Movie Notes: The Stepford Wives (1975)

January 2nd, 2010

The Stepford Wives (1975)

= 3 stars

Starring Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss
Directed by Bryan Forbes

Synopsis

Joanna Eberhart (Katharine Ross) and her family relocate to the idyllic suburban town of Stepford, only to find the women docile and unsettlingly subservient to their husbands.

The Good

Interesting how the definition of horror has changed over time: here, a liberated woman gets married, moves to the suburbs, only to find all the wives subservient Barbie dolls. While somewhat plausible in the seventies, a few decades later a misguided remake starring Nicole Kidman, had to treat the same plot as comedy, feeling today’s audience could only suspend belief so far. You’ve come a long way baby.
Paula Prentiss as Bobbie Markowe, another newcomer to Stepford, is a refreshingly daffy free spirit, making her inevitable transformation all the more shocking.
The last half-hour delivers the goods, as the deep dark town secret is revealed, placing the film in that seventies dystopian vein (think Soylent Green). There’s some camptastic final moments with an old guy stroking a dog and a male fantasy grocery store.

The Bad

During first hour and a half, filled with character-building between Joanna and Bobbie, my primary amusement was noting hideous seventies fashion choices and thinking the stick-thin Ross could use a hamburger.
Misguided technology takes a back seat to gender differences and stock horror.

Conclusion

With its last half hour worth the rental; The Stepford Wives proves it didn’t need to be remade. You haven’t come a long way, baby.

IMDB: The Stepford Wives
Wikipedia: The Stepford Wives

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