Nov 22, 2016 at first, ira levins novel the stepford wives seems made for the screen. The stepford wives 1975 by raquel vasinkevich on prezi. The stepford wives is not only a creepy horror flick, but also a stinging piece of commentary on the culture of the suburbs. His other most recognized works the boys from brazil and rosemarys baby both became successful films featuring bigname stars of the day. It was directed by frank oz, who is famously known for his acting roles. The stepford wives contributes to this conversation as the film presents the themes of looking, being watched and the female body as interwoven within the confines of a gothic story which simultaneously speaks to the larger narrative of womens rights and feminist movements of the 1970s. Stepford seems like an ideal place to live, but the women in stepford are extremely subsurvient to their families. It was remarked that this remake completely removes the social commentary of the original which, whilst depressing, is. It is the second in a series of sequels inspired by the 1972 novel and the original 1975 film the. Matthew broderick and nicole kidman in the stepford wives 2004. The stepford wives film analysis uk essays ukessays. Instead of being a movie about the sexist tendencies of many men, the 2004 movie was more a mockery of highpowered 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 husband, walter, from manhattan to the chic, upperclass, and very modern planned community of stepford, connecticut. All the beautiful people live in the idyllic village of stepford, connecticut, an affluent suburban eden populated with successful, satisfied hubbys and their beautiful, dutiful wives. While comparing the two works there are quite a few variations that link their characters together showing the extent as to which they are similar. As with fundamentalist religion, this need to control takes precedence over.
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. In its original selfcontained form, i think it is excellent satire, commentary and science fiction that primarily critiques men. Stepford wives script transcript from the screenplay and. Do you believe the medias depiction of cities and towns inspires the way in which we would like to live. The film is a remake of the 1975 film of the same name. Reading the stepford wives was a first for me because i actually saw the movie version of it from 2004 before i read the actual book. 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. How does the 2004 remake of the stepford wives differ. The stepford children is a 1987 american made for television science fictionthriller film inspired by the ira levin novel the stepford wives.
Chief among them is a grisly scene in which a main character is revealed to be a robot and his head detaches from his body while his wife cradles and kisses the head. Levi with a screenplay by bill bleich and starring barbara eden, don murray, tammy lauren, randall batinkoff and pat corley. I know, i know, i still need to get the cast names in there and ill be eternally tweaking. 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. Her book on victorian literature and anorexia nervosa is forthcoming. At first, ira levins novel the stepford wives seems made for the screen. Ira levin was born on august 27, 1929 in the bronx, new york. Parents need to know that the stepford wives is a remake of a 70s horror film that goes for comedy rather than scares, yet still has some material within that may traumatize younger viewers.
The significance of forbes the stepford wives for contemporary feminist. The stepford wives movie trailer 2004 nicole kidman. There are similar themes to those that worked so successfully in rosemarys baby. 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. Explore the connection between get out, the stepford wives. 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. 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. In the stepford wives, ira levin imagines a claustrophobic world in which women are manmade, and feminism doesnt exist. In this reading diz is not just a substitute for the heroines suspicious spouse but rather an embodiment of patriarchy itself. The stepford wives came at the heel of the mass hysteria with bra burnings, sexual liberation, and the demand for equal work opportunities for women. Oct 29, 2009 the 2004 remake of this film is lighthearted and rather fun, but if that is the only version that you have seen you are missing out. Joanna becomes friends with fellow new arrival bobbie markowe, as the two of them also become. More than a decade before margaret atwood, however, ira levin had already explored the feminist.
We are a company of 200 employees and stepford hosts and manages our network as well as providing a variety of specialized services to us on an asneeded basis. Dec 01, 2009 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 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. The stepford wives has one of the most enduring premises of 20thcentury american fiction. Explore our collection of motivational and famous quotes by authors you know and love. Finally, the stepford wives script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the movie starring nicole kidman, bette midler, matthew broderick, christopher walken, yadda yadda. Ideal postwar suburban lifestyles are often depicted by small towns, friendly neighbors, small families, and women holding domestic. Joanna and walter eberhart move with their two children to the suburbs in the hope of a more comfortable.
The stepford wives is a scifi film which was released in 2004. I had recently broken up with my fiancee and was glad to be back on the road as a. Scherick produced the 1975 version, as well as all three of the madefortelevision sequels. The stepford wives is a 2004 american black comedyscience fiction film. As avid followers of the evolving ideas of traditional marriage, we at the stepford wives organization are constantly scouring the internet and printed book matter for ideas and new information we have mentioned the polygamous flds fundamental latter day saints group, purely out of interest for their anachronistic ideas of traditional marriage and their views of the man as the headofthe. 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. The connection to the stepford wives bryan forbes unsettling 1975 flick with katharine ross, not the atrocious 2004 remake with nicole.
I have checked everywhere else on the internet and they all deal with the movies. 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. Sep 21, 2015 reading the stepford wives was a first for me because i actually saw the movie version of it from 2004 before i read the actual book. The stepford wives by ira levin meet your next favorite book.
