Diary of a Mad Housewife
Theatrical release poster
Directed byFrank Perry
Screenplay byEleanor Perry
Based onDiary of a Mad Housewife
(1967 novel)
by Sue Kaufman
Produced byFrank Perry
StarringRichard Benjamin
Frank Langella
Carrie Snodgress
Lorraine Cullen
Frannie Michel
Katherine Meskill
The Alice Cooper Band
CinematographyGerald Hirschfeld
Edited bySidney Katz
Production
company
Frank Perry Films Inc.
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • August 10, 1970 (1970-08-10)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$6.1 million (rentals)[1]

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]

Plot

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's 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.

Cast

Release

Critical response

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]

Awards and nominations

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]

Television edit

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.

Home media

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.

References

  1. ↑ "All-time Film Rental Champs", Variety, 7 January 1976, pg 46.
  2. ↑ "Larry Karaszewski on DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE - Trailers From Hell on YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  3. ↑ Greenspun, Robert (August 11, 1970). "'Diary of a Mad Housewife' Bows: Perrys Present View of Emotional Crisis". The New York Times. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Diary of a Mad Housewife". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  5. ↑ "The tragic real-life story of Neil Young - Grunge". July 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  6. ↑ "Groucho talks about dirty entertainment (Grouch Marx interview on The Dick Cavett Show from May 25, 1971)". YouTube. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
  7. ↑ "The 43rd Academy Awards (1971) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1972". BAFTA. 1972. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  9. ↑ "Diary of a Mad Housewife – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  10. ↑ "1970 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  11. ↑ "1970 New York Film Critics Circle Awards". New York Film Critics Circle. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Diary of a Mad Housewife – VHS". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Amazon.com: Diary of A Mad Housewife 1970 Snodgress". Amazon. 15 October 2014. Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
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