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1970 film by Frank Perry From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Diary of a Mad Housewife is a 1970 American comedy-drama film about a frustrated wife portrayed by Carrie Snodgress.[2] Snodgress was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won a Golden Globe award in the same category. The film was adapted by Eleanor Perry from the 1967 novel by Sue Kaufman and directed by Perry's then-husband Frank Perry. The film co-stars Richard Benjamin and Frank Langella.[3]
| Diary of a Mad Housewife | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Frank Perry |
| Screenplay by | Eleanor Perry |
| Based on | Diary of a Mad Housewife (1967 novel) by Sue Kaufman |
| Produced by | Frank Perry |
| Starring | Richard Benjamin Frank Langella Carrie Snodgress Lorraine Cullen Frannie Michel Katherine Meskill The Alice Cooper Band |
| Cinematography | Gerald Hirschfeld |
| Edited by | Sidney Katz |
Production company | Frank Perry Films Inc. |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $6.1 million (rentals)[1] |
Tina Balser, an educated, frustrated housewife and mother, is in a loveless marriage with Jonathan, an insufferable, controlling, emotionally abusive, social-climbing lawyer in New York City. He treats her like a servant, undermines her with insults, and belittles her appearance, abilities, and the raising of their two girls, who treat their mother with the same rudeness as their father. Searching for relief, she begins a sexually fulfilling affair with a cruel and coarse writer, George Prager, who treats her with similar brusqueness and contempt, which only drives her deeper into despair.
At the climax of the film, Jonathan confesses to Tina that his ambitious plans have collapsed. A French vineyard he had invested in is wiped out, and he is now in debt. Because he has been focusing on non-job issues, his work at his law firm has suffered. He also confesses to having an affair. Tina tells Jonathan that she accepts what he has done and promises to support him, but does not tell him of her own affair with George.
In the conclusion, Tina is shown telling this story in a group therapy session, thus opening the possibility that her presentation of these events has been slanted to make her look more put-upon and the men in her life more mean and foolish. However, the other participants of her therapy group criticize and belittle her, while complaining about their own lot in life and how her issues seem petty by comparison. The final shot is of Tina's steadfast face as angry voices from the group are heard from off-screen with the credits rolling at the sides.
The film was critically acclaimed: It maintains an 82% rating at Rotten Tomatoes from 17 reviews.[4] Roger Ebert gave the movie three out of four stars, writing "What makes the movie work...is that it's played entirely from the housewife's point of view, and that the housewife is played brilliantly by Carrie Snodgress."[4]
Neil Young wrote the song "A Man Needs a Maid" inspired by Snodgress in Diary of a Mad Housewife: "I was watching a movie with a friend/I fell in love with the actress/she was playing a part I could understand." The song was included on his 1972 album Harvest. Soon after, Young and Snodgress became romantically involved for several years.[5]
Groucho Marx criticized the movie in an interview on The Dick Cavett Show on May 25, 1971. He stated that it was an example of dirty entertainment and that he did not like it because the characters were in bed for 80 minutes. He made a joke of this, saying "Well I'm not interested in that. I don't care what they're doing in the sack. If I'm not doing it, why should I sit in the theater and watch it?"[6]
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Actress | Carrie Snodgress | Nominated | [7] |
| British Academy Film Awards | Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles | Nominated | [8] | |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | [9] | |
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Richard Benjamin | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Carrie Snodgress | Won | ||
| Most Promising Newcomer – Male | Frank Langella | Nominated | ||
| Most Promising Newcomer – Female | Carrie Snodgress | Won | ||
| Laurel Awards | Best Picture | 7th Place | ||
| Top Male Comedy Performance | Richard Benjamin | 5th Place | ||
| Top Female Dramatic Performance | Carrie Snodgress | Won | ||
| Star of Tomorrow – Male | Frank Langella | Nominated | ||
| Star of Tomorrow – Female | Carrie Snodgress | Won | ||
| National Board of Review Awards | Top Ten Films | 7th Place | [10] | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Frank Langella | Won | ||
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Runner-up | [11] | |
When the film was premiered on NBC in 1973, Universal prepared an "Edited for Television" alternative version, removing all traces of nudity and strong language, and also including a substantial amount of material not found in the theatrical cut. The reinstated scenes depicted interactions between Tina and various domestics and repair personnel, and her male psychiatrist, Dr. Linstrom, as well as a confrontation between her and her disrespectful daughter Sylvie. The extent and intensity of her extramarital affair with George was toned down due to the removal of scenes depicting them naked or involved in sex activity. It was not authorized or approved by either Frank or Eleanor Perry.
Universal had made the film available on VHS through its MCA Home Video label, and later through license to Goodtimes Home Video. However, for many years, it was not made available on DVD, likely due to music clearance issues with the Alice Cooper performance, and VHS copies of Housewife became rare, with sealed copies routinely selling for more than $100 on websites like Amazon.com and eBay.[12] The film was released on a bootleg DVD on October 15, 2014;[13] After years of being out-of-print, Kino Lorber released the film on DVD and Blu-ray on December 15, 2020. The UK-based label Indicator/Powerhouse released their own Blu-ray edition in 2022, which included the long-unavailable TV recut of the film as a bonus feature.
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