Stepford Wives

One type of fiction that has always fascinated me is the dystopia. Ever since I first read ‘Brave New World’ the idea of and idyllically perfect world turning out to be a nightmare I realized that this plot device was full of potential and able to span a myriad of genres. One of the most famous dystopian tales has to be ‘The Stepford Wives’. The basis of the story is the systematic replacement of flesh and blood women with highly sophisticated humanoid robots that are completely compliant the slightest whim of their husband masters. Some may see this as a perfect situation and I would wager that men in agreement with this concept have at least a few divorces in their wake. I can say this with some modicum of authority since my late wife and I were married for 37 years and I cherished her strong, independent will. Still there are men who feel that the position of wife could better be served by a pre-programmed automaton but considering the upgrade policy of a typical computer the thought of having to take you wife in for a firmware upgrade kind of seems creepy to me. In this story the ultimate male fantasy is played out so many have regarded it as an anti-feminist work. It should be kept in mind that the protagonist here is a very independent, creative young woman who demonstrates every admirable quality the men of Stepford seek to eliminate. The story posses a very good blend of satire, science fiction and social commentary creating a cautionary tale that has become a cult classic and included the term ‘Stepford Wife’ into the popular lexicon. The film may be a bit dated at this point and to be honest was never as truly great movie but it does hold up as fun to watch. One warning to the guys out there, if you are watching with your girlfriend or wife display scorn for the idea or else make sure the couch in the den is comfortable.

The 1972 novel was written by bestselling author Ira Levin who is perhaps best known for his masterpiece of supernatural horror, ‘Rosemary’s Baby’. The version under review here is the 1975 film which was‘re-imagined’ in 2004 but the less said about that incarnation of the story the better. Joanna Eberhart (Katharine Ross) is a modern, urban wife and mother living amidst the noise and fast pace that typifies life in Manhattan. Her husband Walter (Peter Masterson) is a successful lawyer who decides to move his family to the sleepy bedroom community of Stepford, Connecticut. Joanna loves her husband and goes along with it but misses the hustle and noise of the city. She is an aspiring photographer and New York City offers and endless parade or interesting subjects. At first the new location seems normal enough, dull as can be but nothing sinister. That is until things begin to add up as extremely unusual. The men are usually off to work but when they are home their wives fawn over then to a rather disturbing degree. They are completely submissive to their husband demonstrating an acquiescence that Joanna finds uncomfortable even upsetting to watch. All the wives dress pretty much the same as if they just answered a casting call for a fifties family television series. Slowly, Joanna becomes suspicious of her new town. It was little things at first like the local home owners association which is archaically men only. Once her husband is accepted into the club he begins to spend an increasingly greater amount of time there much to her chagrin. She begins to investigate and notices that many of the wives were once highly motivated and successful women. It also turns out that a disproportionate number of the men are extremely talented in computers, mechanical engineering and other branches of science not commonly found in a suburban community like Stepford. The reality of the situation is frightening to Joanna; the men are replacing their wives with extremely sophisticated robots. One gapping plot hole here is if these men had such a technology marketing it would be worth billions, more than enough to offset any problems they might perceive with a free thinking wife.

Transferring the novel to a screenplay fell to William Goldman. Prior to this he wrote several acclaimed and popular scripts including ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ and ‘Harper’ later going on to ‘All the President's Men’ and both the novel and script for ‘Marathon Man’. He retains the full measure of suspense and intrigue held by the novel creating a screenplay the remains thought provoking and entertaining. Naturally there are differences with the details of the novel but the overall spirit comes across well. Directing the movie was Bryan Forbes who already made a name in the directorial world with ‘Of Human Bondage’, ‘King Rat’ and ‘The L-shaped room’. There are nuances present in his style that may take several viewings to fully appreciate. For example, in the first shot the premise is visualized when Joanna snaps a picture of a man carrying a mannequin that has wrapping around its eyes. Joanna didn’t realize that this would represent her face of a robot unable to see life through her own unique perspective. As a photographer her personal viewpoint of the world helped to define and express her personality but soon that would be replaced by preprogrammed responses designed only to please her husband. This is still a movie that is expertly crafted and able to provide an enjoyable viewing.

Posted 04/14/2010