MovieChat Forums > The Stepford Wives (1975) Discussion > This is Commie propoganda

This is Commie propoganda

posted 17 years ago by bbagnall
91 replies | jump to latest

This films was so "progressive" it made me laugh. Here's a list of things the film considers good and bad, all taken from the dialog (which also coincide with the Communist manifesto, coincidentally):

Men - bad
Women - all good
Men's organizations - bad
Women's feminist organizations - good
Looking like a woman - bad
Male leadership - bad
New York - good
Rural America - bad
Mothering - bad
Emasculating men - good
Technology/Industry - bad
USA - bad
Obnoxious New Yorkers - good
Middle Americans - bad
Femininity - bad
Bras - bad
Maritel Infidelity - good
Priests - bad
Content house-wives - bad (and cause for suspicion)
Starting a revolution in Panama - delightful
Maiden name - more important than your married name
Clean kitchens - bad
Raising your family - bad

The seguay in the middle of the film where it suddenly becomes a feminist training program especially made me laugh. Going door to door to organize a "consciousness raising session" - oh please. They should have also included instructions on how to destroy your marriage. Or perhaps how to organize a labor union. And apparently "blackmail" is what made this country great. This thing must have got funding directly from Moscow.

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

Uh, okay, sure.

Just two things?

1) What does "Maritel" mean?
2) What does Panama have to do with it? Although I'm sure starting a revolution anywhere might be delightful to some.
__________________________________________________________
"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] bbagnall 17 years ago

Marital - it was a spelling error. (or did you know that?)
The thing with Panama is one of the lines of dialog in the film. When this film was made the Communists were trying their best to make South America one of their own.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] BulmaPunkRocker 11 years ago

Dear Lord, you don't know a thing about South America! At that time, the capitalists was taking control over all South America! Here in my country, Chile, there was a coup d'etat on Sept 11, 1973 (yeah, 09/11). We had a democratically elected president, Salvador Allende (Socialist -not communist-). It was very violent, all the military dictatorchip was so cruel, and it was financed by CIA, Nixon and "School of Americas" in Panama.

Please excuse my terrible redaction, english is not my native language.

[–] Rand-o 17 years ago

Oh, Papa Tooney...

I can resist anything but temptation.

[–] bbagnall 17 years ago

Curiously, when Communists wanted to shut someone up, they accused them of being crazy. It was a favored tactic of theirs. After all, if you were pro-free markets then you must be insane, because only socialist concepts make any sense.

I notice not one person here can refute anything I said, other than attacking me via ad hominem. That's the usual route for cowards and imbeciles. If you can't successfully attack the ideas, attack the person.

[–] Rand-o 17 years ago

Hell, Ed's lucky if I keep him in white bread!

I can resist anything but temptation.

[–] thirdrow 17 years ago

You wouldn't believe what he tries putting me through. He had a rubber suit made for me in England.

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

A German Virgo...

...their thing is you know...

...to serve.

[–] BulmaPunkRocker 11 years ago

I can attack your ideas. I've already did it. And I don't care if my english is not perfect. Not even your english is good enough.

Please excuse my terrible redaction, english is not my native language.

[–] rockmail 11 years ago

C'mon, you only crammed in four or five talk radio/fox news "vocabo-terms". You should have at least crammed "sheeple" in there somewhere.

[–] thirdrow 17 years ago

Umm.. it's just a movie?

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

I guess this thing is so desperate to convince us about the terms "commie" and "propaganda" (how quaint, by the way! It's so 1955!) that it will die if we don't fall for it.

It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it... It will die if we don't fall for it...

________________________________________________________
"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] bbagnall 17 years ago

Yes, it's just a movie with just some propaganda in it. That's just all it is.

[–] thirdrow 17 years ago

You need a fresh-perked cup of coffee.

[–] Rand-o 17 years ago

^Only if it's a new blend, and very mild. Now, I've got to get back to that kitchen floor and do some real cleaning.

I can resist anything but temptation.

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

Dave set it loose on Bergdorf's and it went maaaaaaaaaad...
___________________________________________________________
"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] bbagnall 17 years ago

Why, are we all out of Sanka?

