Old Vs. New: The Stepford Wives
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- čas přidán 27. 01. 2022
- For years, Ira Levin's classic sci fi satire of sexism has been beloved by fans and the title has even bee used to describe generic wives with no ambitions. But which film adaptation captures Levin's satire? William Goldman's 75 version or Frank Oz's 2004....oh, who am I kidding? You know perfectly well which one! But still, we'll be comparing these two films today! Don't forget to like and subscribe!
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Old is gold
That it is!
You should try an old vs new of The Fly, the one with Vincent Price and the one with Jeff Goldblum.
A lot of husbands don't like their wives wearing revealing clothes in front of others and force them to wear modest clothes, as they get insecure when other people look at them. So I buy the reason why the Stepford Wives were dressed as 50's housewives, while potentially dressing more provocative in the bedroom hence seeing robot Joanna in the bedroom in a see-through robe. The housewife clothes also contrasts the real wives who are dressed more revealing, particularly Joanna who clearly doesn't wear a bra.
I love the original version, like the 2004 re-make, "Revenge of the Stepford Wives" and "Stepford Husbands" and "Stepford Children"!
You should think about doing Overboard. Goldie Hawn vs Anna Faris.
Personally my only complaint about the original was the ending. I was really hoping for Joanna to get away.
Yeah, me too. But she wouldn't abandon in her children in that horrible town, and that shows a true mother's love.
I watched the original in full recently and thoroughly enjoyed it.
It's definitely a slow burn, which may be a problem for TikTok attention spans, but well worth it in the end.
Haven't seen the '04 version.
Enjoyed your fair breakdown of these films and agree that the original is superior. The remake kinda makes me angry actually 😏
That being said, I think the remake has a couple more interesting things going for it.
One: in the original, Johanna never tried to fit into Stepford. Oh sure, she reaches out, has genuine concern for the wives and isn’t judgmental about them, but remains true to who she is. So her husband turning on her, while heartbreaking, makes sense. We’re not entirely shocked to discover that he’s wanted her to be different all along. Especially given the time the film was made.
But in the remake, Johanna actually makes an effort to live the Stepford life. After her initial repulsion, she gives it a shot. She joins committees and wears pink and really gives it a go. Stepping out of her comfort zone. And her husband *still* wants to replace her. I find that to be so much more of a kick to the nads. Like, not even trying to meet your partner halfway is good enough.
Two: the realization that a man *isn’t* responsible for Stepford is actually on theme. You mentioned Johanna’s misogyny at the start of the film. Her immediate disgust at the wives. I think it’s important to remember that women are also capable of perpetuating misogynistic behavior. Not just men. It also adds to the idea that women themselves can be the key/answer to change rather than simply expecting a man to be that answer.
I will say, in fairness to the remake, it got massively reshot and re-edited several times. I've always wondered if the original cut would've been a bit more consistent with its' jokes and story.
I suppose anything is possible. But like I mention in my video, there was still the fact that even if they did go with the original ending where the wives were murdered and replaced with robots, the film still made it painfully obvious that was the case. I think there was indeed a good movie that could have come from this comedic Stepford Wives retelling...but the execution was horribly botched.
I must be the only person who liked the twist in the remake. Glenn Close killed it!!!
I do have to admit, I didn't see it coming at all and Close did give a pretty damn good performance. I just felt it kind of hampered the impact of the men's association
She's originally from Conneticut!
You mentioned a director’s cut of the remake? I can’t find any references to that online. Was curious for details.
I really just meant "extended original version". There's not a director's cut released to the public at this time. Sorry for the confusion, maybe "director's cut" wasn't the right choice of words.
@@vcandrewscritiquer oh okay. So are there scenes that I’ve missed by just watching the original?
I don't think the new ending defeats the purpose at all. Given that Joanna was already a misogynist herself at the beginning of the movie, it would kind of show a mirror on that prideful view that women should be a certain way to be "acceptable". Joanna was a woman who thought low of women who were archaic housewives and Close's character was a woman who thought ill of women with ambition. I think that that detail in particular removes the need for Joanna having an "Am-I-Worse-Than-The-Villains?" scene. I dont think it came out of nowhere at all. Really it was more like a parallel of Joanna and Claire's *savior* complex as they each asserted they knew the "right" way a woman should act
Very good review. I enjoyed both films but I prefer the original. It was full of suspense and creepiness especially at the end. The remake to me felt more like a parody but I definitely didn't see the twist at the end coming.
Old is soooo much better. Muchhhh better
Old was best
Personally, I don't find the concept scary. Not because I am statistically not in any danger as one of the penis'd ones, but I just can't take the conspirators seriously.
Original was still the best.
What song is that?
Bobbie is Jewish in both (according to the book, Markowe is from Markowitz)
The song that plays during the best Bobby round? It’s the opening theme of the original movie...which thankfully is not content I’d protected. And as for Bobby being Jewish in the book, I must have forgotten that part. Haven’t read it in a while😀
@@vcandrewscritiquer The musical sounding one you use with the woman singing
@@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254 Julianne Hough singing "Whistle While You Work" czcams.com/video/AZKpghrQiO4/video.html
@@vcandrewscritiquer Thanks
Christopher Walken made the whole movie great. What a twist. I really enjoyed the 2004 remake. Was supposed to be a comedy.
As much as the remake is inferior I wish the original had the remakes happy
ending because of how much of a downer the originals ending is.
I find your reviews of this movie ironic. You picked apart both Joannas on how they could have been better, which is the whole point of the movie, that men shouldn't be saying how women should be better. Also, the second one has more satire to it, and it's also trying to even the score by displaying how women can be the same way. I think that's kind of the point of the second one. It's the more modern version where men fight back, per se, and expose how ugly women can be as well, while also making fun of men. Maybe that's more of why the second one didn't go over well, because it didn't really sympathize with what MOST women feel and experience, like the first one did. Most women aren't at her level of profession or that sh**y.
Yeah...I guess it is kind of ironic when you think about it. Nonetheless, necessary for the sake of critiquing
Skip the one with Julie Kavner. I'd seen it, hated it, go straight to 'The Stepford Children.'
The new Stepford Wives had exactly one great moment - the one early on where Nicole is told she's fired. The cascade of emotions that flash through her face while she's trying desperately to keep the smile on is hilarious. Other than that, good gods, that movie sucked. I think the problem is that the story is a satire of misogynist culture, and a commentary on the way women are trapped by American values. This was a far more intense issue in the 70's, and the stifling conformity that was still around at the time just isn't an issue anymore. Trying to remake a story that centers on a social milieu that really isn't around anymore seems like an oddly futile endeavor; I think the filmmakers would have been much better served by just writing a _new_ story that sends up the "war between the sexes", written for our era, and not try to shove the attitudes of a bygone decade into ours. (I was around in the 70's and saw the original when it came out. We really do not live in the same world anymore.)
Who knows, after roe v. wade we could return back
I actually prefer the remake I found it far more entertaining and would love another reimagining where nearly everyone are robots like Terminator. The robots are used as soldiers of war instead of humans. Then war breaks all over and only a handful of people are left. The robots then sequester the remaining populace into a newly created Eden called Stepford. Instead of the robots turning against mankind like in the Terminator movies they actually become our protectors. And equal opportunity this time around. Not just hot girls but also hot guys.