Hedda

"Oh, I was just shooting at the sky..." --Hedda

I first saw this movie in a European Literature class in college, and I was fascinated from the start. I forget if we read it first or watched the movie, but in any case, Glenda Jackson embodies the character of Hedda Gabler so completely that I can't imagine anyone else playing Hedda in such a convincing fashion.

The script in this version is just about the same as in my old Norton Anthology, and I always appreciate when movies follow the original work with integrity. This Hedda is the same bored housewife that tries to endure her ridiculous, academic husband and distances herself from any mention of pregnancy and motherhood. She longs for high society and to have control over other people, as well as herself. She obsesses over beauty ("Do it beautifully!" she instructs Loevborg, referring to his suicide plan) and loathes ugliness, while her deep, dark wit will either enthrall or repel the viewer. It certainly enthralls me, though I have known certain people to find Hedda's character revolting in its selfishness and cruelty.

I hope this comes out on DVD soon...I had to buy my VHS on ebay a few years back, and it's not in the greatest condition. August 1, 2006

a neglected movie

Based on Henry Ibsen's play Academy Award Winner Glenda Jackson stars as Hedda, a woman who tries to be everything to everyone but can't and in the end she ends up paying for it. This is a great film that has been neglected since it hasn't been re-released on video since it's first incarnation almost twenty years ago, which is a shame. Enjoy it!!!!!!!
Academy Award Nominee-Best Actress[1975]-Glenda Jackson July 18, 2002

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