The Stepford Wives (1975 film)

The Stepford Wives
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBryan Forbes
Screenplay byWilliam Goldman
Based onThe Stepford Wives
by Ira Levin
Produced byEdgar J. Scherick
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byTimothy Gee
Music byMichael Small
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • February 12, 1975 (1975-02-12) (United States)
Running time
115 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4 million[2][3]

The Stepford Wives is a 1975 American satirical psychological thriller film directed by Bryan Forbes. It was written by William Goldman, who based his screenplay on Ira Levin's 1972 novel of the same name. The film stars Katharine Ross as a woman who relocates with her husband (Peter Masterson) and children from New York City to the Connecticut community of Stepford, where she comes to find that the women live lives of unwavering subservience to their husbands.

Filmed in Connecticut in 1974, The Stepford Wives premiered theatrically in February 1975. It grossed $4 million at the U.S. box office, though it received mixed reviews from critics. Reaction from feminist activists was also divided at the time of its release; Betty Friedan dismissed it as a "rip-off of the women's movement" and discouraged women from seeing it, though others such as Gael Greene and Eleanor Perry defended the film.

The Stepford Wives has grown in stature as a cult film over the years, and the term Stepford or Stepford wife has become a popular science fiction concept. Several sequels to the film were made, as well as a big-budget remake in 2004 that used the same title.

  1. ^ "The Stepford Wives (AA)". British Board of Film Classification. March 9, 1976. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  2. ^ "All-time Film Rental Champs". Variety. January 7, 1976. p. 50.
  3. ^ "The Stepford Wives". The Numbers. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020.

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