Diary Of A Mad Housewife (1970)

An upper class housewife (Carrie Snodgress in an Oscar nominated performance) is stuck in a marriage to a self centered social climbing attorney (Richard Benjamin) and has two undisciplined brats (Lorraine Cullen, Frannie Michel) for daughters. So she embarks on a casual affair with a narcissistic and sadistic writer (Frank Langella). Based on the novel by Sue Kaufman and directed by Frank Perry (MOMMIE DEAREST). Oy! What a specimen of its era this is! The film is a satire, at least on some level, it has to be. Benjamin's husband from Hell isn't a recognizable human being, he's a monstrous cartoon. And what are we to make of a woman who goes from that into the bed of Langella's bitchy mean spirited narcissist? When it was released, the film was acclaimed as a feminist breakthrough in cinema but today, what holds it together is a superb central performance by Snodgress. While everyone else around her is a caricature, Snodgress remains real and her character is one we latch onto like a life preserver. After this film, Snodgress was on the verge of a major career but alas, not unlike Diane Varsi, she walked away from Hollywood and when she decided to come back, the momentum was gone and that promise unfulfilled. With Peter Boyle, Katherine Meskill and the Alice Cooper band.