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

Director Bryan Forbes claims that Diane Keaton turned down the role of Joanna the night before signing her contract, because her analyst got "bad vibes" from the script.

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Goofs

As the Eberharts enter Stepford for the first time riding in their station wagon, Joanna's head scarf disappears and reappears several times as the scenes change.

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Quotes

Charmaine Wimperis: I don't think that, uh, Ed ever loved me. I mean, uh, he married me because I looked right and it made a big impression on the other TV executives for his wife to look like I look. God knows he's given me things, I... I'm not complaining on that score, but... uh... he never loved me.

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Connections

Referenced in Designing Women: The Junies (1989)

User Reviews

Heaps better than the remake

I'm sure 'The Stepford Wives' spoke more to the audiences of 1975 than it does to the audiences of today, but this holds its own as decent, satisfying thriller. Really little more than a variation on 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers,' 'Stepford' follows that film's structure of slowly unspooling clues and suspicions and saving its bigger 'gotcha!' moments for the end. Katherine Ross was no doubt the star of this film, but Paula Prentiss really stood out for me. Gawky and enjoyable, she oddly predicted Geena Davis by a full generation. At one point in the film, my girlfriend commented of her wardrobe, 'Wow, can you imagine a grown woman today wearing a hot pant jumper?' The '70s… yikes!

I had the misfortune of both seeing the remake of 'The Stepford Wives' before seeing the original and *actually seeing* the remake of 'The Stepford Wives.' If the original serves any purpose, it is to expose the remake for the gutless, toothless, anemic waste of everyone's time that it is. God, what a terrible movie…