A Doll's House

A Doll's House In the play A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen took place in the late 19th century a woman named Nora Helmer starts off the story buying Christmas presents for her family. But a year before this Nora committed a forgery on a loan in order to save the life of her husband. She was then blackmailed the man she took the loan from. He wanted her to convince her husband to allow him to keep his job. When Nora wasn't able to convince her husband, the man sent him a letter in the mail explaining how Nora owed him money that she borrowed from him a year before. Nora went a whole say trying to stop her husband from opening the letter, but when the truth comes out, Nora is shocked to learn where she really stands in her husband's esteem.

This play depicts how a woman in the 19th century was a controlled by her husband. Nora was treated just like every other woman during this time. Woman had little to no say with anything other than house work. They were forced to do whatever their husbands told them to do and they weren't allowed to handle money unless it was given to them by their husbands. This shows that the world back then was against woman being their own person and they were controlled and used as property more instead of treated like an equal human being.

This is a good Claire Bloom/Anthony Hopkins version from the classic play written by playwright Henrik Ibsen about an independient woman's quest for freedom in 19th-century Norway . Nora Helmernn (Claire Bloom) , years earlier , committed a forgery in order to save the life of her bossy husband, Torvald (Anthony Hopkins) . Now she is being blackmailed by Krogstad (Denholm Elliott) and lives in fear of her hubby finding out and the shame such a revelation would bring to his job . But when the truth comes out, Nora is shocked to learn where she really stands in her husband's esteem . As the subjugated 19th-century housewife breaks free to establish herself as an individual.

This is a typical filmed play , and rather stagy , it fills in scenes only referred to in Henrik Ibsen's text . Claire Bloom's performance is interesting in that her Nora displays a self-awareness of the role when she is confronting to her husband, which makes her final scene quite believable . However , Bloom's overall manner is too contemporary for a 19th Century wife. If Greta Garbo hadn't retired, her hoped-for version would have proved unassailable . Worth a look for Claire Bloom's acting , giving an awesome performance of a 19th century liberated woman , along with Anthony Hopkins as her authoritarian husband and similarly other actors also shine . All of them give thoughtful interpretations . Still , the words are there and the play is a strong statement about women's and all people's rights to be human beings. As the rest of the cast is very decent : Anthony Hopkins as Torvald Helmer , Sir Ralph Richardon as dying Dr. Rank, Denholm Elliott as the blackmailer , Anna Massey as Kristine Linde and veteran Edith Evans. Well based on the play by prestigious Scandinavian playwright Henrik Ibsen . In 1878 Ibsen moved from Norway to Rome where he lived for seven years. There he started writing the circle of his 11 last plays that made him classic; A Doll's House (1879), Ghosts (1881), An Enemy of the people (1882), The Wild Duck (1884), Rosmersholm (1886), The Lady from the Sea (1888), Hedda Gabler (1890), The Master Builder (1892), Little Ejolf (1894) John Gabriel Borkman (1896) and his last one When We Dead Awaken (1898).

Another version, and with Jane Fonda in the "Nora" role, was released a year later , a moderately successful cinematic adaptation, including gorgeous settings deep in the Scandanavian snow. A Doll's House (1974) by Joseph Losey with Jane Fonda as Nora , Edward Fox as Krogstad , Trevor Howard as dying Dr. Rank , Delphine Seyrig Kristine and David Warner. Filmmakers were correct in assuming moviegoers might not be interested in seeing this material twice. Although Fonda was a relatively good box office draw and magnificent actress; howevever, emerging some controversy regarding her interpretation , as this version misses the target, and was sent directly to US television.

A Doll's House (1973) , rating : 7/10 . Well-worth watching, and, This 'Doll's House' is just as interesting as any filmed play, and sits well thanks to Claire Bloom/Anthony Hopkins , alongside the Jane Fonda/Losey rendition.

Although there have been MANY versions of this Ibsen play (his most famous), this one seems to come closest to doing justice to it. The cast is a great one and includes: Claire Bloom (as Nora); Anthony Hopkins (as Torvald); Ralph Richardson (as Dr. Rank); Denholm Elliott (as Krogstad); Anna Massey (as Krisine Linde) and Dame Edith Evans (as Anne-Marie). Everyone in the cast is well-known as British stage actors and most have done their share of Shakespeare.

This film version was made before Anthony Hopkins was so well known on the screen, and he doesn't stand out here as we are used to seeing him now. But, Claire Bloom dominates the final scene as Nora.

Had never seen this play, although had a very rough idea what it was about.

I feared that a 1973 filmed version might be somewhat dated almost 50 years later. But not so. The dialogue is often oblique - up until the denouement, when Nora speaks plainly - but the viewer is never in doubt about the underlying meanings. Even a century and a half after Ibsen wrote this, it is esp. Relevant. But it is compelling not only at the level of "women's liberation", but of "human liberation" - nobody is wholly exempt from the bonds of social convention, and so the question is always: when is enough, enough? Or when, is it time to break out from them, and what are you willing to sacrifice to do so? The cast and directing (imho) are great.

I found a wonderful picture of me in the film as an extra, i played a little girl singing by the fire in the howling snow (which actually was a snow machine). I remember the day well at Elstree Film Studios, on the back lot, it was so cold I did wonder why we didn't naturally have snow....but hey I was a kid. My brother played a small boy singing as well, and under his hat were a few of his toy cars to keep him occupied between shots (as set ups can be boring). My father worked on the film hence how I became an extra, but remember everyone in the cast was sooo lovely. My father was in the industry for over 50 years, until he died in 2014.

Little did I know at the age of 12 that my future would be in Film & TV, behind the camera working with many different Production teams on many films around the world.

I wish I could post the picture of the set with my brother and I in it.

My personal memories, Dawn Heath (nee King)