A Doll's House Act 1

My opinion of the clip of act 1 from “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen is that the director has made their house seem rich; he/she has played it up to more than what it seems like in the play. “A room furnished comfortably and tastefully, but not extravagantly.” In the play the house seems very plain. The way that the actors dressed was accurate to the time setting, which is in the 1800s. Helmer is wearing a three piece suit, and Nora has on a dress from that time. Even though the play was written in Norway, I almost expected the set would be like a house in Norway, but it looks more like a house in England.

I think that Nora didn’t seems so needy like in the play, yes, it shows her “affection” for money, but I don’t think that its up to par. “You might give me money, Torvald. Only as much as you can afford; and then one of these days I will buy something with it….Oh do! dear Torvald; please, please do! Then I will wrap it up in beautiful gilt paper and hang it on the Christmas tree. Wouldn’t that be fun?” in the clip Nora doesn’t seem so desperate and needy for the money. I think that the movie director/producer who ever did portray Nora’s childish aspect very well. She acts like she really is this little thing, “…my little lark…,…my little squirrel….,…my dear little Nora…”

In the clip, Helmer seems more teasing rather than putting her down. It didn’t seem like he worried at all. Helmer portrayed in the movie seemed like nothing compared to how he was portrayed in the play. In the play Helmer is very much in love with Nora and cares deeply about what would happen if he died. He worries much about what her situation would be. “…Suppose, now, that I borrowed fifty pounds to-day, and you spent it all in the Christmas week, and then new year’s Eve a slate fell on my head and killed me, and--” With him being worried he wants no debts and then economic worries, so he tries to tell Nora that “But, seriously, Nora, you know what I think about that. No debt, no borrowing. There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt.”