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A Passion For Horror
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The Stepford Wives (1975)Directed by Bryan Forbes
The 1975 film The Stepford Wives is based on Ira Levin's novel of the same name. It is the story of a woman who moves to a small town where things just don't seem right with the local ladies who are all just a mite too keen on keeping house and keeping their husbands happy. They are so dedicated to the duster, in fact, that it is downright creepy. The shining star of the film is Katharine Ross who plays Stepford newcomer, Joanna Eberhart, who has just moved to the town with her husband and two small daughters. Although Ross was not the producer's first choice for the role of Joanna, it is hard for me to imagine that anyone else could have done a better job of bringing the character to life. The scene where Joanna seeks psychiatric advice about her fear of being changed by Stepford is very well acted. The worst thing for Joanna is that she knows how crazy her story sounds and she says so: "If I'm wrong then I'm crazy, but if I'm right then it's worse." It is a powerful scene. Paula Prentiss is excellent as Bobbie, who is a fun, fun, fun character who, like Joanna, is new to the town and just can't seem to work up that traditional Stepford cleaning spirit. Something that makes it all the more unnerving when, later on in the film, she finally succumbs and becomes proud to be house-proud and even gets herself a nice long, ladylike dress. The other characters are very well cast too, and Patrick O'Neal is particularly menacing as Dale (Diz) Coba the head of the Stepford's Men's Association. He doesn't actually do a lot to be menacing; but nevertheless he exudes menace in his every scene. He is calm, cold and calculating and from the first moment that you see him looking at Joanna you just know that whatever it is that is on his mind it isn't anything good. There are a few differences between the book and the film and one of the scenes that was added to the film is quite entertaining: Joanna and Bobbie are trying to drum up a little enthusiasm for creating a women's lib group - dream on girls. They go from door to door and at one point they enter someone's house without knocking. At first it seems like no one is home, but the girls quickly discover that the homeowners are very much at home. They are just a little preoccupied. Upstairs. In the bedroom. "You're the best Frank. you're the champion. ooh, you're the master," the Stepford wife keeps telling her husband and she is getting quite breathless with all of that talking. Joanna and Bobbie decide that they have not perhaps chosen the best of times to call and they beat a hasty retreat with big smiles on their faces. The rest of the Stepford wives are available to speak to, but none of them are interested in women's lib. Why would they be when they have a great alternative like their daily chores? In the end the girls do find one other like-minded soul in the form of Charmaine. Charmaine, like Joanna and Bobbie is a newcomer to Stepford. And she has a maid to do her cleaning! She also has her own tennis court behind the house and although she loves the game she can never find anyone to play with her and so is very glad to meet Joanna, who, although out of practice plays a very good game. It is a great relief for the girls when they find Charmaine, but it is an even greater scare for them when the lover all things tennis suddenly sacks her maid, turns in her racket and becomes a typical Stepford wife, even allowing her husband to dig up her treasured tennis court in favour of his much wanted and soon to be had swimming pool. When they see what has happened to Charmaine, Joanna and Bobbie want to leave Stepford as soon as possible. Before Bobbie can get out of the town though, she becomes a changed perosn and Joanna is all alone. Worse still, it is pretty obvious by this point that Walter is a true Stepford husband who wants to make a new woman out of Joanna. The film ends a little differently from the book and Joanna finally finds out what the future holds for her in rather a scary scene in which Dale Coba stalks her through the dark passages of the Men's Association, before finally herding her into a room where she can only look at her destiny and say: "God!"
Extras:
CAST Katharine Ross ...
Joanna Eberhart Judith
Baldwin ... Patricia
Cornell Mary Stuart Masterson ... Kim
Eberhart John
Aprea
... Young Cop Dee
Wallace
... Nettie
DVD Information:
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Theatrical trailer.