A Doll's House

Two adaptations of Henrik Ibsen's classic play appeared in 1973. The better known version stars Jane Fonda (also available on video), but this powerhouse outing by British heavyweights Anthony Hopkins, Claire Bloom, Denholm Elliott, and Sir Ralph Richardson is just as good, if not better. Bloom is beautifully severe as Nora, the "perfect" wife who forges her dying father's signature for a loan to help her ailing husband, Torvald (Hopkins). The revelation of the forgery hangs over the first two-thirds of the film like a Swedish thundercloud, and when it breaks, Nora and Torvald confront each other in the film's powerful climax. As Nora argues for her rights as a woman--nay, as a human being--the words become thunderbolts, and viewer will involuntarily blink, blinded by the luminous insights which liberally pepper the last 15 minutes of the film. Though the film is strong enough to override any technical complaints, one wishes a better print had been used for the video transfer. This one is a bit scratchy at times, and even contains one or two obvious splices. Nevertheless, this is highly recommended. (R. Pitman)