A Doll's House

Plot

A Doll's House is a 90-minute TV adaptation of the 1879 play by Henrik Ibsen. Julie Harris stars as Nora Helmer, the dutiful wife of Torvald Helmer (Christopher Plummer). Though Torvald loves his wife, he considers her a child and a possession. What he doesn't know is that, years earlier, Nora saved his life by borrowing money when he was seriously ill. Now Nils Krogstad (Hume Cronyn) the man who lent Nora the necessary funds, has returned, expecting a special sort of restitution. Torvald's reaction to the crisis transforms Nora from a "doll-wife" into an emancipated woman no longer dependent upon the largess of the men in her life. Richard Thomas, future star of The Waltons, is cast herein as Ivor, the Helmers' young son. Adapted for television by James Costigan, A Doll's House was originally telecast November 15, 1959, on NBC's Hallmark Hall of Fame; the program was originally shown in color, though existing kinescopes are in black-and-white. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Review

This Hallmark Hall of Fame production of A Doll's House is a fine, sturdy adaptation of the classic Henrik Ibsen play. As a kinescope of the live television broadcast, it inevitably has some technical limitations, foremost among them the fact that the microphones simply did not pick up the sound as well as could be wished. This is rarely a problem for Julie Harris or Hume Cronyn, and only momentarily one for Jason Robards Jr., but is rather more frequently one for Christopher Plummer and Eileen Heckart. While the picture is not as sharp as one might wish, the camera is handled with admirable fluidity and only one or two mishaps. Modern audiences may see through some of the workings of Ibsen's dramaturgy, but, on the whole, the script holds up remarkably well. If Nora's final revelation seems to come about a bit too quickly, most will forgive the dramatic license and relish the exchange of ideas that it presents with such breathlessness. George Schaefer directs with a sure hand and both eyes on the fire and light that his very able cast brings to the material. One could scarcely ask for a better Nora than Harris, whose childish giddiness and playfulness never seems forced and who makes the character's naïveté and foolishness as natural as her strength and steely will. Plummer's innate charm gives his Torvald the charm the role requires to understand why Nora stays with someone so controlling, and Cronyn and Heckart bring nuance to roles that run the risk of seeming one-note. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast

Hume Cronyn - Nils Krogstad; Eileen Heckart; Jason Robards, Jr.; Christopher Plummer - Torvald Helmer; Maggie King; Julie Harris - Nora Helmer

Credit

George Schaefer - Director, Henrik Ibsen - Play Author

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