''Diary of a Mad Housewife'' is a 1970 American comedy-drama film about a frustrated wife portrayed by

Carrie Snodgress Caroline Louise Snodgress (October 27, 1945 – April 1, 2004) was an American actress. She is best remembered for her role in the film ''Diary of a Mad Housewife'' (1970), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award as w ...

. Snodgress was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. ...

and won a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

award in the same category. The film was adapted by

Eleanor Perry Eleanor Perry (née Rosenfeld; nom-de-plume Oliver Weld Bayer, October 13, 1914 – March 14, 1981) was an American screenwriter and author.''Variety'' "Eleanor Perry Obituary" March 17, 1981 Film critic Charles Champlin fondly remembered Perry ...

from the 1967 novel by Sue Kaufman and directed by Perry's then-husband

Frank Perry Frank Joseph Perry Jr. (August 21, 1930 – August 29, 1995) was an American stage director and filmmaker. His 1962 independent film '' David and Lisa'' earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay (writte ...

. The film co-stars

Richard Benjamin Richard Samuel Benjamin (born May 22, 1938) is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of well-known film productions, including ''Goodbye, Columbus'' (1969), based on the novella by Philip Roth; ''Catch-22'' (1970), fr ...

and

Frank Langella Frank A. Langella Jr. (; born January 1, 1938) is an American stage and film actor. He has won four Tony Awards: two for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his performance as Richard Nixon in Peter Morgan's '' Frost/Nixon'' and as André in Flori ...

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. She then tries

group therapy Group psychotherapy or group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group. The term can legitimately refer to any form of psychotherapy when delivered in a group format, i ...

, 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 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. Tina reveals her story to her therapy group, who angrily criticize or belittle her. 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

as Bettina "Tina" Balser *

as Jonathan Balser *

as George Prager * Lorraine Cullen as Sylvie Balser * Frannie Michel as Liz Balser * Lee Addoms as Mrs. Prinz * Peter Dohanos as Samuel Keefer * Katherine Meskill as Charlotte Rady *

Leonard Elliott Leonard Elliott (November 23, 1905, New York City — December 31, 1989, New York City) was an American actor and comedian of the stage, television, and film. Life and career Born Leonard Elliott Gothelf in New York City, Elliott began his career ...

as M. Henri *

Margo *** People * Margo (actress) (1917–1985), Mexican-American actress and dancer * Margo (magician), American magic performer and actress * Margo (singer), Irish singer * Margo (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name ...

as Valma * Hilda Haynes as Lottie * The Alice Cooper Band as Themselves *

Lester Rawlins Lester Rawlins (September 24, 1924March 22, 1988) was an American stage, screen, and television actor. He graduated from the Carnegie Mellon College of Drama in 1950 with a BFA. Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, Rawlins appeared in off-Broadway produ ...

as Dr. Linstrom (uncredited) *

Peter Boyle Peter Lawrence Boyle (October 18, 1935 – December 12, 2006) was an American actor. Known as a character actor, he played Frank Barone on the CBS sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' and the comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof ''Young Fra ...

as Man in group therapy (uncredited)

Release

Critical response

The film was critically acclaimed: It maintains an 82% rating at Rotten Tomatoes from 17 reviews. 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."

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

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 Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

''. Soon after, Young and Snodgress became romantically involved for several years.

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...

criticized the movie in an interview on ''

The Dick Cavett Show ''The Dick Cavett Show'' was the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including: * ABC daytime, (March 4, 1968–January 24, 1969) originally titled ''This Morning'' * ABC prime time, Tuesdays, We ...

'' 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?"

Home media

The film was released on a bootleg DVD on October 15, 2014; VHS copies of ''Housewife'' have become rare, with sealed copies routinely selling for more than $100 on websites like Amazon.com and eBay. Universal had made the film available on VHS through its MCA label, and through license to Goodtimes Home Video. After years of being out-of-print,

Kino Lorber Kino Lorber is an international film distribution company based in New York City. Founded in 1977, it was originally known as Kino International until it was acquired by and merged into Lorber HT Digital in 2009. It specializes in art house films, ...

released the film on DVD and Blu-ray on December 15, 2020.

Awards and nominations

*Best Picture – Musical or Comedy (nominee) – 1970

*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy (nominee) – Richard Benjamin – 1970 Golden Globe *Best Actress – Musical or Comedy (winner) – Carrie Snodgress – 1970 Golden Globe *New Star of the Year – Male (nominee) – Frank Langella – 1970 Golden Globe *New Star of the Year – Female (winner) – Carrie Snodgress – 1970 Golden Globe *Best Actress (nominee) – Carrie Snodgress – 1970

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

*Best Picture (nominee) – 1970

National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

*Best Supporting Actor (winner) – Frank Langella – 1970 National Board of Review

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Diary Of A Mad Housewife 1970 films 1970 comedy films 1970 comedy-drama films 1970s feminist films 1970s sex comedy films Adultery in films American comedy-drama films American feminist films American sex comedy films 1970s English-language films Films based on American novels Films directed by Frank Perry Films featuring a Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe winning performance Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Universal Pictures films 1970 drama films 1970s American films