Hard Women

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 was released theatrically by Columbia Pictures in February 1975. It grossed $4 million at the U.S. box office, though it received mixed reviews from critics. Katharine Ross was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film. The film was shot entirely on location in Connecticut, primarily in the towns of Darien, Westport, and Fairfield, with no sets built for the production.. 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 remake in 2004 that used the same title.