Mister D: Randy, a lovely young lady from the Netherlands, sent me this translation of a Stepford Wives review. I’d just like to say a “thank you” to those who do the hard work trying to send us stuff in English, even though it’s not their native tongue….
God knows I wouldn’t take the time!!!! LOL Anyway…here goes:
Photo Scan: The Divine Dutchie Sara
Here’s a short review of ‘The Stepford Wives’ from the Dutch Preview Magazine. Please keep in mind that the extra titbit has been written by nosey journalists who love to create a new showbiz fuss between two celebrities…we betteheads know better! 😉
PREVIEW Magazine – August 2004
The Stepford Wives
‘The Stepford Wives’ is a remake of the feminist sf-film from 1975, in which the by Katharine Ross played Joanna Eberhardt discovers that strange things are happening in the rural town where she and her husband moved to.
The new version knows the same basis fact, but director Frank Oz (Bowfinger) doesn’t elaborate the movie as a horror movie, but as a (very mild) satire on American society. The part of Ross has been taken over by Nicole Kidman, who’s career as producer of real life tv-shows ends early when an unsatisfied participant fires upon her during the presentation of the new season. After her dismissal from the hospital, her husband Walter (Matthew Broderick) takes her with him to Stepford, where they want to make a new start together with their two kids. Stepford turns out to be a place where an oppressive uniformity dominates.
The women don’t only look perfect, but also their households are always shipshape, while their husbands spend their spare time in their own club. What also catches the eye is that life in Stepford is being simplified by all kinds of technical gadgets, like a refrigerator that indicates when it’s running out of food and drinks. Joanna gets immensely irritated by the slavish obedience of the other women and starts to investigate it, together with the only other woman with guts, the by Bette Midler played Bobbie Markowitz.
The weak point of the originally on a novel by Ira Levin inspired ‘The Stepford Wives’, is that after thirty years of feminism the theme of women getting oppressed by their men, is subject to wear. The movie contains a couple of successful jokes and is also worth watching because of Kidman, Midler and nice supporting roles by Glenn Close and Christopher Walken. Still the campy score of David Arnold can’t veil that the new ‘Stepford Wives’ is more form than contents.
Extra titbit
A supercast isn’t always fun to work with, discovered director Oz. The Divine Miss M and the just as divine Miss K. couldn’t stand each other and Bette also couldn’t get along with Frank Oz (‘no sense of humour’). Nic refused to shoot scenes in the burning sun (there you can get a tan!) and Christopher Walken left the set in blind anger when he heard that his character doesn’t end so well….
Thank you Randy…!!!
Love, Mister D
