A Doll’s House *** (1973, Jane Fonda, David Warner, Trevor Howard, Delphine Seyrig, Edward Fox, Anna Wing) – Classic Movie Review 8438

Director Joseph Losey’s 1973 A Doll’s House stars feminist and activist Jane Fonda, who turns in a fascinating ‘modern’ performance as Nora Helmer, who is forced to rebel against her stifled life and her bossy, authoritarian husband.

Losey’s cinematic, feminist-slanted version of the Henrik Ibsen play is beautifully filmed by cinematographer Gerry Fisher in Norway at the same time as the Claire Bloom film of A Doll’s House.

Trevor Howard (as Dr Rank) and Edward Fox (Nils Krogstag) score most strongly, and there are also fine performances from David Warner as Nora’s husband Torvald Helmer (a role offered to John Osborne) and Delphine Seyrig as Kristine Linde, while Anna Wing has a cameo as the nurse, Anne-Marie.

It was released in Britain after the Claire Bloom version of A Doll’s House and was a box-office flop. It was later sold straight to network TV in America, after playing at the New York Film Festival.

Losey, surprisingly, said: ‘I hated every minute of it.’ Fonda and Losey disliked each other, although their political beliefs were similar. Seyrig recalled the filming was quite a nightmare.

Also in the cast are Morten Floor, Tane Floor, Dagfinn Hertzberg, Ellen Holm, Frode Lien, Ingrid Natrud and Pierre Oudrey.

The screenplay is by David Mercer.

A Doll’s House is directed by Joseph Losey, runs 107 minutes, is made by World Film Services and Les Films de la Boétie, and is released by British Lion Film Corporation (1973) (UK), Tomorrow Entertainment (1973) (US) and American Broadcasting Company (1973) (US) (TV premiere).

Fox and Seyrig both went on to play in The Day of the Jackal (1973).

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8438

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