The Stepford Wives (1975)

Joanna Eberhart 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.

Director:

Bryan Forbes

Writers:

Ira Levin (novel), William Goldman (screenplay)

Stars:

Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Katharine Ross	...	Joanna Eberhart
Paula Prentiss	...	Bobbie Markowe
Peter Masterson	...	Walter Eberhart
Nanette Newman	...	Carol Van Sant
Tina Louise	...	Charmaine Wimpiris
Carol Eve Rossen	...	Dr. Fancher (as Carol Rossen)
William Prince	...	Ike Mazzard
Carole Mallory	...	Kit Sunderson
Toni Reid	...	Marie Axhelm
Judith Baldwin	...	Patricia Cornell
Barbara Rucker	...	Mary Ann Stravros
George Coe	...	Claude Axhelm
Franklin Cover	...	Ed Wimpiris
Robert Fields	...	Raymond Chandler
Michael Higgins	...	Mr. Cornell

Storyline

The Stepford Wives is about a small suburb where the women happily go about their housework - cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking gourmet meals - to please their husbands. Unfortunately, Bobbie and Joanna discover that the village's wives have been replaced with robots, and Joanna's husband wants in on the action.

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Plot Keywords:

robot | female protagonist | women's liberation | social commentary | feminism | 

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Taglines:

Something strange is happening in the town of Stepford. Where the men spend their nights doing something secret. And every woman acts like every man's dream of the "perfect" wife. Where a young woman watches the dream become a nightmare. And sees the nightmare engulf her best friend. And realizes that any moment, any second - her turn is coming.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Frauen von Stepford

Filming Locations:

325 West End Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$8,720,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Palomar Pictures (I), Fadsin Cinema Associates

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min 100 min (DVD) 110 min (2001 DVD release)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original draft of the screenplay called for the women to wear miniskirts. Supposedly, once director Bryan Forbes cast his wife, Nanette Newman, as one of the wives, this changed. Ms. Newman did not have the figure for such revealing clothing, and the women were dressed instead in feminine but modest wardrobe. The remake, The Stepford Wives (2004), attempted to correct this design problem.

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Goofs

In the last scene in the supermarket "changed" Joanna does not have large breasts anymore, but the night she was "replacing" the original Joanna she had.

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Quotes

Joanna Eberhart: [Showing her photos to her NYC Dealer and Gallery Owner] Am I crazy? Aren't they good? Please say something. I don't care. No, I do care. Don't say anything bad.
Mr. Atkinson: These are, um, really quite good.
Joanna Eberhart: You're not just saying that be cause you're frightened I, I might be a crazy lady?
Mr. Atkinson: Clearly you are a crazy lady, but clearly again, these are nice.
Joanna Eberhart: Wait a minute. You said 'Good'. 'Really quite good' you said. 'Good' is better than 'nice'. You're not changing your mind, are you?
Mr. Atkinson: No, the results are ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Honest Trailers: Get Out (2018)

User Reviews

Very Dark Sci-Fi

The urban aspirant photographer Joanna Eberhart (Katharine Ross) moves from Manhattan to Stepford, Connecticut, Massachussets with her family. Her husband Walter Eberhart (Peter Masterson) decided to live in a calm suburb, but Joanna did not like the neighborhood with beautiful and perfect housewives. 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. However, the original adaptation of Ira Levin's book is a suspenseful and very dark sci-fi, and certainly better and better than the 2005's version. When I was a teenager, Katharine Ross was one of my favorite actresses, and she is perfect in the role of an intelligent woman finding the truth hidden behind the complacency of such dedicated wives. The pace of this thriller is adequate, and the direction of Bryan Forbes is very good. I do not know why this great movie has not been released on VHS or DVD in Brazil. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "As Esposas de Stepford" ("The Wives of Stepford")