It is a performances centric movie

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The movie is scary at the end. I would never watch the end again. Just too creepy. If you can stand it, you should watch the end at least once to catch the horror of the story.But I find the scenes where the wives suddenly start obeying their husbands generally funny. Of course in real life this would be a horror, as it is at the end. But there is something hilarious about people suddenly saying and doing things they would never do before. People just don't do that, at least under normal circumstances like living in an affluent suburb.I see a lesson in the film about human autonomy. Our freedom is about doing our own quirky things, even if they're stupid. As one reviewer mentioned, the Katharine Ross character is actually a rather annoying person in some ways. Her freedom isn't about being good, but about being herself. Of course her sometimes annoying character does not reduce in the least the evil of her creepy husband.

The Stepford Wives is an adaption of an Ira Levin novel. Another of his books had previously been transformed to the screen in a highly successful manner, namely Rosemary's Baby (1968). Both films share pretty clear similarities, they both focus on a woman who has moved to a new place where she finds strange new neighbours who convince her husband to conspire against her in order to work with them to facilitate a scenario where he will also be rewarded. It's a pretty specifically similar set-up but this is ultimately a film which explores quite different areas with this premise. A woman and her family move from New York to a small 'idyllic' town called Stepford because her husband insists. When there, she soon realises something is wrong once she encounters the women of the town who are unnaturally placid, vapid creatures who are unconditionally devoted to their husbands, obsessed with domestic chores and unable to talk about anything other than trivialities. When her best friend from the area suddenly also succumbs to this condition she accelerates her investigations, fearing she must be next.The ideas interwoven into the fabric of this cult movie have seeped into western culture to such an extent that the term 'Stepford Wives' has known meaning to those who haven't even seen the film. I guess this goes some way in showing that this is a movie with a very memorable premise that clearly struck a chord. While it is a sci-fi film and it does have horror elements – albeit with a tone more of uncertainty and dread that full on horror – these genres are more working (very effectively) in the background, with the main focus a satire of suburban life and the sexist expectations put on women. When it was released these ideas were set against the backdrop of the Women's Lib movement which was gathering steam, a situation that seems to have made many men rather uncomfortable. The men of Stepford represent these kinds of males and they are a hugely unappealing collection of individuals who have gone to extremes to curb feminism and maintain the patriarchal system. It's these underlying ideas that have made The Stepford Wives more than simply a creepy sci-fi horror movie. Although it still operates very well as that too, with its story of slowly unfolding dread, sinister individual moments such as the kitchen scene where one of the 'Wives' goes haywire and the decidedly nihilistic conclusion. Katharine Ross is excellent in the main role and very successfully gets us on board, which makes this ending all the more downbeat. If I had to put forward a criticism of the film it would be that it does have some pacing problems, meaning that it feels like it might be a little overlong. This issue aside though, this is a pretty effective example of a genre film with quite a lot of interesting things to say. It's definitely worthy of its iconic reputation.

Based on Ira Levin's satirical novel The Stepford Wives is a story that at first seems like a simple thriller but on a closer look offers so much more. It doesn't just offer effective psychological suspense, work as a commentary on society's pursuit of youth and perfection, it is also a sci-fi horror with touches of dark humour and the best part is that it only gets better when you re-watch it. For the most part the film moves along slowly and quietly, painting a peaceful picture of a suburban dream life and even when Joanna begins to suspect something is amiss nothing in the movie gives away just how life shattering the town's secret is. It is not until the climatic end that the horror truly pokes it face out and sends chills down your spine and knowing the secret from the beginning means the chills are there from the very start when re-watching the movie. As the movie is shown from Joanna's perspective a lot of the horror happens unseen to us and as you think back on the movie those horrors will play for your inner eye and set thoughts in motion which makes this an incredibly strong movie with more impact than a simple jump-scare horror. While the movie has been criticized for being anti-feminist Stepford is clearly more chauvinistic dystopia than heaven and the men are cold and flat characters compared to the fleshed-out warm and strong females. All the women, the Stepford wives that is, give brilliant performances of perfect housewives so clearly inspired by the phony females in adds that they manage to give a comic edge to the story, perfectly hitting the note so it slowly increases the sense of something wrong rather than making the tone too light. Especially Ross (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 1969) is great as the heroine, at once feisty but still insecure and self-doubting from the insanity of the situation, and Prentiss (The Parallax View, 1974) is a delight as the bubbly Bobbie just as the beautiful Louise (Day of the Outlaw, 1959) brilliantly shows the insecurity hidden underneath the beautiful face of the feisty Charmaine, while Newman (Captain Nemo and the Underwater City, 1969) delivers the perfect archetype Stepford wife persona as Carol Van Sant. One could argue that the statement against gender roles was more important in the time of the book's publishment and movie's release but considering the high standard everyone is met with in today's global life, it is as familiar a theme as ever and Bryan Forbes's (The Raging Moon, 1971) bright sunny-set movie with its gloomy secret luring underneath will still be able to hit you and hit you hard.Moviegeek.eu

Okay, let's just get the 'remake' starring Nicole Kidman and that other guy out of the way – it's rubbish. Ignore it. Yes, the seventies Stepford Wives may be just a little bit dated (play 'spot the flared trousers etc), but, if you're serious about horror, then there's no comparison.If you don't know... a family move to the quiet, secluded little American town of Stepford where the man of the family joins the (secretive) 'Men's Association,' leaving the woman of the family to make friends with some of the most submissive and prim women ever. Coincidence, or something darker afoot? It's something darker, but then as it's a horror film, you probably could guess that anyway.On the off chance you haven't seen 'The Stepford Wives' I won't say too much about the plot. You'll only get the one chance to see it without knowing what happens, so I won't spoil it for you. Just know that it is a masterpiece of 'understated' horror. It doesn't need 'torture p0rn' or anything gruesome and bl00dy to scare. It's just scary in a whole different way.If I had to pick one gripe with the film, I'd say the editing is a bit choppy. Some scenes seen to cut or fade into another a bit randomly. Still, it doesn't take away from the film too much.Also, while you ignore Nicole Kidman's remake, it's probably best to ignore all the 'Stepford sequels' – none of them are up to the original.