Joanna eberhardt, a modern 70s woman, is uncertain of stepfords women. No worries, though, she still meets some cool women who think like her. In the william goldmanscripted, bryan forbesdirected adaptation of ira levins savagely satiric scifi novel the stepford wives, housewife joanna katharine ross moves with husband walter peter masterson and their children to the ideal suburban community of stepford, ct. The wives in stepford all had the same appearance with blonde hair and very similar dress sense. Its short, its written lightly, and could easily be read in a days time, if you had the opportunity to sit down. The stepford wives is one of the popular books of the 1970s that i somehow overlooked, though i did see the 1975 movie on television years later. The stepford wives, ira levins 1972 satire on fear of feminism in the suburbs, is technically a story about husbands in a cloistered upper middle community who have taken the same expertise which led to the animatronic chief executives on display at disney worlds hall of president and perfected it to create utterly realistic hightech robots that are the dream of every man who ever fantasized about a gorgeous subservient wife who is always ready for sex whenever they are not cleaning. The premise involves the married men of the fictional fairfield county town of stepford, connecticut and their fawning, submissive, impossibly beautiful wives. Joanna teams up with another recent transplant, bobby paula prentiss, to investigate the mystery of stepford s wives and makes a horrific discovery. This term was inspired by the book and film the stepford wives. Ending spoiler for the stepford wives 2004, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more.
The secret to a stepford wife lies behind the doors of the mens association. What recently prompted me to finally read the book was an article at jstor daily titled sex in the early 80s, i took a college course in feminist theory. If youre anything like me, you dont really feel like you need to read the stepford wives. Jul 19, 2004 the original stepford dream, or nightmare, where women rule the world, is a long way off. The movie the stepford wives demonstrates conformity. Theres something not quite right with the suburbs women. The three versions of the stepford wives, the book, the 1975 movie, and the 2004 movie, all share a general plotline, but the 2004 movie took a completely different approach to the story. The original stepford dream, or nightmare, where women rule the world, is a long way off. The stepford wives forbes, 1975 portrays the feminine condition in a bourgeois, patriarchal society boruzkowski, 1987. Also featuring faith hill, jon lovitz, and roger bart, the stepford wives was previously adapted for the screen in 1975, with katherine ross in the lead. At the end of the novel, joanna decides to flee stepford, but when she gets. And it seems that in stepford, some women would rather keep it that way.
The stepford wives is a 1975 american satirical horror film directed by bryan forbes, written by william goldman, and starring katharine ross, paula prentiss, and peter masterson. Instead of being a movie about the sexist tendencies of many men, the 2004 movie was more a mockery of highpowered women. The stepford wives by ira levin meet your next favorite book. The plot critical survey of science fiction and fantasy. More than a decade before margaret atwood, however, ira levin had already explored the feminist.
Now its the thing everyone knows about the story, and the phrase stepford. So i was surprised that such a wellknown story is indeed such a short one. I certainly had, although i had never read the book. When she moves to stepford, she notices how every wife around her is the perfect hausfrau. Joanna eberhardt, a modern 70s woman, is uncertain of stepford s women.
In the film, liberated females who are equal to, if not more powerful than their husbands and hold on. Her speech on feminism at the stepford womens club initiates the demise of the particular social organization. The three versions of the stepford wives, the book, the 1975 movie, and the 2004 movie, all share a general plotline, but the 2004 movie took a completely. The stepford wives 48 movie clip stepford book club. Now its the thing everyone knows about the story, and the phrase stepford wife had entered the lexicon. The stepford wives is about a small suburb where the women happily go about their housework cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking gourmet meals to. Jul 23, 2002 buy the stepford wives reprint by levin, ira isbn. Until she sees them change and starts digging into the past of all the other wives in town. Mar 18, 2017 even in the mobilephone age, some plot points are carried through wholesale the business of car keys being withheld to trap the main character at the end is pure stepford. Walter eberhart decides to move his family to steford, a small town, to escape the violence of new york city. Its an enticing premise, an opening for wicked feminist satire, but the 1975 movie tilted toward horror instead of comedy. The stepford wives nailed feminist dystopia a decade. Julie felt dehydrated and decided to stop at the convenience store for some bottled water. The films story is well layered and keeps you involved from.
