“NO, SHE’S THE SANE ONE”

By Raymond Benson

Frank Perry was a notable director and screenwriter who in the early part of his career made some acclaimed motion pictures—David and Lisa (1962), The Swimmer (1968), Last Summer (1969), and this one, Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970). Unfortunately, his later career was marked by problems (he directed the much-maligned Mommie Dearest in 1981, for example). The earlier films were written by or co-written with his then-wife and talented scribe, Eleanor Perry.

Diary is a picture of its time and yet it can still resonate today with regards to the #MeToo movement. The 1970 vibe is overpowering, for this was when Women’s Liberation was on the rise and very much in the public consciousness. In this case, Eleanor Perry is the sole writer, adapting the script from a 1967 novel by Sue Kaufman. Starring newcomer Carrie Snodgress, who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and won a Golden Globe in the Best Actress—Comedy or Musical category, the movie is decidedly a comment on New York City upper class society at the time, as well as an acerbic meditation on male toxicity.

Tina Balser (Snodgress) has everything going for her—a wealthy attorney husband, Jonathan (Richard Benjamin), two young daughters, and a fabulous apartment in Manhattan. She’s also smart, and she can be attractive when she’s not depressed about what’s really going on in her life, namely that Jonathan is an A-1 Asshole. He is psychologically abusive, is a cad, he constantly belittles his wife, he’s overly demanding, he expects sex because he’s “entitled” to it, and he is ingratiatingly insufferable. Tina finally has enough and seeks out fulfillment elsewhere. She meets a “famous novelist,” George (Frank Langella), and begins an affair. Unfortunately, George is also an A-1 Asshole, is psychologically abusive, is a cad, he constantly belittles Tina, and he’s ingratiatingly insufferable. Through all this, the world and people around Tina think she’s mad… but in reality, she’s the sane one in this story. Her only fault is that she doesn’t get the hell out of Dodge, leave these chauvinist, misogynist men behind, and start a new life somewhere.

All three leads are excellent, although you’ll want to punch Richard Benjamin in the face within two minutes of the movie’s beginning, and then keep punching him every time he’s on screen. The same is true with overtly handsome, young Frank Langella—I’m sure every heterosexual woman in the audience would sigh over his presence but would soon also want to punch him every time he’s on screen. Perhaps that’s why Tina goes for him (at first)—she needs some danger and excitement in her otherwise mundane, submissive, and humiliating life with her husband. Snodgress displays an elusive warmth in the picture that is vitally important to its success. As a newbie, she received third billing after Benjamin and Langella, but she carries the movie with courage, confidence, and skill, and she appears in every scene.

Look for Alice Cooper and his band performing in a party sequence, and you’ll also spot Peter Boyle in an uncredited cameo at a therapy group session.

Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray showcases that easily recognizable 1970s film stock, and it looks great. There are English subtitles for the hearing impaired, and the movie comes with an audio commentary by screenwriter Larry Karaszewski, with film historians Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell. Why Kino Lorber didn’t hire a more appropriate female audio commentator is a mystery, but these guys do a fine job anyway. The theatrical trailer for this and other Kino Lorber titles are also included.

Diary of a Mad Housewife is certainly a relic of 1970, and yet it manages to still have something to say fifty years later. In too many instances in the relationships between women and men, very little has changed.