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Retro SciFi Film of the Week…
The Stepford Wives (1975)
Something is not right in Stepford.
This film draws on two major cultural happenings during the early 1970s, the women's liberation movement and another development which I’ll explain under a CW (content warning) later in this thread because it’s a spoiler. The protagonist, played by Katharine Ross (The Graduate, The Final Countdown) and her new friend played by Paula Prentiss (Catch 22) notice how seemingly idyllic the town of Stepford is, but how backward and subservient all the women are.
During the late 60s and early 70s the women's liberation movement was at its height, with women burning their bras to protest their subjugation and demonstrate their liberation. The Stepford Wives is full of contemporary references and really gives you a feel for what was going on regarding changing roles between men and women at the time.
The film also features Tina Louise, who played “Ginger” on Gilligan’s Island.
A very well-made film, highly recommended.
(fair use image from the film)
***** Movie Spoiler – The Stepford Wives *****
***** Movie Spoiler – The Stepford Wives *****
Along with the womens liberation movement, there was a technological development that happened shortly before this film was released – Walt Disney developed “Audio-Animatronics”. This was a new way of making android-type figures move in synchronization with their voices. The technology first debuted at the World’s Fair in 1965 and became the central feature of Disneyland’s “Carousel of Progress” attraction in 1967, where the android figures were on a series of central stages and the audience rotated around them between each act of the production. The attraction and Audio-Animatronics were well publicized and nearly everyone was aware of the new technology at the time.
Another film, Westworld (1973) also began development and production at the same time as The Stepford Wives, however, the latter became delayed in production so it was released a little later. Westworld is much more well known to the public today because of the HBO TV series which refreshed that franchise in 2016.