Jun 25, 2004  |  By: Matthew Forke  | COMMENTS     

NOW THAT DIRECTOR Frank Oz’s ill-conceived “re-imagining” of “The Stepford Wives” has swept into theaters, it’s no surprise that Paramount chose to reissue a spiffy new DVD of the good-but-not-quite-a-classic 1975 cult thriller starring Katharine Ross and Paula Prentiss.

Adapted from Ira Levin’s feminist horror bestseller, “The Stepford Wives” wasn’t a huge hit upon its initial release, although its title has burrowed so deep into our cultural lexicon that many Americans “get” the meaning of a “Stepford wife” without ever having read the book or watched the movie.

This wicked by-product of the ’70s women’s movement fuses the horrors of housework with the paranoid elements of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” as town newcomer Joanna Eberhart (Ross) suspects that a sinister plague of consumerism is causing the wives of Stepford to mimic the banal suburban cheerfulness found in cleaning product TV commercials.

While Joanna and her best friend, Bobbie Markow (Prentiss), investigate Nancy Drew-style, several key questions arise: Why do the wives of Stepford tackle domestic chores with such gleeful abandon? And why do these gorgeous women stay married to such dweeby male chauvinist pigs? The answers lie somewhere between a store mannequin and Microsoft.

NOT WITHOUT ITS share of flaws, the original film would benefit from tighter pacing and a stronger leading man than wimpish hubby Peter Masterson. Honestly, wouldn’t a handsome, considerate and “perfect” husband (like Paul Newman) who slowly reveals his true evil nature be more frightening than someone who’s just plain milquetoast throughout?

And even the basic concept of “robot wives” requires a pretty hefty suspension of disbelief. Wouldn’t the kids notice mommy hasn’t aged a day in 20 years? Or, perhaps her ob/gyn might suspect something isn’t quite the same? And what about children: Can she have more, or do they require assembly as well?

But for all these unanswered questions, the fun and frightening elements of “The Stepford Wives” more than outweigh the negative. After all, this is science fiction. And despite generous doses of camp and kitsch, those satiric ingredients never undermine the malevolent and horrifying reality that the women of Stepford are, in fact, being murdered and substituted with complacent mechanical copies.

British director Bryan Forbes (“Séance on a Wet Afternoon”) stages several terrific set pieces, such as the hilarious consciousness-raising group in which the wives knowingly exchange tips on housework (“Try ‘Easy-On’ spray starch. You’ll never run short on time again. I guarantee it.”). There’s also the unsettling supermarket finale in which the wives blankly glide along the aisles in sunhats and long pastel dresses.

It’s important to note, however, that “The Stepford Wives” wouldn’t be nearly as effective if not for the strong and appealing performances by Ross and Prentiss (who’s seems something like a goofy older sister of Geena Davis). We fear for their safety and loss of identity as the Stepford nightmare slowly engulfs its women, including “Gilligan’s Island” alumna Tina Louise.

In the new 20-minute “The Stepford Life” documentary included with the DVD, the principal cast and crew return for a look at the troubled production of the original film, where producer Edgar Scherick reveals that Brian De Palma was slated to direct, based on the success of his 1973 thriller “Sisters” (an interesting “what if” if there ever was one).

But as it is, the 1975 film works, and without the ridiculous focus group testing that marred the current version.