latter is only a good film,which is not that bad ,after all ,mainly if you have watched Oz's remake starring Nicole Kidman,an absolute turkey.Katherine Ross is an excellent actress and her female co-stars are good,but the male cast is rather weak,particularly the husband.As Levin's novel is rather short (about 150 pages) it was fleshed out by additional scenes not included in the novel;all are not irrelevant but one of last ones which "explains" what happened to Joanne is overkill.The very last scene is ,on the other hand,faithful to the book.There are many funny lines ,and I sometimes wonder whether the writer did not write some spoof on women's lib..
Katharine Ross plays Joanna, a happily married woman who relocates from New York to the suburbs, where she has to readjust her career ambitions with this new situation, and when her husband becomes increasingly involved with a secretive men's club, does she suspect that things are not as they seem, and that she may be in danger, especially after the women start to act a little too happy being housewives...Based on Ira Levin's novel, story resembles his "Rosemary's Baby" premise in many ways, and though it is moderately interesting for its length, and has a good cast, I just did not find any of it believable(would men really do that?) Ending in the supermarket may produce laughter more than horror!