From book to screen the term stepford wife entered the worlds lexicon shortly after author ira levins book was published back in 1972, and id say more people are familiar with the term and its meaning i. Robots with bigger tits and smaller waists and more perfectlykept hair. 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 robots created by their husbands the book has had two feature film adaptations, both using the same title as. The stepford wives is a much shorter book than i had anticipated. In it, joanna eberhart, her husband walter, and their two young children move from new york city to the eponymous connecticut commutertown.
The stepford wives 1975 based on ira levins novel, the stepford wives sees suburban housewives being replaced with perfect obedient androids. Joanna in the book was said to be reasonably pretty or average looking, in the film. The term stepford wife entered the worlds lexicon shortly after author ira levins book was published back in 1972, and id say more people are familiar with the term and its meaning i. The book has had two feature film adaptations, both using the same title as the novel. The stepford wives are the iconic and creepily beatific and biomechanical housewives from the pictureperfect town of stepford and they are eponymous main characters of the popular 1972 satirical thriller book by writer ira levin as well as of its 1975 sciencefiction horror film the stepford wives along with its 1980 madefortelevision sequel revenge of the stepford wives.
Joanna becomes friends with fellow new arrival bobbie markowe, as the two of them also become. If you could see the original movie or read the book, it would make sense. But the version i read had an introduction by chuck palahniuk that i found interesting and i thought showed up a little flaw in the book. The stepford wives is a 1972 novel by ira levin, according to what ive read its a satirical thriller whatever that is. At least there is an external explanation for why we lose our individuality. A stepford wife is a woman so domestic and submissive to her husband that its a bit difficult to believe. 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. The film was directed by frank oz with a screenplay by paul rudnick and stars nicole kidman, matthew broderick, bette midler, christopher walken, faith hill and glenn close. Nov 18, 2017 the stepford wives is a 1972 satirical thriller novel by ira levin. The stepford wives project gutenberg selfpublishing. Directed by bryan forbes, the stepford wives is a horror suspense thriller. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. The stepford wives is a beautifully written, nasty little piece of work, and i mean that as the highest compliment. Are the stepford wives really robots the dumpy duchess.
The stepford wives has one of the most enduring premises of 20thcentury american fiction. Husbands, the victims were not killed and replaced but instead merely brainwashed. I encountered this phrase a lot running my last blog, where i critiqued patriocentric cults like. For joanna, her husband, walter, and their children, the move to beautiful stepford seems almost too good to be true. The details of the technology of the stepford wife robots are also. The term stepford has become a term for someone who is brainwashed by the system. If ira levins 1972 novel and the 1975 film adaptation of the stepford wives is best remembered as a dark satire of the reactionary and misogynistic groupthink of privileged classes in american suburbia, then frank ozs 2004 film adaptation seems above all a satire of that satire. The stepford mens association uses audioanimation technology developed by disneyland, to create robots that act and speak so lifelike youd have thought they were real levin 94. Nov 29, 2015 stepford wives by ira levin in djvu, doc, txt download e book. Lets get the elephant out of the room before we begin. The stepford wives movie trailer 2004 nicole kidman, matthew.
But that begs the question, did they kill their wives or hold them prisoner somewhere. The first time, the stepford wives was adapted to film in 1975. The stepford wives and the subtle, insidious silencing of womens rights. Final paper the stepford wives 2004 the film that i choose to analysis is the stepford wives. The stepford wives by ira levin meet your next favorite book.
Nov 22, 2016 the 1975 stepford wives also retains the whitewashed quality of secondwave feminism. The book has had two feature film adaptations, both using the same title as. In stepford, the men rule the roost, turning their wives into pretty, prim, and proper pieces of eye candy but in reality, women seem to be driving the quest for physical perfection. So, did the mens association turn her into this robot. Ira levins website very tactfully describes the various madefortv.
The stepford wives 1975 the best robots in film film. If ira levins 1972 novel and the 1975 film adaptation of the stepford wives is best. 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 novel. 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 shot changes from the interior of the car to just outside the car so you can see walter check out the neighborhood, and one of the stepford wives. These films titles are particularly useful because they describe a feeling for which words dont existthe feeling that weve been overtaken by.
