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70's Feminism Revisited

DonnaReviews | Northeast USA | 02/18/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

""The Stepford Wives," based on the novel by Ira Levin, is worth seeing (and for some, owning) and it is good, but I feel somehow it might've been better. Since the phrase "Stepford Wives" has become a part of the lexicon, I assume most know what it's about. Amateur shutterbug Joanna Eberhardt (Katharine Ross) and lawyer hubby Walter (Peter Masterson) move with their two children from New York City to the suburbs where Joanna quickly suspects something is off about the picture perfect Stepford women. Levin's novel reflected the burgeoning women's movement and a certain New York-bred bias about suburbia.

On the plus side is the cast: pretty Katharine Ross; ebullient Paula Prentiss; and Hollywood glamorous Tina Louise (here as red a redhead as you can get). Still, it isn't completely satisfying, to use a cliche and yet fairly apt film review phrase. One of the things that detracts, for me, is the fact that the men are so uniformly unappealing. Obviously this was partially supposed to be the point, but it doesn't work well for me, because at the very least, Walter Eberhardt should come across as an appealing character who has somehow gotten swept up into the Men's Association mania and changed. At one point, Joanna even says to him, when he calls the Stepford husbands "a nice group of guys," "Are you serious?. .That's not me and it's not you." Isn't it? He comes off as a rather obnoxious, self-centered character from the get-go, wanting to "christen" every room in the house, making a comment to another Stepford husband whose wife brings over a "welcoming" casserole, "She cooks as good as she looks" (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) and basically being domineering in a passive-aggressive way. I couldn't see what attracted her to him, and they seemed to have zero chemistry. The fact that Joanna and Bobbie (Prentiss) are commenting that the babes of Stepford have chosen husbands who are "nothing" is rather an irony, since their own husbands are nothing to write home about. Joanna's husband, moreover, is whiny.

Beyond this, there are some anomalies. What's with the older woman who writes about new women coming to Stepford? Is she representative of the active women's movement that once existed? I know this is in keeping with Levin's novel. And what about the children? What fate will they have with robotic mothers?

The ending is pretty creepy, granted (in fact, individual scenes are great) but I also feel this film unintentionally --at least in retrospect -- sheds another light on feminism, exposing some fears that weren't entirely justifiable. Being a strong feminist myself, I don't want to suggest in any way that feminism wasn't necessary and vital or that the need for it has passed. Heaven knows that women are still back in the Stone Ages in many countries without many rights to speak of. But the hysteria here of suggesting that men would literally turn their wives into robots (even if it is a metaphor for the subservient role that already existed -- the "decorative but mindless" ideal the media has long put out)-- well, it didn't happen, did it? The women's movement did happen and now women are in the boardrooms and fighting to have the luxury of being stay-at-home moms. You can't really have it all, whether you are male or female without some compromise. But, in any case, nothing on this scale in essence happened in our country or society. (Actually let me amend this! Something on this level DID happen, I see, judging from the scary feminist backlash that is suddenly popping up and fundamentalist communities in our country that DO turn women into baby-producing "robots" of sorts, completely under the dominion of men - and even beaten as part of their "conditioning." See Christian domestic discipline if you want your blood chilled. So I stand corrected here. It is frightening and depressing.) And if men were looking for ideals, would they choose those peasant dresses and floppy hats? I guess that was 70's chic.

Oh -- and the Tina Louise character -- irony of all ironies -- has a maid and makes the disparaging comment about her that being from whatever country she is from, makes her good at "serving." Joanna and Bobbie later are shocked and disturbed that Tina Louise has fired her housekeeper so she can do her work herself. I was uneasy that she had the housekeeper to start with! She was as oppressive and condescending in speaking about the woman as the husbands were about their wives.

But in spite of what I consider to be a sense of lacking in this film, it's still a good one. Seeing the women behave as robots is the thriller part and it is very effective. The companionship of Joanna and Bobbie is appealing, and the other "wives" are quite good, especially when they sound as if they are doing advertisements for cleansing products. It has a good musical score, highlighting all that is twisted and unsettling. And some of the dialogue is a hoot. All in all, it's worthwhile and fun to watch -- just not as great as what might have been.
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Martha Stewart Takes Over the World

mr_nasty | 04/20/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Every time I see "Martha Stewart's Living" on television, for some reason this film comes to mind. If you're a fan of horror / sci-fi films that are interspersed with bits of wry comedy, then this is a film for you. Like Ira Levin's other book-adapted-to-film, "Rosemary's Baby", this is an example of a film where it's obvious to the viewer what is happening 10-15 minutes into the movie (that is, if you don't know the film by its reputation), but, unfortunately, our heroine, in this case Katharine Ross, doesn't realize what's going on until it's literally spelled out for her. I personally believe that the film also encourages individualism,() But if you're a "campy-horror" fan, this will be a treat for you regardless."