freakboy on film: THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975)

"There'll be somebody with my name, and she'll cook and clean like crazy, but she won't take pictures, and she won't be me!"  - Joanna Eberhart 

1975 

Screenplay by William Goldman 

Directed by Bryan Forbes 

We would like to welcome newcomers Walter Eberhart (lawyer by day; creep by night & day), his lovely wife Joanna (housewife by day; avid shutterbug anytime) and their daughters Kim and Amy to the idyllic town of Stepford.

Joanna Eberhart - Avid Shutterbug...for at least four more months.

Ah, Stepford.  Where the schools are good.  Where taxes are low.  Where the air is clean.  Where husbands can join the omnipresent Men's Association.  Where wives can explore their own interests for about four months.  At that time, they will be (SPOILER ALERT) replaced by mindless automatons, whose only interests are keeping the house clean, the kids tidy and the men satisfied in every way possible.  

Random Thought:  It was the swingin' 70's, so were there Stepford key parties or did the essential sameness of the robot wives render such sexual exploration pointless?

I could go on about the plot, which is essentially similar in structure to ROSEMARY'S BABY, but that's not a surprise since both films are based on novels by Ira Levin.  Husband and wife move somewhere new, where nefarious goings-on occur behind wife's back.  Wife is ultimately sold out by ultimately gross husband for purely selfish reasons.  Not that I'm complaining.  You know Rosemary's Baby is my favorite film and I also enjoy this  one a lot.

I could go on about the acting, especially Katharine Ross as Joanna.  With one of the most expressive set of eyes to grace the screen, she imbues Joanna with a strong sense of self.  Paula Prentiss adds a nice comic touch as Bobbie Markowe, Joanna's doomed best friend.  Plus, I must give props to all the women who portrayed the robotic wives. It must have been incredibly difficult to give a well-rounded performance within essentially one-note characters and not slide into utter camp. 

Joanna & Bobbie attend a garden party from hell. 

 Is there really any other kind? 

What I want to go on about is something that really caught my mind with this viewing.  Who all knows what is going on, when do they learn the truth and how deep does the conspiracy run?  

In an early ominous exchange between Walter and his neighbor, it seems that Walter knew something before he decided to move his family to Stepford.  How much did he know?  Later, after officially joining the Men's Association, Joanna finds Walter drunk and obviously upset by something.  Did he not fully realize until that night the extreme circumstances he agreed to?  Maybe he initially thought Joanna would be transformed into the perfect 1950's housewife through drugs (see the made-for-TV sequel REVENGE OF THE STEPFORD WIVES - 1980) or maybe a chip in the brain (see the disappointing 2004 remake), but was unsettled by the finality of the robotic replacement.  Not that this stops him from moving forward with his vile decision.

Then there are the other men in Stepford.  Does every man know what's going on with the wives?  Does the Men's Association use violence to keep the single men in line?  The answers might be found in the grocery store employee's suspicious behavior after a little fender-bender sends one Stepford wife to the "hospital."  He keeps telling anyone who will listen that the car accident wasn't his fault, as if he fears the Men's Association will punish him for allowing one of their robots to be damaged. 

The Stepford Wives go shopping. 

Not-So-Random Thought:  The Men's Association will probably track down and "take care of" the psychiatrist Joanna sees near the end of the film.

Then what about the children?  Obviously, they must be aware of something being wrong when their mothers suddenly change.  Are the boys told the truth when they reach a certain age?  Will the girls be replaced by robots at 18 so they can snag a jerk husband?  Yet, if the girls are replaced too soon, there would be no new children.  Maybe the answers can be found in THE STEPFORD CHILDREN - 1987.  I don't recall enough about this made-for-TV sequel to say for certain. 

What about the black family who moves to Stepford at the end of the film?  From what very little screen time they receive, it appears the wife has no patience for nonsense.  Does this mean she won't be as easily duped by the Men's Association?  On the other hand, maybe the newcomer will make an easier target because she won't suspect anything unusual.  She may already assume that white suburban housewives behave as if Betty Crocker is their God and Mr. Clean is their personal savior. 

Last, but not least, what about the lady who writes the notes on newcomers for the newspaper?  She is older and apparently not a robot, or is she?  If she is a robot, is she only programmed to gather information about new arrivals and is she then malfunctioning when she spills interesting tidbits about Stepford's Women's Lib history?  If she's not a robot, then how much does she know about the wives?  I don't know.  This lady is an anomaly, which proves there really is something strange happening in the town of Stepford.  

Not-So-Random Thought:  What if the older lady is actually the mastermind behind replacing the wives?  This might be where the idea of the brilliant twist from the 2004 remake, and the ONLY good thing about it, originated.

Guess even androids experience eye issues.

Maybe a remake as a limited event series could fully explore these topics, but maybe it's best left for the viewers to ponder.  Maybe I sometimes think too much when watching films. 

So, sit back, relax, grab some Ring Dings and scotch, and enjoy The Stepford Wives.

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S.  It would be remiss of me to not mention THE STEPFORD HUSBANDS - 1996, a made-for-TV sequel starring Michael Ontkean.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VISION BENT 

(an autobiographical book of half-blind poems by John L. Harmon) 

https://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2019/01/vision-bent-half-blind-poems.html