Two films of the same name have been adapted from the novel. So famous, in fact, that the book has achieved transcendence and become a phrase unto itself. Joanna becomes convinced that the wives of stepford are being poisoned or brainwashed into submission by the all male, mens club. In the newer version of the stepford wives 2004, it shows some of the turned wives doing humanly impossible things like placing a hand on a burning stove, spinning at high velocity, or despensing money like an atm. In both versions, the wives were robot duplicates that replaced the original women after. How does the 2004 remake of the stepford wives differ from. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. In the stepford wives, no woman gets out alive citylab. The husbands bored with their wives, or unhappy, would move into this community and would have turn their wives into stepford wives.
Katharine ross stars as joanna eberhart, and without a lot of banner stars the movie wasnt a huge success. With nicole kidman, bette midler, matthew broderick, glenn close. I know im going to have to go look that up, but in the meantime ill say what little i have to say about the book. 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. The stepford wives are the iconic and creepily beatific and biomechanical housewives from the pictureperfect town of stepford and they are eponymous main characters of the popular 1972 satirical thriller book by writer ira levin as well as of its 1975 sciencefiction horror film the stepford wives along with its 1980 madefortelevision sequel revenge of the stepford wives and 1987 made. The stepford wives is a scifi film which was released in 2004. What does joanna seem like at the beginning of the book and how does her character change over. It was directed by frank oz from a screenplay by paul rudnick and stars nicole kidman, matthew broderick, bette midler, christopher walken, faith hill and glenn close. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Second and thirdwave feminist values and culture in the. The secret to a stepford wife lies behind the doors of the mens association. Joanna and walter eberhart move with their two children to the suburbs in the hope of a more comfortable. Faith hill is a robotized housewife in this remake of stepfrd wives.
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 robots created by their husbands. It was directed by frank oz, who is famously known for his acting roles. If you look at the car around him as hes looking out the window, his family has disappeared and are nowhere to be found in the car. The book was published by random house in september 1972. In the 2004 film version of the stepford wives, were the. This post contains spoilers for the stepford wives by ira levin. The stepford wives is a 2004 american black comedyscience fiction film.
What the new stepford wives appears to be satirising isnt male chauvinism or suburban smallmindedness, but simply the original film to which it is hopelessly inferior. 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. These films titles are particularly useful because they describe a feeling for which words dont. Roger bart as roger bannister in the remake deleted scene. Jul 23, 2002 buy the stepford wives reprint by levin, ira isbn. In literature we can observe a form of this ruthless identification in the book the stepford wives. Unfortunately, bobbie and joanna discover that the villages wives have been replaced with robots, and joannas husband wants in on the action. 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 men use sophisticated technology to replace and murder their wives recalling how the nazis used technology for the mass murder of jews.
Nov 25, 2007 faith hill is a robotized housewife in this remake of stepfrd wives. The film is a remake of the 1975 film of the same name. In the 2004 film version of the stepford wives, were the wives. The story ends with two liberated women seizing the. The family doesnt realize that stepford is essentially a retirement community for rich, middleaged nerds who want to turn their strongwilled, talented wives into agreeable automatons.
It was directed by robert fuest with a screenplay by david wiltse and starring sharon gless, julie kavner, don johnson, arthur hill, and audra lindley. How does the 2004 remake of the stepford wives differ from the. The stepford wives is a 2004 american sciencefiction black comedy film. 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. The stepford wives started life as a 1972 novel by ira levin. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Political flavors the stepford wives is totally anti. In the scene where the family is first arriving in stepford, the entire family is in the car, with joanna passed out in the front passenger seat and her husband walter in the drivers seat. What recently prompted me to finally read the book was an article at jstor daily titled sex in the early 80s, i took a.
