Main Cast: Glenda Jackson, Timothy West, Peter Eyre, Jennie Linden, Patrick Stewart
Release Year: 1975
Country: UK
Run Time: 104 minutes
Plot
Hedda is a tasteful, literate cinematic translation of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler. Glenda Jackson plays Hedda, the restless, free-spirited daughter of a Norwegian military officer. Hedda is married to George Tesman (Timothy West), a dull professor whom she does not love. Bored with her lot, Hedda begins playing with the life of the trusting Thea Elvstead (Jennie Linden) and pushes her former love, the poetic Eilert Lovborg (Patrick Stewart), into attempting suicide. Hedda's machinations come to naught when she is threatened with exposure by the lascivious Judge Brack (Peter Eyre); the judge agrees to keep mum if Hedda will become his mistress. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Considering the talent involved, Hedda should have been an unforgettable cinematic experience. Director Trevor Nunn is one of the world's leading theatrical directors, and his ability to make the classics seem fresh and new onstage has been demonstrated time and again. Certainly, he has cast this Hedda with an excellent team of actors who know their way around Ibsen. And there are moments when the screen really does blaze with fire and lightning. Unfortunately, there are also moments that come across as rather ponderous and artifical, when Ibsen's carefully constructed plot seems a trifle mechanical, as well as moments when the motivations of the characters just don't seem real. Nunn is also not as comfortable with the camera as is desired, resulting in some stiff or awkwardly staged scenes. Despite this, he does capture Glenda Jackson's frightening Hedda, a performance that causes shivers (as well as the occasional wince); if Jackson goes too far on occasion, she's never less than thrilling -- and never less than totally committed to her interpretation. She's very ably supported by Patrick Stewart and Peter Eyre, who not only manage to keep from being blown off the screen by Jackson but manage to score several points on her. Hedda is less perfectly realized than one might wish, but when it hits its stride, it produces considerable electricity. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Constance Chapman - Julie; Pam St. Clement - Betiha
Credit
Ted Tester - Art Director, Gordon L.T. Scott - Associate Producer, Trevor Nunn - Director, Peter Tanner - Editor, Laurie Johnson - Composer (Music Score), Douglas Slocombe - Cinematographer, Robert Enders - Producer, George Barrie - Producer, Claude Hitchcock - Sound/Sound Designer, Trevor Nunn - Screenwriter, Henrik Ibsen - Play Author
This was the first (and so far the only) major theatrical film version of the play in English. Previous productions of the play in English with sound had all been made for television.
