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donmccullen-1's rating
In the height of the Women's liberation movement during early 1970's it seemed that certain men were afraid of stronger women. Ira Levin used that to create a novel that is not necessarily great literature, but a novel that people are going to remember for a long time to come. The Stepford Wives proved to be a page tuner and a book that people could not just put down.
By 1975 William Goldman and Bryan Forbes adapted the book into a motion picture, and while the movie has not aged with grace it does have that same hook at the novel.
The movie begins with the Eberhart's moving out of New York City and into the town of Stepford, Connecticut. In this movie Joanna is a stay at home photographer. At first Joanna (Katharine Ross) is ready to began a new life, in spite of the way the woman behave, but as soon as she says how one of local women reacts after getting into a car accident she begins to have doubts.
The doubts continue to grow when Joanna's husband Walter invites the local Men's Association to their home and one of its members does a black and white sketch of her (common art style in the 1970's (Remember the early titles of the TV Daytime Drama "Young & the Restless" anyone?).
Joanna meets up with another newcomer Bobbie Markowe (Paula Prentiss) to find out what is behind the women and their attitudes about being the best housewives to their men. They turn to Charmaine Wimperis (Tina Louise) who also moved in to town with her husband, and try to get some kind of women's group going, with little success. Soon enough, Charmanie is Stepfordtized and has giving up her love of Tennis, and is willing to do the housework that Wimperis housekeeper used to do.
Bobbie thinks that the local water supply somehow connected to this but they end upshort. Eventually Bobbie becomes a Stepford wife and Joanna get even more frighten.
She now wants to move out of Stepford but her husband tells her to go see a shrink which Joanna does and the good news is she is a women. Joanna tells her that she has a strong feeling that she will be the next woman to get the Stepford treatment. Sadly Dr. Fancher tells her that she another commitment but tells Joanna to get herself and her children out of Stepford A.S.A.P. However Walter is on to her, and sent the children away which leads to the climax in which Joanna confronts Dale Coba (Patrick O'Neal) who heads the Means Association.
It seems that Coba is behind the Stepfordtizing (there are several Technological Plants in town that Joanna drives by in the film including one in Coba's name), and has the skills and the knowledge to create the perfect and submissive wife. He admitted earlier during his visit at the Eberhart home that he likes watching women doing "domestic chores." The buildup in the movie is different then the one in the book, but it has the same resolution and ending. The movie is not the greatest thriller in the world but it pulls you in and keeps you tied to your seat until the very end.
By 1975 William Goldman and Bryan Forbes adapted the book into a motion picture, and while the movie has not aged with grace it does have that same hook at the novel.
The movie begins with the Eberhart's moving out of New York City and into the town of Stepford, Connecticut. In this movie Joanna is a stay at home photographer. At first Joanna (Katharine Ross) is ready to began a new life, in spite of the way the woman behave, but as soon as she says how one of local women reacts after getting into a car accident she begins to have doubts.
The doubts continue to grow when Joanna's husband Walter invites the local Men's Association to their home and one of its members does a black and white sketch of her (common art style in the 1970's (Remember the early titles of the TV Daytime Drama "Young & the Restless" anyone?).
Joanna meets up with another newcomer Bobbie Markowe (Paula Prentiss) to find out what is behind the women and their attitudes about being the best housewives to their men. They turn to Charmaine Wimperis (Tina Louise) who also moved in to town with her husband, and try to get some kind of women's group going, with little success. Soon enough, Charmanie is Stepfordtized and has giving up her love of Tennis, and is willing to do the housework that Wimperis housekeeper used to do.
Bobbie thinks that the local water supply somehow connected to this but they end upshort. Eventually Bobbie becomes a Stepford wife and Joanna get even more frighten.
She now wants to move out of Stepford but her husband tells her to go see a shrink which Joanna does and the good news is she is a women. Joanna tells her that she has a strong feeling that she will be the next woman to get the Stepford treatment. Sadly Dr. Fancher tells her that she another commitment but tells Joanna to get herself and her children out of Stepford A.S.A.P. However Walter is on to her, and sent the children away which leads to the climax in which Joanna confronts Dale Coba (Patrick O'Neal) who heads the Means Association.
It seems that Coba is behind the Stepfordtizing (there are several Technological Plants in town that Joanna drives by in the film including one in Coba's name), and has the skills and the knowledge to create the perfect and submissive wife. He admitted earlier during his visit at the Eberhart home that he likes watching women doing "domestic chores." The buildup in the movie is different then the one in the book, but it has the same resolution and ending. The movie is not the greatest thriller in the world but it pulls you in and keeps you tied to your seat until the very end.
25 years before Napoleon Dynamite was released, another film about kids coming of age in a small town was in the big screen cinema. That movie was called "Breaking Away." Ironically both movies were released by FOX.
Like Napoleon Dynamite, Breaking Away was also shot in the same small town in which the movie took place rather than some sound stage in Hollywood. Rather than Preston, Idaho; the town ND takes place, Breaking... takes place in the town of Bloomington, Indiana.
The outcasts in this film called "Cutters" and were fair game to a group of college students that attend the local University in town, and came from other parts of the country and even the world. You see chances are that the Cutters would not go to college and would stick to their blue collar lifestyle for the rest of their days. Some collage kids look down upon this.
The Cutters would face off with these college snobs (and then some) in the town's annual bike race (Little 500). The best rider is Dave Stoller (played by Dennis Christopher) who tries to mimic the Italians (and driving his parents, neighbors, and even his friends crazy in the process) in his attempt to become one of the best cyclist in the nation if not the world. Dennis Quaid was on his way to becoming a movie star by portraying the though cutter and leader of the group Mike.
The big difference between the Napoleon Dynamite and Breaking Away is that this movie had more of a plot.
If you saw Napoleon Dynamite then I recommend you check out "Breaking Away."
Like Napoleon Dynamite, Breaking Away was also shot in the same small town in which the movie took place rather than some sound stage in Hollywood. Rather than Preston, Idaho; the town ND takes place, Breaking... takes place in the town of Bloomington, Indiana.
The outcasts in this film called "Cutters" and were fair game to a group of college students that attend the local University in town, and came from other parts of the country and even the world. You see chances are that the Cutters would not go to college and would stick to their blue collar lifestyle for the rest of their days. Some collage kids look down upon this.
The Cutters would face off with these college snobs (and then some) in the town's annual bike race (Little 500). The best rider is Dave Stoller (played by Dennis Christopher) who tries to mimic the Italians (and driving his parents, neighbors, and even his friends crazy in the process) in his attempt to become one of the best cyclist in the nation if not the world. Dennis Quaid was on his way to becoming a movie star by portraying the though cutter and leader of the group Mike.
The big difference between the Napoleon Dynamite and Breaking Away is that this movie had more of a plot.
If you saw Napoleon Dynamite then I recommend you check out "Breaking Away."