How does the 2004 remake of the stepford wives differ. The stepford wives is an internationally famed book written by renowned author, ira levin, who is also known for his bestselling book, rosemarys baby. The original idea was that they were robot copies of their wives. 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. Id heard of the idea before but never read the book until now very interesting to. Stepford, also known as stepford village, is the idyllic, modernday suburban connecticut town in the united states of america and it is home to its iconic and creepily beatific and biomechanical housewives publicly dubbed the stepford wives. The stepford wives is a 1972 satirical thriller novel by ira levin. The film is based on the ira levin novel the stepford wives filmed the first time in 1975. Whereas ghost in the shell looks at the integration of objects mechanical bodies, digital minds into the spectrum of the human, the stepford wives shows how human qualities can become quite inhuman. My copy is only 116 pages long, but it achieves a lot in those few pages and bulking out of the story would only have spoiled it. It is the titular main setting of the popular 1972 satirical thriller book by writer ira levin as well as of its 1975 sciencefiction horror movie. 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. The stepford wives and the subtle, insidious silencing of. The word first appeared in 1921, in karel capeks play r.
The story concerns joanna eberhart, a photographerand young mother who begins to suspect that the frighteningly submissive housewives in her new idyllic connecticutneighborhood may be robots created by their husbands. In the remake, some deleted scenes and, confusingly, some scenes that remain in the movie show that the wives were supposed to actually be robots like the original and this was changed late in production disowned adaptation. It first tries to imply that the wives are replaced by robots woman used as atm machine, then at the end nicole kidmans character discovers theyve just been brainwashed by a microchip or something like that. Although time may have lent novel and original film more comic relief than original audiences. The term stepford wife entered the worlds lexicon shortly after author. Joanna discovers that the men in stepford all had prior careers in robotics and technology, then deduces that theyre turning their wives into. The epilogue of the book has joanna being the submissive wife she never wanted to be. The stepford wives is famous, but you already know that. Revenge of the stepford wives 1980 changed the scenario somewhat. The stepford wives by levin ira, first edition abebooks.
The movie initially performed poorly in the theater, but it gained a cult following over the years. 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. In addition to comparing red pill women to serena joy, i have also compared them to stepford wives. A reboot needed the stepford wives 2004 discussion. Mar 11, 2016 i chose to show the stepford wives after ghost in the shell because i thought they made a nice pair of perspectives surrounding my central question. Joanna eberhart asks her husband, walter, in the 1975 version of the stepford wives, as the familys woodpaneled station wagonheavy with two kids and a dog, plus bikes strapped to the roof. Goldmans treatment of the book differed from that of forbes, with the robots. The films story is well layered and keeps you involved from.
Keep the whole gated community and seclusion from the rest of the world, but set it in the 50s and use some of todays tech, such as appliances. Oct 11, 2016 the term stepford wife entered the worlds lexicon shortly after author ira levins book was published back in 1972, and id say more people are familiar with the term and its meaning i. Perhaps this is unfair because stepford wives are not human women, but are in fact robots. The towns women are drugged and brainwashed rather than replaced by robots. Aug, 2011 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. A chance to get out of the city and reconnect with the things that matter. Revenge of the stepford wives is a 1980 american madefortelevision science fictionthriller film inspired by the ira levin novel the stepford wives. In the original story, the women were transformed into robots. In this video i talk about my thoughts on the stepford wives by ira levin.
You would have to read the book to really appreciate the mystery. The stepford wives is a 2004 american sciencefiction horror comedy film. This post contains spoilers for the stepford wives by ira levin in addition to comparing red pill women to serena joy, i have also compared them to stepford wives. Pretty actresses, big in the bosom but small in the talent, playing suburban housewives unconvincingly, too niceynice to be real. The internationally bestselling novel by the author of a kiss before dying, the boys from brazil, and rosemarys baby. So good that the term stepford wife has become part of pop culture. Its like the writer forgot what storyline he was using and changed his mind halfway through. The stepford wives 2004 corrections movie mistakes. In its original selfcontained form, i think it is excellent satire, commentary and science fiction that primarily critiques men.
Robots who will gratify even the very strangest of sexual kinks. I do not think the men are robots, i think they have just been brainwashed. 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. Oct 26, 2016 joanna eberhart asks her husband, walter, in the 1975 version of the stepford wives, as the familys woodpaneled station wagonheavy with two kids and a dog, plus bikes strapped to the roof. The definition of robot has been confusing from the very beginning. 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.