Interesting quote from a piece by Ayn Rand that pertains to this discussion, seeing as Communists have obviously been a part of Hollywood over the years, notably during the Cold War and the time this film was made:

"The purpose of Communists in Hollywood is not the production of political movies openly advocating Communism. Their purpose is to corrupt our moral premises by corrupting non-political movies - by introducing small, casual bits of propaganda into innocent stories - thus making people absorb the basic premises of Collectivism by indirection and implication."

http://archive.lib.msu.edu/AFS/dmc/radicalism/public/all/screenguideamericans/AKL.pdf?CFID=5374525&CFTOKEN=90648354

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

Oh. My. God.
_______________________________________________________________

"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] bbagnall 17 years ago

Ok, that must have gone over your head. I'll try simplifying the above for you:
"...by introducing small, casual bits of propaganda into innocent stories..."

Trying to figure out what you find so unbelievable. Is it:
1) Communists don't exist?
2) Communists didn't exist in 1975?
3) There was no cold war in 1975?
4) There was no attempt to infiltrate Hollywood movies by Communists?

Let me know which one of the above it is, or if it's something else, and I will get you documentation to show you where you went wrong.

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

I'll repeat it, Mr. McCarthy:

Oh. My. God.
____________________________________________________________

"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] bbagnall 17 years ago

McCarthy was a great American. If it wasn't for people like him who were able to face up against the idiocy of Communism we'd all be drinking Russian vodka today and living in a "great" people's state.

Oh wait, I forgot, you've been told in every Hollywood movie you've seen that he was the bad guy. I forgot. And if you've seen it in a movie then it must be correct. After all, it's in a movie, and we all know how wise them movie people is.

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

This is oh so silly... it's just my head... This is oh so silly... it's just my head... This is oh so silly... it's just my head... This is oh so silly... it's just my head... This is oh so silly... it's just my head... This is oh so silly... it's just my head... This is oh so silly... it's just my head... This is oh so silly... it's just my head... This is oh so silly... it's just my head... This is oh so silly... it's just my head... This is oh so silly... it's just my head... This is oh so silly...
_____________________________________________________________

"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] Rand-o 17 years ago

Oh, that's right, you take it black!

I can resist anything but temptation.

[–] bbagnall 17 years ago

Insane people often repeat themselves. I can just see you now, holding your legs in a little ball rocking yourself to sleep with your schizoid mantras.

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

"Curiously, when Communists wanted to shut someone up, they accused them of being crazy. It was a favored tactic of theirs. After all, if you were pro-free markets then you must be insane, because only socialist concepts make any sense.

I notice not one person here can refute anything I said, other than attacking me via ad hominem. That's the usual route for cowards and imbeciles. If you can't successfully attack the ideas, attack the person." and then, brilliantly you add: "Insane people often repeat themselves. I can just see you now, holding your legs in a little ball rocking yourself to sleep with your schizoid mantras."

Did you seriously read yourself? So, you're calling me insane, then you're admitting you're a coward AND an imbecile.

Well, I won't dispute your right to flaunt your cowardice AND imbecility.

I have three children and the eldest is six... it just doesn't leave me with a lot of free time.

________________________________________________________________

"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] a_duck_named_fup 17 years ago

Hey Miguel I guess you didn't notice this movie is about a totalitarian world (Stepford) where the identities of individuals (women) are subsumed by the needs of the collective (aka The Men's Association). The fact that the collective/men are portrayed so heroically while the individual/Joanna is depicted as an incompetent, rapacious aristocrat is what makes this Commie propaganda....and why Joseph McCarthy, bbagnall and any real freedom (fry) loving American hated this film and why you should too.

___________________________________
You quack me up

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

D-d-darling D-d-ducky:

I guess I am not very much into political implications. Besides, there's the point of exposition: the way you've done it, and the way anal much did it. I don't see it as a Red Dress. I see it rather as an infectious mordant and scary social satire, which it also sorta is. Besides, Paula Prentiss elevates the camp potential to high heavens, and call me superficial, darling, but I just see into that. All other political aspects of films from the 70s (The Exorcist is also a political allegory, I know, so is Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1978) I can see, but I just don't get carried over the whole thing like anal much, who really goes over the top.

Thanks for the refresher course, though, my dear.
_________________________________________________________________

"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] a_duck_named_fup 17 years ago

But that wasn't even Paula Prentiss. That was a robot (although I admit the similarities were uncanny). Did you even watch the movie, Miguel??!?!

___________________________________
You quack me up

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

You must be kidding, darling! She's so lifelike! Just like those dolls they have in Disneyland.

