Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970) Reviews

• SIlent Reproach is Often Times a Loaded Gun!!!!!!

  dataconflossmoor2002-09-10

  Richard Benjamin and Carrie Snodgress are a married couple who are plagued with the preconceived notion that a prerequisite to living in Central Park West means being content with nothing!!!...Richard Benjamin is an attorney who is floundering in his attempt to be accepted into New York's intellectual circles!!!..Carrie Snodgress is a housewife who is fatigued with domestic malaise and always seems to be the scapegoat for her husband's frustrations...As a diversion, she seeks a form of social escapism by way of a gigolo...The relationship is manifested through sophisticated encounter...The gigolo is a precocious punk who gets emotionally abusive to her...As a result the wife (Carrie Snodgress) feels more isolated and confused than ever before in her life...At the end of the film, the wife finds out that her gigolo prefers the boys, and the husband is resolutely defeated by irrational conclusions in every aspect of his life...The lavish parties, the academic pretensions, and the extensive therapy are all urban subterfuges for individual insecurity!!! The characters and the social situations are extremely well developed, especially in that they bring out the nuances as being the true culprits for this married couple's precarious existence!!!...This film makes avoidable disappointments a very emphatic reality!!... An Excellent!!!Excellent!!!Excellent!!! Excellent Film!!!!

  More

• Experiments in editing

  TonyDood2004-07-16

  There are two different versions of this movie, one for t.v. and one on video. They're both the same length, but they are incredibly different in tone. On t.v., the movie is about a harried housewife who has a brief (mostly offscreen) affair as part of her attempt to make sense of her life. On video, the movie is a dark portrayal of an illicit affair, emphasizing the sexual dysfunctions of everyone involved. If one reads the book, it is clear that both versions are unsatisfying--the best solution is a "Director's Cut," like the one I made on my own, that incorporates all the scenes and brings the running time up to a tolerable 2 hrs even. This makes it an almost perfect adaptation of the book, and a very fulfilling movie. Here's hoping someone, someday, has the sense to release this great old film on DVD this way. Career-defining roles for Carrie Snodgrass, Richard Benjamin and Frank Langella, as well as a wonderful blend of humor and drama. And the little brats are just great: "Why, even the salad isn't normal--mooky oranges and cut up plants!"

  More

• A delicious bestseller makes for an adequate urban comedy-drama

  moonspinner552001-01-16

  Carrie Snodgress is wistful, sad, conflicted, fed-up and funny playing harried NYC housewife on the verge of collapse; Richard Benjamin is her anal-retentive husband; and Frank Langella is her uncommitted lover. From Sue Kaufman's book, one of the funniest satiric novels of its era, comes this sometimes-surreal jumble by Frank Perry, who is so concerned with making a monster out of Benjamin's Jonathan that he in turn makes Snodgress' Tina look a little pathetic. The character was feistier in the book, with a (self-contained) deadpan sense of humor that Perry isn't quite able to replicate on film. This Tina has her moments--throwing her ruined Thanksgiving platter against the wall, berating Jonathan for making fun of her in front of the kids--and Snodgress is terrific, really the only reason to see the film. She overcomes the knockabout structure and obvious swipes at indifferent urbanites and makes something touching out of the material. I first saw this on television and admired a couple of scenes with Snodgress and her headstrong daughters (a beauty involved smacking her kid when she deserved it, and then going to apologize). I later rented the video and found a number of those scenes missing. Turns out they had been added to the network version to pad the picture's length from other cuts--mostly sexual ones involving Langella. This is a first: I liked the discards much better than what ended up in the actual movie. **1/2 from ****

  More

• A Four Star Sleeper

  rwint2001-08-18

  Brilliant, perceptive look at isolation. Story works on multiple levels from offbeat comedy, to drama, satire, and even feminist viewpoint. It's all rather low key, but slowly builds for a strong impact. Centers around a upper middle class New York housewife who becomes increasingly frustrated at the alienation from her husband, children, and his friends. For a escape she has a affair with a man (Langella) that seems exciting and different, but in the end treats her just as poorly. Ultimately she comes to the conclusion that under the facade he and many others are just as disconnected. Film works on the basic perception that isolation is a definite reality of modern living. Terrific ending puts it all into perspective. Takes some good satirical jabs at the 'upwardly mobile', also has good color detail and a interesting visual style. Snodgrass's performance is excellent in a rather difficult role. Forced to put on a 'happy face' by her obnoxious ,social climbing husband she is still able to convey her frustrations to the viewer through body language, voice tones, and facial expressions. A four star sleeper and one of Frank and Eleanor Perry's most complete work. For TV some scenes were taken out while others added making it slightly different from the theatrical version. For instance in the TV version Snodgrass meets Langella while walking her dog. In the theatrical version she meets him at a party.

  More

• Glimpse of a New York of not so long ago that now exists only in memory

  darnell-21998-11-05

  This highly entertaining and memorable film provides a glimpse into a New York of not so long ago that now exists only in memory. But Diary of a Mad Housewife ultimately succeeds on the strength of its actors, particularly Snodgress, who plays a Smith graduate-turned prisoner of a Central Park West apartment inhabited by her overbearing, pitifully ambitious husband and spoiled daughters. Her performance is somehow flat and anemic but compelling at the same time--a combination that seems to have been consciously emulated by Chloe Sevigny in The Last Days of Disco. Bejamin is perfectly cast as the insufferable husband, adenoidally petulant and demanding. When Snodgress's patience is finally exhausted, she takes up with Langella, a glowering animal presence as a bad-boy writer whose selfishness, it turns out, rivals and even exceeds Benjamin's. The husband and wife represent two people whose lack of use for their education has led them astray: Snodgress finds herself in a state of frustration with the humiliations of her housewifely duties, and Benjamin, unappreciated in his office, comes up with ill-fated schemes for self-expression and social advancement. All in all, the film brings The Feminine Mystique to life in unexpectedly original and diverting ways.

  More