She grabbed a liter bottle and walked up to the counter. Stepford seems like an ideal place to live, but the women in stepford. The stepford wives is an iconic film, so much so that the title has been used to coin a phrase. Please dont view this board as an endorsement of the stepford mindset. Some of these connect to themes we find in ethical considerations of technological. When joanna eberhart and her family move to stepford, joanna soon wonders why all the wives are submissive, beautiful and obsessed with housework, and before long finds herself on a mission to uncover the truth behind their perfect smiles. Jun 19, 2018 by the time of the release of the book version of the stepford wives in 1972, ira levin had already written a kiss before dying and rosemarys baby, both now considered classic thrillers. I would imagine that most people will be familiar with the concept of stepford wives, the book is a very well written short read with what i thought was a brilliant introduction by chuck palahniuk. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. By the time of the release of the book version of the stepford wives in.
And jaheeseus christ, i may just never lightheartedly refer to a stepford anything ever, ever again. If you dont know it, stay away from the trailer, which gives it away. Originally published nearly forty years ago, levins tale of men creating perfect wives is still as relevant and shocking today, and is a must read. Get 50% off hundreds of family movies when you preorder on fandangonow today. Because honestly, we already know what its about, right. The men create robot duplicates of their wives, which have no will and become mens sexual and domestic slaves. The stepford wives depends for some of its effect on a plot secret that you already know, if youve been paying attention at any time since the original film version was released in 1975.
The story concerns joanna eberhart, a photographer and young mother who. Theres really nothing special to the films style the cinematography, editing, or art design although id argue that the acting is pretty great. Dec 29, 2017 the 1974 adaptation of the bestselling book is critically acclaimed credit. I would imagine most people have heard of the stepford wives, whether through the book, films or tv sequels, or perhaps just from the phrase stepford wife which is still used today. Its plot follows a woman who relocates with her husband and children from new york city to the connecticut community of stepford, where she comes to find the women. Joanna eberhart, a wildly successful president of a tv network, after a series of shocking events, suffers a nervous breakdown and is moved by her milquetoast of a. One of the men leaves a tape recorder with joanna, and as the first part of the book ends, she is. She is a professional photographer and politically active. The handmaids tale, first published in 1985, anticipates a violent regime which strips away womens rights and turns them back into servers and breeders. By the time of the release of the book version of the stepford wives in 1972, ira levin had already written a kiss before dying and rosemarys baby, both now considered classic thrillers. I just enjoy the book, consider the first film a masterpiece, and find the remake perfectly ok just try not to notice the gaping plot holes. The stepford wives conformity essay example graduateway.
Its plot follows a woman who relocates with her husband and children from new york city to the connecticut community of stepford, where she comes to find the women live unwaveringly subservient lives to their husbands. The stepford wives would be what would bring this conflict to film. Betty friedans book, the feminine mystique, was one of the bibles of the feminist movement and she plays a major role in the events which take place before the arrival into stepford of the storys protagonist joanna eberhart. Neither this short novel nor the film that was made of it in 1974 was. Instead of being a movie about the sexist tendencies of many men, the 2004 movie was. There, the usual stepford insanity rules, with claire, the leader of the group again sharing the stepford book of the year a tome about knitting with yarn. The movie was staged in a small suburban town, stepford, connecticut with the americanideal nuclear families with trophy wives, dutiful and homebound, happy to cook, clean, and serve their husbands. A cleancut, white, allamerican young family move out of the big bad city to the idyllic small town of stepford. 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.