Well, I'll make you a cup of coffee. I've heard this brand is very mild...
_____________________________________________________________

"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] a_duck_named_fup 17 years ago

Generally I pour these precise. Don't I, Minnie?

Oh....wait....oops....nvm...

___________________________________
You quack me up

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

*Cough* Carpet! Brand new carpet! This man is so clumsy!
___________________________________________________________

"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] nvasapper 16 years ago

Satan is his father, not Guy. He came up from Hell and begat a son of mortal woman. Satan is his father and his name is Adrian. He shall overthrow the mighty and lay waste their temples. He shall redeem the despised and wreak vengeance in the name of the burned and the tortured. Hail Adrian! Hail Satan!

Oops! Wrong movie.

[–] nvasapper 16 years ago

I think you tripped yourself up here, sir. You say, in your agreement with Mr. Bagnall, that this is Communist propaganda because it celebrates the collective(men) and depicts them heroically and denigrates the individual(Joanna). But doesn't that put you at odds with Mr. Bagnall, who, in his original post, says that the film portrays men and mens associations as bad and women and women's organizations as good? In fact, I will suggest that the film is actually anti-Communist. It celebrates the individual over the collective, not the other way around. The men in this movie are shown in a negative light, not a positive one. The Patrick O'Neal character is shown to be a scumbag from the word go. Hardly heroic. And as far as Joanna being an "incompetent, rapacious aristocrat"- how did you arrive at that, sir? Didn't Patrick O'Neal say to her at the end when he had her trapped that she was brighter than most of the others? He was acknowledging her intelligence and competency. And she was hardly aristocratic or rapacious. She did't want to live in a big house in the suburbs. She was happy living in an apartment on West 75th Street and West End Avenue in Manhattan and take photographs of street scenes. As far as Senator Demagogue hating the movie, he was, thank God, no longer around by the time it came out. You see, he died on May 2, 1957.

[–] bbagnall 17 years ago

--"I have three children and the eldest is six... it just doesn't leave me with a lot of free time."

Enough time to post messages to IMDB throughout the day.

[–] a_duck_named_fup 17 years ago

--"I have three children and the eldest is six... it just doesn't leave me with a lot of free time."

Enough time to post messages to IMDB throughout the day.

..except that the IMDb message boards "is" his 3rd child so ha ha ha the joke is on you Mr. Smartypants.

___________________________________
You quack me up

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

Uh-uh... thanks, Duckie, but the problem with Anal Much here, is that it hasn't even seen the film, much less gets all the references we've cracked on it. It seems that desperately looking for Commies, Anal Much has completely missed the fabulous cult potential of this film.

Its loss. I feel no pity.
______________________________________________________________
"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] Rand-o 17 years ago

I thought "Commie-baiting" went out with J. Edna Hoover.

I can resist anything but temptation.

[–] bbagnall 17 years ago

Miguel "Too Busy With All My Kids to Post Messages" Cane, judging from your increasingly lame attempts to attack me via Ad-Hominem and your desperation to get the commune on your side, I would say you're operating on an IQ of about 90, would that be close to the mark?

[–] thirdrow 17 years ago

"I can't get my mind operating." (Dusts table and arranges magazines)

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

What do you say, "commune"? Should I bother to pick up the rusty glove Anal Much McCarthy has thrown on the arena, or should I just phase it out? Are you my foster puppets to be manipulated by me to gang-bang the poor straight-and-narrow (minded) Sarge?

Are we desperate-but Republican-housewives or Commie gynoids?

You tell me, kids!

(har-de-har-har-har)

I'll just die if I don't get this recipe...
_________________________________________________

"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] Rand-o 17 years ago

Just phase it out, Miguel. This moron's just spoiling for a fight. A fight that's been fought and won a half century ago with the censuring of McCarthy. Leave him/her to wrestle with their inner demons on their own.

Now, if you tell me you don't like this dress I'm sticking my head right into the oven!

I can resist anything but temptation.

[–] bbagnall 17 years ago

I think Miguel has phased out. He's struggling to make sense anymore.

[–] thirdrow 17 years ago

"Oh, god, Frank, you're the king, you're the champion, you're- the MASTER!"

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

Oh that's right! You take it black!
______________________________________________________________

"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] Rand-o 17 years ago

I feel so guilty; I didn't bake a thing yesterday!
I was too busy trying to get that upstairs floor to shine.

