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A Doll's House (1973/I) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   303 votes
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Director:
Patrick Garland
Writers:
Christopher Hampton (writer)
Henrik Ibsen (play)
Contact:
View company contact information for A Doll's House on IMDbPro.
Genre:
Drama more
Plot:
A wealthy woman's attempts to help her financially troubled husband go unrewarded. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
News: A House Apart
 (From Kasterborous. 10 June 2009, 11:51 PM, PDT)
Gillian Anderson to Play Rani on Doctor Who
 (From MovieWeb. 23 April 2009, 7:44 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
excellent version, although perhaps a little static more (5 total)

Cast

  (Credited cast)
Claire Bloom ... Nora Helmer

Anthony Hopkins ... Torvald Helmer
Ralph Richardson ... Dr. Rank
Denholm Elliott ... Krogstad
Edith Evans ... Anne-Marie
Anna Massey ... Kristine Linde
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Helen Blatch ... Helen
Kimberley Hampton ... Bob
Daphne Riggs ... Old Woman
Mark Summerfield ... Ivar
Stefanie Summerfield ... Emmy
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
USA:105 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (1990) | Singapore:PG | Australia:G | USA:G
Company:
Elkins Entertainment more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The Doll's House originally opened at Palmer's Theater on December 21, 1889 and has been revived on Broadway eight times as of 2008. more
Movie Connections:
Version of A Doll's House (1922) more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful.
excellent version, although perhaps a little static, 18 December 2002
Author: silentgmusic

Yes, Clair Bloom, Anthony Hopkins, and Denholm Elliot are great, as is Sir Ralph Richardson as Dr. Rank. This first-rate acting, extended from Ibsen's wonderful realist play, is what holds our eyes on the screen. The play has been abridged for the movie, but having read the play, I wouldn't say I felt that I missed the deleted material.

The snow outside emphasizes how cold it gets inside, with Nora (Bloom) realizing that her fairy-tale marriage to Torvald (Hopkins) is a sham, that Torvald only wants his wife to be his little "squirrel" and not meddle in their family affairs. Nora will not take it anymore; she is an intelligent woman with influence, and cannot be confined to one house, one man, or one way of life. She becomes free, and Torvald is left wondering how he had ever been such a fool to think she would be with him forever.

Denholm Elliot drips with sleaze as Korgstad, Nora and Torvald's nemesis, and Richardson conveighs the appropriate frailty and senality as Dr. Rank.

One complaint: the film is static. There is almost no action set outside of the house (and the building) which, I suppose, gives us an effective claustrophobic feeling. The audience feels as trapped as Nora and Torvald do. But, film is a visual media, and this is essentially just a filmed play. The director does move his camera around a little, giving us close-ups, master-shots, composition of objects in the foreground/background, ect. But, the average viewer may fall asleep, just because the play is all talk. There is not much movement by the characters; there is nothing going on outside of their insulated lives. The movie does not open us up to the world outside of the Helmer household; it tells us that what matters is what is going on inside. Okay, I guess the static quality of the film works, but this is not a wholly cinematic film, it is more a play on film.

Maybe in the future, other directors will work to open up the play, and give us viewers other things to chew over besides the great acting and dialogue.

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