Paula Prentiss in The Stepford Wives (1975)

Clips

Pics

Review

The Stepford Wives (1975) is an understated thriller about the Eberhart family, Katherine Ross, Peter Masterson, and the two children, Mary Stuart Masterson and Ronny Sullivan who leave New York and settle in the town of Stepford.

From the beginning, it is obviously the husband's idea, as Ross misses the excitement of New York. Her dissatisfaction grows when she discovers that all of the women in town are Suzy Homemaker, with no other concerns, interests or activities, except two newcomers. All three of the women are uneasy about the "men's club," to which all of the men belong. Ross goes from concerned to panicked when first one, then the other of her friends transforms into typical Stepford Wives.

The plot is subtle, but does justify the somewhat surprise ending. Ross has several good pokies throughout the film, and then has clear see-throughs near the end. Unfortunately, the see throughs are prosthetic breasts (if you see the film you will understand why).

The film didn't do well when released, but has gained a large cult following. Women's libbers attacked it as demeaning to women, but finally figured out that the film was putting down the men, not the women, and embraced it. I had never seen it before the new region 1 DVD release, and enjoyed it a lot. It was a refreshing change from the Euro-shock I have been screening lately.

B-.

IMDB Summary: Readers say 6.7 out of 10.

Critics Vote: Leonard Maltin liked it at three stars, and I agree.

Written by: Tuna ...courtesy of scoopy.net