HEDDA

UK, 1975, 102 minutes, Colour.
Glenda Jackson, Timothy West, Peter Eyre, Jennie Linden.
Directed by Trevor Nunn.

Ibsen's plays, with dynamic strong-headed women in central roles, must have created a furore in the 19th century. They are strong material still, especially his selfish, arrogant, manipulative Hedda Gabbler. As powerfully portrayed by Glenda Jackson, she is victim of her society, boredom and moral cowardice. She compensates by interfering in people's lives, playing with them and discarding them or trying to control them. In the play, she is matched by the insinuatingly and fussily evil Judge Brack - an excellent performance by Timothy West. This film is the play - predominantly so, but satisfactorily cinematic. Acting is well worth seeing in a potent classic melodrama.

1. The dramatic background of the play? The play structure of the film and its theatrical impact? How well was the play opened out for the cinema?

2. The thematic preoccupations of Ibsen? The Nineteenth Century issues of man and woman, society, morality. power? The strong language and the strength of the film in retaining the dialogue of the play?

3. The impact of Glenda Jackson as Hedda? The opening and her arrival, her initial speeches and selfishness, arrogance, pettiness? The way that she manipulated people? The details of her past, her family background, the spoilt daughter and wealth. the ambitious marriage, her romantic interlude with Eylett? The revelation of herself as a coward and bully? Her capacity for love and hate? Her toying with the triangle of friends and intimate friendships? Her interest in people solely related to herself? Her capacity for gossip and utilizing gossip? Her vice of boredom?

4. Comment on the cinematic techniques for transferring a play to the screen. The visual effect of profiles, for example the illustration of the triangles? The slow tracking shots in to characters speaking for example the initial discussion between Hedda and Mrs. Elvsted?

5. The use of colour, the house both inside and outside? The atmosphere of nineteenth century Norway?

6. The presentation of Hedda as destructive and manipulative? The memory of her past with Eylett? Her letting him go, threatening to shoot him? Her trying to re-kindle the past in the light of her empty marriage? Her love for him, her attitude towards his achievement, relationship with Mrs. Elvstedd? Her manipulating him into drink, to an excessive night, to holding the manuscript and destroying his belief in himself? Her giving him the pistol? The irony of her disillusionment of the lack of beauty in his death? Her manipulation and destruction of her husband? Feeling pity for him, accepting his house, marrying him for ambition and position, no love, spurning his aunts and his way of life, her recounting the boredom of her honeymoon voyage? The fact that he would make a memorial of Eylett's book? The irony of his escaping her power? Her hold over Judge Brack? Drawing him into the intimate circle of friends? Using the gossip? The irony of his hold over her? Emotional blackmail? (His deliberate malice in having power over her, but his surprise in finding her so destructive in fact?) The fact that she was destroyed by Judge Brack? Her manipulation of Mrs. Elvstedd? Her memory of her as a girl, the initial meeting and playing on friendship. calling her by name tricking her into being a confidante? Drawing out the whole story? Embarrassing her in front of Eylett? Holding her for the night? The irony then of Mrs. Elvstedd being able to continue the book? Hedda's spurning of Aunt Julia and her way of life? How well did the film visually and by dialogue convey these aspects of Hedda's character?

7. Hedda's downfall? How much of her own doing? How inevitable? Her madness? The melodrama of her life and its taking its toll? The final realization: her cruelty to Mrs. Elvstedd, her cruelty as regards the manuscript and the equivalent destruction of Mrs. Elvstedd and Eylett's child? The burning of the manuscript and the death of the aunt? The hold that Judge Brack had over her combined with Thea and her husband working on the manuscript? The final piano playing and the beautiful death? Was there any satisfaction for her in the beauty of her death?

8. The portrayal of Brack? His friendship with the couple? His helping them with their house? His aloofness yet wanting to have a hold over Hedda and her companionship? The evil deference to her? The bearer of gossip and malice? His gradual hold over Hedda and her resentment of his power? What was the nature of Brack's evil?

9. The contrast with Aunt Julia and her fussiness, the atmosphere of death and the anticipation of a birth? Hedda's reaction to the death? Aunt Julia and the maid, the spurning of the maid?

10. How well illustrated were the themes of life and death, love and hate, boredom and achievement, success and failure, courage and weakness. beauty and ugliness?

11. The impact of this play in terms of Nineteenth Century attitudes on the place of men and women?

12. The insight into nineteenth century society, its manners, conventions, hold over people's lives? What criticism of this kind of society?

13. The exploration of morality and the good and evil in every character?

14. The theme of power and manipulation?

15. How great a play is 'Hedda Gabbler'? How well did this film version do it justice?