Having watched and been disappointed by the 1973 Jane Fonda TV version of the Henrik Ibsen play, I was hoping for so much more with the theatrical version starring Claire Bloom and Anthony Hopkins, and delightfully found myself truly liking it entirely. The changes obviously due to the direction by Patrick Garland, and a top-notch ensemble which includes Denholm Elliott, Anna Massey, Dame Edith Evans and Sir Ralph Richardson. Bloom as Nora has the correct combination of vulnerability and strength, and when the occasion arises to it, fear over the situation she has gotten herself involved in.
The young Hopkins is a perfect Torvald, only becoming somewhat tyrannical when the revelation of the potential charges against Nora are brought to his attention, having earlier been romantic if still treating her like a doll. It's a perfect world for him but not for her, and it takes the situation to make her realize that she doesn't want to play this dollhouse game anymore. She can take responsibility for her actions, but when she finds out that she didn't have his support in dealing with the situation fully, that's the step she needs to make the changes in her life a long time coming.
This play was definitely ahead of its time with its portrait of a housewife standing up to her husband when her identity and her husband's perception of who she should be clash. Bloom and Hopkins are fabulous together, with Elliot getting sympathy for his desperate bank clerk who turns to blackmail and Massey indicating great mystery as an old friend who shows up out of the blue, obviously hiding secrets. Richardson is excellent as a dying friend of Hopkins, but Evans really doesn't get much to do as the nanny. The art direction and photography are perfect, and the film has been edited down from the longer play, keeping the choice bits yet making every point perfectly. A standing ovation for getting a classic play right on the screen for once.
The young Hopkins is a perfect Torvald, only becoming somewhat tyrannical when the revelation of the potential charges against Nora are brought to his attention, having earlier been romantic if still treating her like a doll. It's a perfect world for him but not for her, and it takes the situation to make her realize that she doesn't want to play this dollhouse game anymore. She can take responsibility for her actions, but when she finds out that she didn't have his support in dealing with the situation fully, that's the step she needs to make the changes in her life a long time coming.
This play was definitely ahead of its time with its portrait of a housewife standing up to her husband when her identity and her husband's perception of who she should be clash. Bloom and Hopkins are fabulous together, with Elliot getting sympathy for his desperate bank clerk who turns to blackmail and Massey indicating great mystery as an old friend who shows up out of the blue, obviously hiding secrets. Richardson is excellent as a dying friend of Hopkins, but Evans really doesn't get much to do as the nanny. The art direction and photography are perfect, and the film has been edited down from the longer play, keeping the choice bits yet making every point perfectly. A standing ovation for getting a classic play right on the screen for once.