jsinaz Review of A Doll's House

A Doll's House (1959 TV Movie)

A star-studded and accurate 1959 color portrayal of the Ibsen classic

[10/10 · 14 June 2020]

I won't add much to what has already been written on this site except to say that it benefits from a dream cast for the time in which it was aired: 1959. Julie Christie, Christopher Plummer, Hume Cronyn, and Jason Robards. Wow! This was a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, made back when Hallmark sponsored truly high-quality theater for the small screen. Growing up in the 50s and 60s, my family never missed HHOF presentations. Today they are a pale imitation of the past, mostly rom-coms such as the kind that litter the Hallmark channel daily, churned out like those cheap romance novels. Sad situation to see a venerable series eviscerated in such a way. I disagree with two comments by another reviewer here: 1) the entire broadcast IS in color, and 2) it is not a kinescope film of a live broadcast. It is a color videotape of it. Kinescopes were used before the advent of videotape and were typically shot in black & white (like Peter Pan of 1956, shown in color but only available in B&W kinescope today, alas). Highly recommended.