Visual Essay 1
Rebecca Rippl
Film 301
Stepford Wives keep History Alive
The Stepford Wives is a film that has a fictional experimental twist, putting it into the science fiction genre. Cornea defines science fiction as a genre that “deals with the human response to changes” (1). When looking at any film it is clear to see how historical events or current events are portrayed in the film. The Stepford Wives, I believe, was influenced by the historical/current events and changes that took place in the United States.
Stepford is a town that has no issues, no poverty, and no pushing. Some would view Stepford as the ideal or perfect place to live. Even though everything may look perfect, there is a dark secret about the wives. They aren’t real—hence it is in the science fiction genre. 
The husbands of Stepford created their rebellious and outgoing business wives into beautiful housewives. This visual shows Joanna’s double not quite finished. 
Her dark eyes are an indication she is not the real Joanna. The men fulfill the part of Todorov’s definition of science fiction: “to what degree they are present in life” (2). I believe the men test the importance of their wives in their lives.
When the film was created in 1975, the history of the United States was in a critical period. The end of the Vietnam War brought change and a new way of life. Unlike the 1950’s, the 70’s were very much laid back. Shows like Leave it to Beaver portray the perfect world of the 1950’s. In Leave it to Beaver, the Cleaver family lives a perfect, simple life much like the families in Stepford. In the 1950’s mothers worked at home, always looked their best, cooked, cleaned—everything the Stepford wives did. In my opinion, I would make the point that this film perfectly portrayed the change to the laid back lifestyle. Joanna’s character in the film represents the new women of the 1970’s. Women in the 70’s gained a lot of respect and power from the males in their lives. They weren’t so focused on what they were doing wrong, what they had to do at home, or if their outfit was proper enough to leave the house.
This film’s mise-en-scene, I argue, come from the content and shows I previously spoke about. The historical events and change in lifestyle sets the stage for The Stepford Wives. The perfect image idea of the 1950’s created the whole set of Stepford itself. As described above, Joanna represents the change from a Stepford wife lifestyle to the lifestyle of the 1970’s. The reaction of Joanna when she discovers that the Stepford wives are unreal describes the cause-effect relationship of a narrative. Joanna reacts in a questionable manner whenever she is around the wives. She continually questions and makes realizations about them. Her reactions create twists throughout the film.
Bryan Forbes directed The Stepford Wives. Forbes started out as an actor attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Though he did not finish school he still pursued his career. After his military service, he formed a production company. Throughout his glory years, Forbes wrote and directed several films. His glory years took place mostly in the 1960’s; however, The Stepford Wives was one film that brought success in the 1970’s. Two other films, The Slipper Rose and International Velvet, were successful for Forbes. The Slipper Rose is a musical film that re-tells the story of Cinderella. In a way I can see a connection between this film and his previous film The Stepford Wives. Both stories are about women who are in a world of beautiful and perfect people. Cinderella and Joanna are the outcasts of the towns who are looked by the townspeople as troubled or in need of change.
History is something that affects everything in life. With supporting details above, The Stepford Wives is a film that was influenced by current and historical events. It was able to contribute to the science fiction genre by giving robots a “hot” new twist.
Works Cited
Rebecca Rippl
(1, 2) Cornea, Christine. Science Fiction Cinema: Between Fantasy and Reality. New York: Rutgers UP, 2007. Pgs 2-4.