I can resist anything but temptation.

[–] thirdrow 17 years ago

You don't have to bake, Kit. There's no law.

[–] Rand-o 17 years ago

Easy-On Spray Starch...it must save me half an hour a day!

I can resist anything but temptation.

[–] thirdrow 17 years ago

"I'm not trying to be a leader here or anything, but I don't think we're supposed to delve QUITE so specifically into housework."

[–] Rand-o 17 years ago

I've always been tempted to try Easy-On, is it really that good?

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

Not only is it that good, but if ever I became famous, I would advertise it for free!
______________________________________________________________________

"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] Rand-o 17 years ago

If time is your enemy, make fast friends with Easy-On!

I can resist anything but temptation.

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

*wide eyed gasp, mutter*

Holy... Cow!
_______________________________________________________

"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] Rand-o 17 years ago

I don't think Ed ever really loved me. God knows he's given me things; I can't fault him on that score.

I can resist anything but temptation.

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

Sure he married me because I look great and would make an impression in the other executives, but he just *never* loved *me* (choked sob)
______________________________________________________________

"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] thirdrow 17 years ago

*Sympathetic look from Joanna*

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

Well... I sometimes feel that Walter cares more about the law than about me...
______________________________________________________________

"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] thirdrow 17 years ago

When are things gonna start SPARKLING around here, that's what I'd like to know?

[–] Miguel_Cane 17 years ago

What's the matter, Walter? Am I going insane? You're repeating EVERYTHING I SAY!
___________________________________________________________________

"When I was a young girl, I was gay all the time!"
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

[–] psen 17 years ago

"Commie propaganda"? Can this be voted the most stupid subject in the whole Imdb board?????

Hahahahahahhhh!!!

[–] DirtyGrainius 17 years ago

Bless my lucky stars. I come here looking for discourse on the movie and what do I find? Commies, Crusaders, and...... THE AMAZING RAND-O!

"Inside the dusters there were 3 men"..."So?"....."Inside the men there were 3 bullets" - d{^_^}b

[–] nvasapper 16 years ago

I live in a great house. I have a great job. And my kids go to school looking like ragamuffins.

[–] nvasapper 16 years ago

Is it that good? Well, if time is your enemy, make friends with Easy-On, that's all I can say. It's so good that if I ever became famous and the Easy-On people wanted me to do a TV commercial- not only would I do it, I'd do it for free!

[–] nvasapper 16 years ago

I really like the actress who played Kit Sunderson- Carole Mallory. She was just mouth-watering. I really like her mouth and teeth!

[–] nvasapper 16 years ago

Hell- Ed's lucky if I keep him in white bread!

[–] RainyNightHouse 15 years ago

"This is all so silly; it's just my head... this is all so silly.. It's, it's just my head.."

[–] nvasapper 16 years ago

So, he saved us from the menace of Soviet Communism? Really? I always thought that the reason we're not drinking Stoly right now is because we had the military means and might to nuke the *beep* out of Russia had they tried to attack or invade us. Our strategic nuclear triad protected us and provided the necessary deterrent, not him. McCarthy, like Hitler before him, was a demagogue who used the Communist threat as a means of feathering his own nest. All he was interested in was aggrandizing power and making a name for himself as the Great American Commie Hunter. Meanwhile, he had no compunction about using the very same smear tactics of innuendo, slander, guilt by association, unsupported accusations and character assassination used by the Nazis and the Communists to help him get what he wanted. He was a shameless individual who had no scruples or moral qualms about ruining other people's lives in the service of his grandiose ego and thirst for power. That piece of paper he kept waving around at press conferences and hearings which he said contained the names of 57 people in the State Department who were Communists was probably his wife's grocery list. Whenever someone asked him if they could see that list, he quickly folded it up and put it back in his pocket. He thought he was so inviolate and untouchable that he could accuse anyone of being a Communist or having Communist sympathies, and nobody would dare to challenge him. He thought he could even take on the U.S. Army and make them run for cover- but the counsel for the Army, Joseph Welch, wasn't afraid of him. Welch stood up to him and cut his balls off on national television. And after that, McCarthy faded into the woodwork, his fall from grace complete. He would have been right at home in 17th century New England, where he could falsely accuse people of practicing witchcraft and have them burned at the stake.