They havent even time for that maxwell house coffee break when they come to call on someone new in town. The men in the stepford wives choose, in a sense, to play god. Chief among them is a grisly scene in which a main character is revealed to be a robot and his head detaches from his body while his wife cradles and. The original stepford dream, or nightmare, where women rule the world, is a long way off. The original version, starring katharine ross might not have. Summary of discussion on the stepford wives melodrama. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay andor viewings of stepford wives. 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. Second and thirdwave feminist values and culture in the.
However, both books are still in print and mulveys article has been. 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. Stepford has been our it partner for several years. I was spending a few weeks there, installing some equipment at stepford pharmeceutical labs, for the company i worked for. 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.
They all read another book, about creative ways to make christmas ornaments. 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. 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 is a stunning film, one that is a genre classic, and if you enjoy old school horror, then this is a must see film. Frank oz has done the voice of yoda in the star wars series, and several muppets characters, such as miss piggy. The stepford wives is a 1972 satirical thriller novel by ira levin. 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. Womens lib came of age in the 1960s and really took firm hold in the years in which levin was constructing his novel. The stepford men use sophisticated technology to replace and murder their wives recalling how the nazis used technology for the mass murder of jews. The stepford wives, based on a book by ira levin, both depict very similar worlds dealing with the removal of women to traditional roles and the death of feminism. The stepford wives nailed feminist dystopia a decade. The stepford children is a 1987 american madefortelevision science fictionthriller film inspired by the ira levin novel the stepford wives.
On the surface, the story, novella, and movie poked fun at men wanting robotic wives, but there is a sly subtext about how women who clamor for equal opportunities even though we did not equal. The story concerns joanna eberhart, a photographer and young mother who suspects the. The stepford wives organizations complete guide to the stepford movies. And theres a twist that i wasnt expecting that ties into the themes earlier mentioned in the movie and aforementioned here. In the ending of the 1975 stepford wives, joannas robot is seen gazing at her with empty, black eyes. 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.
Although time may have lent novel and original film more comic relief than original audiences experienced, the. Theres a good reason why, as joanna and her new friend bobbi find out, and their lives are in danger from those who love them the mosttheir husbands. 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. Gregory peck, for the boys from brazil schaffner, 1978 and mia farrow, in rosemarys baby polanski, 1968. The stepford wives is different on both these counts and this could represent another way the film adapts and modifies the traditions of the gothic in order to speak to the films wider political contexts and concerns. The films story is well layered and keeps you involved from. The stepford wives symbols, allegory and motifs gradesaver. Like, theres at least thematic cohesion i can give the writers props for. He chose the stepford community because of its location, low taxes, great schools for his. Ira levin thesis key themes of the small town amanda hedmann the small town of stepford functions as a gendered prison for women, which serves as a microcosm to highlight how women are imprisoned in feminine gender roles within the structure of patriarchy. The secret to a stepford wife lies behind the doors of the mens association.
While comparing the two works there are quite a few variations that link their characters together. That is, i was until i happened upon the town of stepford. The stepford wives stepford is a small exurban community are contentedly submissive in bed and happy all the livelong day dusting and waxing and washing. The stepford wives is quite similar to the consciousness raising novel. The book has had two feature film adaptations, both using the same title as the novel. American graffiti 1973 a group of friends spend one fabulously entertaining night cruising the strip in their cars, chasing love interests, playing pranks, racing, fighting, and reminiscing about their high school.
And plus, its always interesting to see a new take on things. This is illustrated in the stepford wives book club scene. The stepford wives started life as a 1972 novel by ira levin. How does the 2004 remake of the stepford wives differ from. Some scenes are out of order or altered to fit with. On the other hand, i felt that the book provided some more insightsand a less happy endingthan the movie did. A theme is stated in a sentence and the subject is just one word. The handmaids tale, first published in 1985, anticipates a violent regime which strips away womens rights and turns them back into servers and breeders. Some of these connect to themes we find in ethical considerations of technological. The 2004 remake of this film is lighthearted and rather fun, but if that is the only version that you have seen you are missing out. The stepford wives has become a movie two times now, but. Harry dean stanton and wives in big love, a hollywood fairy tale on the realities of polygamy.
Final paper the stepford wives 2004 the film that i choose to analysis is the stepford wives. In the closing scene, joannas robot is seen walking down a grocery aisle. I was reading the stepford wives for my english assignment. So going into the novel, i felt as though i already knew the premise which, for the most part, wasnt wrong. 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. So please help me by giving examples of a theme for this book. Boekverslag engels the stepford wives door ira levin scholieren. Joanna wonders about their very active mens association while the womens. As with fundamentalist religion, this need to control takes precedence over morality, fairness and love. The stepford wives forbes, 1975 portrays the feminine condition in a bourgeois, patriarchal society boruzkowski, 1987. Did the robot not fully activate until the real jonna was killed.
The film is based on the ira levin novel the stepford wives filmed the first time in 1975. By recreating their wives in their own image or in this case their ideal image, they take away the womans freewill. What does joanna seem like at the beginning of the book and how does her character change over. The stepford wives is a 2004 american sciencefiction black comedy film. 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. 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. They consistently provide outstanding service in a timely manner. Jul 19, 2004 the original stepford dream, or nightmare, where women rule the world, is a long way off.
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