The Stepford Wives (1975 film)

The Stepford Wives
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Bryan Forbes
Screenplay by	William Goldman
Based on	The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
Produced by	Edgar J. Scherick
Starring	Katharine Ross Paula Prentiss Peter Masterson Nanette Newman Tina Louise Patrick O'Neal
Cinematography	Owen Roizman
Edited by	Timothy Gee
Music by	Michael Small
Production company	Palomar Pictures
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	February 12, 1975 (1975-02-12) (United States)
Running time	115 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$4 million[2][3]

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 premiered theatrically in February 1975. It grossed $4 million at the U.S. box office, though it received mixed reviews from critics. 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 big-budget remake in 2004 that used the same title.