A Doll's House

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.

One of the two versions of this play filmed in 1973, this 'Doll's House' has a strong cast and looks like filmed theatre - not always a bad thing, and it works well enough here to keep the viewer interested.

Anthony Hopkins, prickly as Torvald; Claire Bloom, delicate and confused as Nora; with Ralph Richardson striking just the right note as Dr Rank. Anna Massey and Denholm Elliott complete the cast and are both very good indeed.

Not really cinema, but perhaps the best of the three versions of Ibsen's powerful play I've seen. In comparison with David Warner and Trevor Eve, Hopkins is just as effective; while Claire Bloom's Nora is sufficiently different from Jane Fonda and Juliet Stevenson to attract our interest and empathy.

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.

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)

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.