A Doll's House (1973)

Set in 1879 Norway, a young housewife (Claire Bloom) seems content to be a mother to three children and the wife of an authoritarian husband (Anthony Hopkins). But she has borrowed money without her husband's knowledge from a lender (Denholm Elliott) who is threatening to expose her unless she uses her influence on her spouse to the lender's advantage. Based on the classic play by Henrik Ibsen and directed by Patrick Garland. Ibsen's play has (sadly) never dated, its portrait of a woman in a patriarch dominated society as relevant today as in 1879. The play sent shock waves throughout the theatre world and beyond when originally performed. The very idea of a woman abandoning her husband and children to "find herself" was unheard of. The play itself is Ibsen's most popular and continues to be performed on a regular basis through out the world. In addition to Bloom, the role of Nora has been performed by Jane Fonda, Liv Ullmann, Vera Miles, Ruth Gordon and Gillian Anderson among many others. Bloom had performed the play on Broadway in 1971 with Garland at the helm and its success led to this filmization. The success of A DOLL'S HOUSE rests on the shoulders of the actress playing Nora and Bloom carries the mantle beautifully. Her delicate and desperate Nora subtly giving way to a realization that her entire marriage is a fraud. With Ralph Richardson, Edith Evans and Anna Massey.