A Doll's House

Ibsen's discussion of marriage is so strong, so contemporary, so close to the bone that it can survive even being submitted to the uncomfortable stylistic hybrid of filmed theatre. If the production wanders a little and suffers through the declamatory acting style, then the acuteness of the play itself is there to compensate. Money and the attendant charade of security confront the unexpected miracle of change. It is absurd how little progress we have made, how little of the play sounds redundant, and how tenacious the situation of Ibsen's heroine (for that's what she turns out to be) is. The crippling love of the patriarchal society rides on, strong as ever. Richardson makes a completely credible Dr. Rank, Hopkins is solid as Torvald, and when Bloom forgets about performing she manages to speak with something like conviction.