The Stepford Wives (1975 film) The Stepford Wives (1975 film) The Stepford Wives is a 1975 American science-fiction horror film based on the 1972 Ira Levin novel of the same name. It was directed by Bryan Forbes with a screenplay by William Goldman, and stars Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, and Peter Masterson. While the film was a moderate success at the time of release, it has grown in stature as a cult film over the years. Building upon the reputation of Levin's novel, the term "Stepford" or "Stepford Wife" has become a popular science fiction concept and several sequels were shot, as well as a
Apartment Wife: Affair In the Afternoon seldom achieved in the cinema." They judge that Shirakawa gives the film, "a wide-eyed innocence that is both fresh and convincing." The success of "Apartment Wife: Affair In the Afternoon" inspired 20 direct sequels—four in 1972—and numerous unofficial sequels and series. Shōgorō Nishimura became a regular Nikkatsu director, helming seven of the "Apartment Wife" sequels. Kazuko Shirakawa became Nikkatsu's first Roman Porno queen. Though she appeared in only the first "Apartment Wife" sequel, titles to unrelated films in which she starred, such as "Afternoon Affair: Rear Window" and "Affair At Twilight" (both 1972), capitalized on the success of her first