The Stepford Wives (1975)

Madienform Bonfire, 13 November 2005

Joanna Eberhart (Katharine Ross) has moved to Stepford with her husband and children. The place seems absolutely idyllic. But it's not long before Joanna and her new found friend Bobbie (Paula Prentiss), also new to Stepford, begin to realize not all is as wonderful as it seems. The women in town seem to have no interests other than cleaning their houses and pleasing their husbands. Is it something in the water? Joanna and Bobbie must discover the mystery of Stepford before they become its next victims.

While The Stepford Wives may be slow going, it never gets dull. The slow pace adds a lot to the mystery. I've often argued that for effective suspense, you can't rush it. It takes time to build. And even though I knew exactly where The Stepford Wives was going, it was a joy to watch the mystery unfold.

Two of the biggest things the movie has going for it are the cast and the script. As for the cast, Katharine Ross and Paula Prentiss are outstanding. Ross plays her role in a very understated manner and isn't quick to jump to wild conclusions without adequate proof. Too often, characters in horror movies will jump to the wildest of conclusions without a shred of evidence. It makes things very unrealistic. As for Prentiss, she steals every scene in which she appears. And her character is one of the most intelligent, yet free-spirited characters I've seen recently in a movie. In fact, given the implausibility inherent in the story, the entire script is written intelligently. The characters speak and act as one would expect given the circumstances. Plus, any script with the phrase "Madienform Bonfire" is alright with me.

I suppose my biggest complaint would be the lack of time given to the mansion that houses the Stepford Men's Association. I kept waiting for Joanna and Bobbie to do some amateur sleuthing, but it never happened. And even when Joanna finally gets inside, it's over far too quickly.

7/10