If television affects the way we think, dress and behave and, heaven help us, im afraid it does then someday we may all be a nation of those perfect plastic robots on tv. Walter and joanna stay married, and she writes a book with bobbie and the gay guy about stepford. Novelist and playwright ira levin 19292007 was a native new yorker whose books include a kiss before dying, rosemarys baby, this perfect day, the stepford wives, the boys from brazil, sliver, and son of rosemary. Joanna and walter eberhart move with their two children to the suburbs in the hope of a more comfortable. The stepford wives is not just any other suspense novel. Joanna eberhart is the main character and protagonist of the stepford wives. The family doesnt realize that stepford is essentially a retirement community for rich, middleaged nerds who want to turn their strongwilled, talented wives. At the beginning of the movie when we were first presented with the houses in stepford, they all appeared very similar. By recreating their wives in their own image or in this case their ideal image, they take away the womans freewill. The robotic reveal of the original was the films shocking surprise ending. Plot summary for the stepford wives 2004, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more.
Unfortunately, bobbie and joanna discover that the villages wives have been replaced with. What is a stepford wife, what did louise redknapp mean. As with fundamentalist religion, this need to control takes precedence over morality, fairness and love. Unfortunately, bobbie and joanna discover that the villages wives have been replaced with robots, and joannas husband wants in on the action. The men in the stepford wives choose, in a sense, to play god. When joanna eberhart and her family move to stepford, joanna soon wonders why all the wives are submissive, beautiful and. We also discover that the true engineer behind the stepford robots is claire wellington, a particularly intense stepford wife who murdered her husband and his mistress before moving to stepford, wishing for a world where men are men and women are women. Back with the trio, they are attending a meeting of the stepford book club, which apparently has a membership of all the wives and roger. Dive deep into ira levins the stepford wives with extended analysis, commentary. The stepford wives was stylistically no different than these previous entries, but its contribution to overall pop culture lies more in its basic concept than levins skill as a writer, or the actual story.
Feb 08, 2012 also featuring faith hill, jon lovitz, and roger bart, the stepford wives was previously adapted for the screen in 1975, with katherine ross in the lead. Joanna eberhart, a wildly successful president of a tv network, after a series of shocking events, suffers a nervous breakdown and is moved by her milquetoast of a husband, walter, from manhattan to the chic, upperclass, and very modern planned community of stepford, connecticut. The stepford wives, a comic reimagining of the 1975 suspense classic, follows the tale. In the film, liberated females who are equal to, if not more powerful than their husbands and hold on to their own sexuality are murdered and changed with supposedly superior copies who supposedly embody perfection. Jun 11, 2004 the stepford wives depends for some of its effect on a plot secret that you already know, if youve been paying attention at any time since the original film version was released in 1975. Traditional american community, frilly aprons, nicely waxed floors, scarily upbeat housewives. They were all two story homes with immaculate gardens. This quote pretty much summarizes the plot of the book, but it also. As with both rosemarys baby and the stepford wives, the twist in levins longrunning 1978 broadway thriller deathtrap filmed by sidney lumet in 1982, and revived a few years back in the. A chance to get out of the city and reconnect with the things that matter. However bryan forbes 1975 is a sciencefiction thriller referring to the. See more ideas about wife movies, film and katherine ross. The the stepford wives community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you.
She moves with her two children and husband walter eberhart from new york city to stepford. The story concerns joanna eberhart, a photographer and young mother who suspects the frighteningly submissive housewives in her new idyllic connecticut neighborhood may be robots created by their husbands. The stepford wives is a 1972 satirical thriller novel by ira levin. The stepford wives forbes, 1975 addresses these concerns with a terrified and gloomy look at the perfect woman. The stepford wives is a stunning film, one that is a genre classic, and if you enjoy old school horror, then this is a must see film. However, the story itself is way ahead of its time.
If this book doesnt scare the shit out of you then youre really not paying attention. As with fundamentalist religion, this need to control takes precedence over. In the plot of this work, the women are frighteningly submissive and almost robotlike. The origins of the stepford wives may lie in henrik ibsens play a dolls house 1879 and hedda gabler 1890, both of which concern the plight of women incarcerated in maledominated society. For that reason, it is easy to dismiss this book as just another lighthearted fiction novel. The ones who look human well, humanoid, but whove fashioned a utopia out of this vale of tears by selecting and using the correct cosmetics, kitchen aids, toiletries and garbage bags.
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