[–] nvasapper 16 years ago

My friend- considering the threat we are facing today from Islamic Fundamentalism, it makes me nostalgic for the old days when the Russians were the bad guys. As much of a pain in the ass as the Commies were, they were still rational human beings who, in spite of their rhetoric, knew what would happen if those little brass keys were turned. They wanted to live just as much as we did. These Islamics, though, have a completely different mentality. They want to die, especially if they can take a few thousand of us with them. How do you fight something like that? How do you deal with someone who not only doesn't mind dying, but considers it his sacred duty to do so in the service of some insane, bloodthirsty deity? I'd rather go back to the way it was in 1957 before Islam started to rear its ugly head. Besides, who cares about the Cold War in 1975? That's over and done with. It's ancient history. We have a more serious and deadly threat to deal with today. If I'm wrong, I'm insane. And if I'm right, it's worse than if I'm wrong.

[–] tazguys 17 years ago

Someone clearly doesn't understand communism.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] kennethfriend 17 years ago

What a load of crap. Almost nothing on your list has anything to do with Communism.

[–] patchofblue65 16 years ago

I disagree it is more Rightwing Fascist propaganda.

[–] nick818 16 years ago

I have to somewhat agree with the commie propoganda thing. While I love this movie for its campness, it does seem to attack conservative values and attack/make fun of the whole 1950's generation, a generation that conservatives deem the "best generation." A generation where women stayed at home raising the kids, cleaning the house in pearls a la June Cleaver, taking care of her man. This movie does support the idea of women being more "collective," being less traditional, and more progressive. Support for women's rights, and the importance of your maiden name. It does seem like this movie portrays conservatives as the robotic supporters, and liberals as the revolutionaries. In fact in the remake they make this point more obvious by making one of the Stepford husbands, a gay man, Republican.

[–] aza-25 16 years ago

Commie propoganda...I am finding it hard to believe that I am actually reading this on my personal computer in 2008! I think those who think the 50's was the best generation were obviously upper class folks. I doubt blacks thought it was the best generation, but perhaps racial equality is commie propoganda as well? June Cleaver was not a real person; women didn't really clean the house in pearls, many couldn't even afford pearls, and if they did, they would be terrified of them getting caught in their wringer-washer and strangling them. The Stepford Wives didn't attack conservative values; JOanna and Bobby just had individual interests outside of family and were shocked by the changes in personality in the other women around them. Had these women enjoyed being housewives from the start but went out bowling or something once in a while, or ignored the cleaning for five minutes for a coffee and a donut I don't think any suspicious would have been aroused by Joanna and Bobby. The movie illustrared the battle of the sexes during the period ofter the fifties when women were branching out of the home and wanting the same rights and privledges that men had, and some men didn't really know what do think about that. The movie was extreme and portrayed men in an awful and unrealistic light; no man who loved his wife would kill her for bigger boobs and a clean house, but that's another point in the movie, they didn't really love their wives, perhaps they married them because they were pretty, intelligent and from good families, but mistakenly believed that the strong individual they married would settle down and become the "proper" housewife they expected by watching too many episodes of Leave it to Beaver.

[–] valro 16 years ago

The funny thing is that few housewives were as immaculate looking as June Cleaver. Sure, they dressed up but only when they were going out. At home, they wore housedresses, aprons, slippers, and often had their hair in curlers. They did not want to ruin their best clothes while cooking or doing other chores around the house. Very few women would even think of wearing pearl necklaces or high heels. The reason June Cleaver wore pearl necklaces was because the actress, Barbara Billingsley, was skinny and had a highly noticeable dip at the base of her neck. The necklaces were there to disguise it. I really don't understand those, who have no personal memories of the era, seem to think that TV show depicted typical Americans. It didn't.

[–] vanityfair_713 16 years ago

Ha! It wasn’t that the housewives were content, it was that they were robots…Did you get that bit?

On a different note, I don't see any problem with what you said. I adore obnoxious New Yorkers! Three cheers for infidelity! Cleaning is the devil's work! Viva la revolucion!

He said it's all in your head, and I said, so's everything--
But he didnt get it.

[–] nvasapper 16 years ago

I thought cleanliness was next to Godliness.

[–] nvasapper 16 years ago

You know, I thought I saw Mikhail Gorbachev's name listed in the credits as the screenwriter.