A Doll’s House is a British film that was directed by Patrick Garland in 1973. Actors Claire Bloom and Anthony Hopkins starred in this film. It is originally based on the play of the same name by Henrik Ibsen, which was written in 1879. The story is devoted to the relationships between men and women in the 19th century. Still, the XXI century audience will find the plot of the movie captivating and even applicable to modern times. In the present essay, the author argues that it is possible to notice feminist motives in the film and the problem of women’s oppression. Below, the link between the film and the feminist ideas will be discussed in a detailed manner.
The film shows the state of affairs between men and women in the 1800s. The director chooses Claire Bloom and Anthony Hopkins to play Nora’s and Torvald’s characters. As DeAndre states, Bloom and Hopkins conveyed the original atmosphere of Ibsen’s play, which ensured the film’s incredible success (para. 3). It is done in such a professional way that a reader can easily connect the play with the movie. Moreover, Garland succeeded in depicting marriages and gender problems how they appeared in the 19th century.
Additionally, it is essential to mention that costumes and requisite contribute to the movie in the right way. The audience can feel the atmosphere of the 19th century, which is necessary for the film. However, from the viewer’s point of view, it might be argued that the movie is rather static and lacks some liveliness and activeness. The fact that causes such an impression is that the number of outdoor scenes in the movie is insufficient. For the audience, scenes must occur in different locations. Overall, Garland was able to depict all the central themes that were in Ibsen’s play.
At this point, it is necessary to present the fundamental idea of A Doll’s House briefly. The movie tells a story of the Helmers family life. Torvald, the banker, regards his wife Nora as an infantile person; he commonly calls her a doll (Garland). Torvald believes that Nora is entirely dependent on him and deprived of independence and self-sufficiency. At the same time, Nora saved Torvald’s life by taking a private loan from one of the husband’s coworkers when he suffered from tuberculosis. When Torvald learns about this deal, he gets mad at Nora instead of appreciating her help. Nevertheless, when he figures out that the loan is repaid, he undertakes some attempt to apologize for his anger and lack of respect. Still, the husband’s behavior grants Nora an insight: she realizes that their family life is deprived of any sense and any future and leaves Torvald. At the very end of the film, Nora says that the understanding of the real character of Torvald and herself is “the most wonderful miracle” (Garland 1:32:05). In other words, this movie depicts the transformation of the protagonist.
Nora’s main character significantly changes in the rage scene: she goes from a good wife into a confident and self-sufficient woman. Bloom is a perfect choice to play Nora: she employs the right tone and body language to depict all emotions and transformations her character goes through in the movie. There is a vivid example in the last scene: Bloom drastically changes her tone as she decides to leave her husband. However, there is an interesting point to discuss in terms of emotional connections between characters. In the play, Nora and her friend Christine have close and warm relationships. Nonetheless, in the movie, emotions between the two friends are not shown correctly. They differ from the original play, as they do not seem to be very closed. Consequently, depicting the right emotions between Nora and her friends leads to a situation when the audience cannot understand their relationships’ essence. Another scene added to the movie is when Nora says goodbye to her sleeping children. In the play, Nora is depicted as a detached mother, but, in the film, she acts as a responsible parent.
Now, the social context of the movie should be discussed. In the introductory section, it has been mentioned that the film reflects some feminist ideas. At this point, it is essential to notice that a remarkable rise of feminism in Europe and the US began in the 1970s even though the first movement appeared a century before (Bammer 160). The 70s years of the XX century refer to the second-wave feminism focused on eliminating discrimination of women. Although the plot depicts life in the XIX century, the described problems remain topical at the end of the XX century. At the same time, Shah claims that Henrik Ibsen, the author of the picturized play, “never calls himself a feminist” (345). Still, despite this fact, it remains evident that both the play and the movie are about the woman who wants to become independent from the man and equal to him. This point corresponds with the critical concerns of the representatives of the feminist movement of the XX century.
Primarily, the critical aim of feminist movements is to change the attitude of society towards women. Feminists claim that women deserve to be treated equally to men, be financially independent, and are not obliged to be “dolls” of their boyfriends and husbands. A Doll’s House tells the story of Nora, who was humiliated by her husband and then left him and refused to remain in his care. At the beginning of the film, Nora beseeches Torvald to give her money to buy her anything she wants (Garland). At the end of the movie, she proudly says she needs nothing, including cash, from her husband, whom she leaves. This change is tremendous and signifies a considerable maturity and emotional strength of the protagonist. Therefore, it could be deductively inferred that the movie reflects core feminist ideas.
The final point that should be stated about the given film is that it conveys Ibsen’s play’s initial meaning without any alterations. While comparing the text and the movie, it could be noticed that Garland follows the ideas of the initial play and does not add details that could change the critical message of A Doll’s House. The previously mentioned minor differences between Garland’s film and Ibsen’s play do not affect the overall idea of the former.
In conclusion, A Doll’s House by Patrick Garland is a great movie based on Ibsen’s play, brilliantly directed in all ways. Some facts from the original play were removed, and others were added in the film to highlight its authenticity. Besides, making the movie different from the play allows the audience to see something new beyond the original text. Moreover, Garland employs such a technique that the audience kept intrigued and interested throughout the whole movie. The film director depicted the atmosphere of the 19th century, marriages, and gender relationships. Simultaneously, the choice of the poem to be picturized coincides with the requirements of the modern society that wanted women to be depicted as strong and independent from men.
Works Cited
Bammer, Angelika. Partial visions: Feminism and utopianism in the 1970s. Routledge, 1991.
DeAndre. “Movie Critique: A Doll’s House Directed by Patrick Garland.” The Washington Movie Theatre, 2018, Web.
Garland, Patrick, director. A Doll’s House. Elkins Production LTD, 1973.
Shah, Arif Rashid. “The Concept of Feminism in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.” International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, vol. 7, no. VI, 2016, pp. 345-354.