Diary of a Mad Housewife
| Diary of a Mad Housewife | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Frank Perry |
| Produced by | Frank Perry |
| Screenplay by | Eleanor Perry |
| Based on | Diary of a Mad Housewife by Sue Kaufman |
| Starring |
Richard Benjamin Frank Langella Carrie Snodgress Lorraine Cullen Frannie Michel Katherine Meskill The Alice Cooper Band |
| Cinematography | Gerald Hirschfeld |
| Edited by | Sidney Katz |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $6.1 million (rentals) |
Diary of a Mad Housewife is a 1970 comedy-drama film about a frustrated wife portrayed by Carrie Snodgress. 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.
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. She then tries group therapy, but this also proves fruitless when she finds her male psychiatrist, Dr. Linstrom, as well as the other participants, equally shallow and abusive.
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, 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. Tina reveals her story to her therapy group, who angrily criticize or belittle her. The final shot is of Tina's face, steadfast, as angry voices from the group are heard from off-screen.
The film was critically acclaimed: it maintains a 77% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.Roger Ebert gave the movie three out of four stars, saying, "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."
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Wikipedia