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The Stepford Wives [1975]

Starring: Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson, Nanette Newman, Tina Louise
Director: Bryan Forbes
Format: PAL
Released: 09 Aug 2004
RRP: £12.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Why I haven't bought this - By: Yartek, 06 Dec 2008
This IS a great film, unnerving, unsettling as other reviewers have said. However, I was thinking of buying this for a friend who knows of the expression 'Stepford Wife' but knows nothing about the film, except...well... the cover does give the game away a little!!!
Well drawn allegorical suspense movie - By: Bruno, 26 May 2008
This film certainly deserves to be rated a classic for the imprint it has left on popular culture alone. Everybody knows what a Stepford Wife is even if most people haven't seen the film. And as a straightforward suspense horror it belongs in the top league. Perhaps a little slow in the first half but more than making up for it in the second.

In terms of the message, the film is a well made satirical portent of the possibility of a vengeful male backlash against the recently won gains of feminism. It must be remembered that in the 1970's it wasn't clear at alll what the eventual outcome of the great gender war would be. Feminists should delight in the carefully charicatured mysogny on display, from the mens' 'objectifying' picture drawing to the dismissal of the lead character's conspiracy paranoia as merely an over emotional hissy fit.
Still thought-provoking and worth watching - By: Tomas, 25 Mar 2006
This is a film where you can't avoid comparing the 1975 original (this film) to the 2004 "remake", although you probably should avoid doing so, since they belong in entirely different genres. The "remake" (comedy/satire) gets rather bad reviews from most people who liked the original (thriller/suspense/social commentary). Therefore, I would like to offer a piece of advice to those who are not familiar with these films. If you are going to watch them both, watch the remake first, & THEN the original. NOT the other way around!

While the original is a lot more thought-provoking, its age shows somewhat. Both the portrayal of Stepford, of Joanna & her family, & of Bobbie, has a "tone" which might have been right in 1975, but which feels somewhat strange today. I believe most people today will identify less with the characters, which makes it a less effective social commentary today. But definitely still worth watching as a document of the times, & because the basic plot still is quite interesting!

a great concept, but poor execution in the film - By: Joe Sherry, 12 Jul 2004
A film by Bryan Forbes

This film is the first "Stepford Wives" movie & is adapted from Ira Levin's novel of the same name. The tone of this film is much different than the newer version. The new "Stepford Wives" is more of a comedy, but this version fits into the horror/thriller/suspense genre. It deals with an idea that should scare the feminist movement: that men would rather trade their wife in for a human looking robot than have a strong woman as a mate. When this movie was released in 1975, "The Stepford Wives" had a social identity & a social relevance to the feminist movement. In that vein, the movie might have been more powerful twenty years ago, but I can only react to how it played today.

Walter (Peter Masterson) & Joanna (Katherine Ross) are moving from the big city to the smalller town of Stepford. Joanna is unnerved by the women of Stepford. They alll seem to be very happy & content in their lives...lives that are solely focused on pleasing their husbands. Joanna thinks that something is wrong, & seems to get confirmation when new residents who start out normal begin changing dramaticallly to the "Stepford" type wife. The tone of this film leans towards suspense as tension is building throughout the film as hints are given & Joanna's fear mounts as to what is happening & what may very well happen to her.

The movie has a great idea behind it. The whole concept of Stepford is wonderful for a movie (and a book, too) & it should work much better than it does. The problem is that the acting was not very good, but that may be because the dialogue the actors were given wasn't much better. A big example of this is the character of Bobbie (Paula Prentiss). She comes off as a very hokey character, somewhat hickish, though the character has pretenses of being a true feminist. No character is truly given a chance to develop or show a personality, not even the characters which are supposed to actuallly have a personality. "The Stepford Wives" was just a disappointing movie, though I can imagine it had more of an impact in 1975, but surely not for the quality of the picture. The impact must have been for what the movie was about. The only thing I found truly interesting about "The Stepford Wives" is that this is the film debut of a young Mary Stuart Masterson (the son of Peter Masterson).

-Joe Sherry

Small-town satire - By: , 18 May 2004
Based on Ira Levin's novel, Stepford Wives is a sci-fi satirical take on smalll-town America & deals with issues of sociallly constructed gender roles. Filmed in the 70's & directed by British born Bryan Forbes, it is rather dated now & the discerning contemporary viewer may find it more amusing than sinister. With this in mind plans are in progress to remake it for the 'noughties' with a spoofed-up re-imagining.

However it remains a cult classic for many & the original version is still highly watchable & does have a sinister element to it. From the outset we know that something terrible is going to happen. As the tension mounts, the climactic ending is reached with alll the innocence (and absence of special effects) that only an older movie can deliver.

The central character Joanna & her husband Walter, make a rural retreat to the smalll, leafy suburban town of Stepford believing their lives away from the hustle & bustle of New York will be easier. From the outset of their arrival there is a strange undertone to the town - the men have secret meetings & the women act in a vacant & unnerving manner. In fact they appear to be robotic. Joanna's suspicions about the behaviour of her neighbours lead her to further investigation aided by her friend Charmaine. However when Charmaine goes away for the weekend she too returns as a vacuous drone & Joanna begins to suspect the worst. As Joanna finallly learns the truth about Stepford, this knowledge comes at a price.

Ultimately a 1970's perspective on gender roles, it throws up questions of our ideas of perfection & normality. What may be one person's utopia, could be a dystopic nightmare to another. This concept is still highly relevant & the film is well worth a look, preferably before the new version is released.