You are here:

A Doll's House

Name: A Doll's House
Director: Patrick Garland
Released: 1973
Duration: 105 min

Representation Score

3.1/10

Limited

1973

Director

Patrick Garland

Runtime

105 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

This adaptation of Ibsen’s work excels in its intellectual deconstruction of gender roles. By highlighting Nora’s transition toward self-actualization, the film challenges the stability of traditional patriarchal hierarchies and domestic expectations. However, the production is limited by its period-specific focus. The lack of racial and LGBTQ+ diversity reflects the historical context of the original text but results in a narrow demographic scope. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its cultural critique. It frames the dismantling of the traditional family unit as a necessary step toward personal liberation and moral decision-making.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does A Doll's House have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on a strictly heterosexual marriage. There are no characters with non-cisgender identities or same-sex relationships.

How does A Doll's House portray gender?

Excellent

Nora Helmer’s transformation from a decorative figure to an independent agent critiques patriarchal authority. The film effectively challenges the submissive wife stereotype.

How racially and ethnically diverse is A Doll's House?

Minimal

The cast is uniform, reflecting the 19th-century Norwegian setting. There is no ethnic diversity or race-bent casting within this specific socioeconomic environment.

How does A Doll's House represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The story offers a deep critique of Western bourgeois institutions and the nuclear family. It emphasizes individual truth over the rigid moralism of the time.

Does A Doll's House include disability representation?

Minimal

No visible or invisible disabilities are portrayed as central to the characters or the narrative arc.

Present on Screen

Sophisticated subversion of traditional gender hierarchies and the 'submissive wife' cliché.
Strong critique of Western bourgeois institutions and restrictive social contracts.
Powerful portrayal of a woman's journey toward intellectual and moral decision-making.

Limited or Absent

Lack of racial and ethnic diversity within the cast.
Absence of LGBTQ+ representation or non-cisgender identities.

Official Synopsis

Nora Helmer has years earlier committed a forgery in order to save the life of her authoritarian husband Torvald. Now she is being blackmailed, and lives in fear of her husband finding out, and of the shame such a revelation would bring to his career. But, when the truth comes out, Nora is shocked to learn where she really stands in her husband's esteem.

How are these scores produced? →