The internationally bestselling novel by the author of a kiss before dying, the boys from brazil, and rosemarys. Late in levins novel, after most of her other friends have been turned into robots, joanna befriends ruthanne henry, a new resident and the first africanamerican woman in stepford. The films story is well layered and keeps you involved from. When the shot changes to show all the men, he is still doing it with his left hand. The stepford wives is a 1972 satirical thriller novel by ira levin. This is illustrated in the stepford wives book club scene. 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. Its not very funnyonce you know the ending you can see. Second and thirdwave feminist values and culture in the. 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. It was remarked that this remake completely removes the social commentary of the original which, whilst depressing, is. Original ending the stepford wives 1975 discussion. The 1975 stepford wives also retains the whitewashed quality of secondwave feminism. Peele has talked about the debt get out owes to such paranoiainducing films as rosemarys baby and the stepford wives, both based on books written by ira levin.
The author includes a lot of mundane details that add realism but arent very exciting to read. The rest of the novel follows joannas gradual realisation that the men of stepford are replacing their wives their sassy, fleshandblood, politicallyactive wives with robots. Scherick gabriel grunfeld written by paul rudnick music by david arnold cinematography rob hahn studio deline pictures distributed by paramount pictures united states dreamworks pictures international release dates june 11, 2004 running time 93 minutes language. This is going to seem out of place here, but the stepford wives. The stepford wives is a 1975 american sciencefiction horror film based on the 1972 ira levin novel of the same name. Unfortunately, bobbie and joanna discover that the villages wives have been replaced with robots, and joannas husband wants in on the action. The thing is, if a scary story has a social message like stepford wives feminism theme, one assumes theres a social message, an important point. The three versions of the stepford wives, the book, the 1975 movie, and the 2004. Sort of a happy medium between the original movie book and the remakes version. 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. The details of the technology of the stepford wife robots are also addressed in the 2004 remake, most satirically in the demonstration of the golden remote control with which the men operate their wives, from summoning them to service to shutting them off when even their breathy flattery is more contact than a husband desires. Frances has very kindly provided the following summary of our discussion on the stepford wives during our discussion on the stepford wives it was noted how different the 1975 version is to its 2004 remake, particularly in regards to the latters happy ending.
Its one of those books that you can read again and again, hoping the ending is going to change. The stepford wives by ira levin goodreads share book. At the end of the novel, joanna decides to flee stepford, but when she gets home, she finds that her children have been taken. For that reason, it is easy to dismiss this book as just another lighthearted fiction novel. When joanna, the main character, speaks at the stepford wives book club, she mentions a book she read about lyndon johnson and there is a unanimous look of confusion from the other stepford wives.
Well, its worth nothing that shes not levins only heroine to be conquered. 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 book has had two feature film adaptations, both using the same title as the. Ive loved ira levin ever since i read the boys from brazil in high school. Now its the thing everyone knows about the story, and the phrase stepford wife had entered the lexicon. The stepford wives 88 movie clip the supermarket 2004 hd duration.
Another bad idea from the bad ideas factory and this ones just about as. 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. Summary of discussion on the stepford wives melodrama. By the time of the release of the book version of the stepford wives in. 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. Joanna becomes friends with fellow new arrival bobbie markowe, as the two of them also become. If you dont know it, stay away from the trailer, which gives it away. At the end of the sequence faith hills character shoots her hand out of her arm on a long robotic tether and holds her husband up in the air.
There is a reason why some have called this book satire, and i have to agree with it. The stepford wives is not just any other suspense novel. Robots with bigger tits and smaller waists and more perfectlykept hair. Luckily, i knew the ending, and its a very short book, so that kept me going. At once a masterpiece of psychological suspense and a savage commentary on a mediadriven society that values the pursuit of youth and beauty at all costs, the stepford wives is a novel so frightening in its final implications that the title itself has earned a place in the american lexicon. When joanna eberhart and her family move to stepford, joanna soon wonders why all the wives are submissive, beautiful and. The stepford wives study guide contains a biography of ira levin, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a. Directors wife was not of that build so he changed it. The story concerns joanna eberhart, a photographer and young mother who begins to suspect that the frighteningly submissive housewives in her new idyllic connecticut neighborhood may be. The concept was an alternate ending for the 2004 stepford wives remake, where the wives werent controlled by microchips in their brains, but by nanobots that transformed their bodies and minds, making them effectively part human and part robot.
Megaproducer scott rudin and director frank oz teamed up for a remake in 2004. However, i never read the stepford wives, but saw the movie many years ago. How does the 2004 remake of the stepford wives differ. 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. The robotic reveal of the original was the films shocking surprise ending. What recently prompted me to finally read the book was an article at jstor daily titled sex in the early 80s, i took a. In the closing scene, joannas robot is seen walking down a. The stepford wives cert 12a peter bradshaw friday 30 july 2004 the guardian.
This is never a fair place for a work of narrative art to find it. She asks her husband to let her leave but he takes her car keys. Like rosemarys baby, the tension in the stepford wives builds so slowly that i had a hard time staying interested in it at first. The stepford wives is a beautifully written, nasty little piece of work, and i mean that as the highest compliment. The stepford wives started life as a 1972 novel by ira levin. Some of these connect to themes we find in ethical considerations of technological. Even knowing the plot and ending, the suspense was still incredible. 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.
Towards the ending of the book, it is bobbie markowe who attacks joanna eberhart, which is how she also turns into a housewife. She and joanna eberhart try to form a womans group to no avail, and she is later transformed into a stepford wife. If you like the sound of this book, you may also enjoy margaret atwoods the robber bride, or rosemarys baby by ira levin. It was directed by bryan forbes with a screenplay by william goldman, and stars katharine ross, paula prentiss, and peter masterson.
The stepford wives nailed feminist dystopia a decade. The stepford wives is about a small suburb where the women happily go about their housework cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking gourmet meals to. The stepford wives dreamworks animation wiki fandom. Megaproducer scott rudin and director frank oz teamed up for a. Ira levin, the stepford wives random house, 1972 the stepford wives paolmar. Inside the making of the 1975 feminist horror classic.
While the film was a moderate success at the time of release, it has grown in stature as a. They all read another book, about creative ways to make christmas ornaments. The original ending of the movie was an extension of the scene where glenn close kisses christopher walken s head. She manages to escape from the house on foot and several of the mens club members track her down. In the end, the role of the doomed heroine went to katharine ross. The stepford wives by ira levin feminine mystique after 40 years the stepford wives still holds up as a satire on the dark side. If i had made it i would have cut the kids but kept the ending as was originally written, the only other thing i would maybe change is by leaving walter alive somehow. Moviechat forums the stepford wives 1975 discussion original ending original ending. At the end of the book, joanna eberhart is turned into a stepford wife. In the ending of the 1975 stepford wives, joannas robot is seen gazing at her with empty, black eyes. When at the mens association, mike wellington raises a glass and toasts stepford. Its basic message is give up looking after yourselves, your husband, your children and your home to do pursuits that ultimately help not at all will make your marriage end up on a knife blade. There is a nod to the 1975 film adaptation towards the end, with the. The stepford wives is a 1972 satirical horror novel by ira levin.
1383 424 1291 1404 684 1467 347 863 440 875 1522 1357 448 43 1166 588 933 1106 140 485 1426 880 758 758 453 923 140 42 267