The Stepford Wives

"I don't wanna squeeze the goddamn Charmin," says the feisty Bobbie Markowe (Paula Prentiss) to Joanna Eberhart (Katherine Ross), a new arrival to the creepy burg of Stepford, where all the wives meaningfully discuss the differences between various household cleaning products, love nothing more than to spend an afternoon baking cookies, and think their husbands are stud muffins in the boudoir. Bryan Forbes' 1975 thriller, based on the novel by Ira Levin and adapted by William Goldman, holds up remarkably well a quarter century later, both as a solidly paced thriller, and as a social commentary that initially came on the heels of the women's movement during the early 1970s (some women's groups were outraged when the film was initially released, which is puzzling since there is no absolutely no question of its biting satirical intent today). While the image is a little grainy in parts, the widescreen transfer is otherwise good, the Dolby Digital mono soundtrack is serviceable, and the tribute documentary--featuring interviews with Forbes, Ross, Prentiss and others--is excellent. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)