In the 1970's, a new wave of star took command on the screen, and in certain cases, certain individuals seemed to be everywhere. One of those was Glenda Jackson, already a veteran young stage actress when she was discovered in some very arty Ken Russell movies. By the mid 1970's, she had won two Academy Awards, and the world seemed to be her oyster, covering her in pearls. She has the commanding presence to make the sole movie version of Henrik Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler" a memorable art house film, and every moment of the movie (in which she seems to dominate), all eyes are on her. Sure, she is surrounded by three fine actors and one excellent actress (not dismissing the minor players, however), but Hedda Gabler Tesman is a character that commands your every vision that the others seem like pale imitations of human beings when in her presence. It is made clear in her very first scene with troubled Jennie Linden that Jackson's Hedda has always been a force to be reckoned with. Even in her slight apology for grabbing Linden's hair in high school, you know that Jackson recalls with joy the memory of doing it. It becomes very clear that she is a woman of extraordinary intelligence in a mainly male dominated world that her desire to control the destiny of everybody around her is as innate as her heartbeat and that she is controlled by a destiny of manipulation that she herself can't explain.
The three men include her husband (Peter Eyre), a doctor she confronts at gunpoint (and shoots at!) for coming in through the back way (Timothy West) and a writer (Patrick Stewart) who may be involved in an affair with Linden. The subtlety of the writing isn't always clear as to how each of these characters relates to the other, but it is clear that they are all troubled people, even Eyre who seems more consumed with his research than his marital obligations. Then there's Eyre's elderly aunt (Constance Chapman), taking care of an unseen sister who seems to be dying. The men are gathering for an evening out, and before they leave, Jackson spills details of a conversation with Linden to Stewart that sets in motion Stewart's own downfall with his decision to destroy the manuscript he had been working on, setting up thoughts of suicide and one character's eternal damnation.
This complex drama requires full concentration, and how could you not concentrate with the riveting Jackson pulling you in? It was a weak year in movies for leading ladies, so for once, the Academy Award nominees were filled with actresses from obscure art house films that might have been forgotten in a year of blockbusters. This film wasn't meant to be box office dynamite, and only those with the highest ability to concentrate or the highest standards of literary interests could stomach the slow burning drama that takes its time in building and finally erupts like the most violent of volcanoes. Certainly, the play has been edited down to fit a 100 minute running time, but the choicest bits remain. I've seen "Hedda Gabler" on stage (with Kate Mulgrew in the lead), unfortunately at a very young age where I didn't understand much of it. If I ever get the opportunity to see it again, I hope that it is put in the hands of somebody like Jackson who can chew up every moment and make me want more. She is brilliant here in every way, and I hope that this film gets more exposure than it has since its release nearly 45 years ago.
The three men include her husband (Peter Eyre), a doctor she confronts at gunpoint (and shoots at!) for coming in through the back way (Timothy West) and a writer (Patrick Stewart) who may be involved in an affair with Linden. The subtlety of the writing isn't always clear as to how each of these characters relates to the other, but it is clear that they are all troubled people, even Eyre who seems more consumed with his research than his marital obligations. Then there's Eyre's elderly aunt (Constance Chapman), taking care of an unseen sister who seems to be dying. The men are gathering for an evening out, and before they leave, Jackson spills details of a conversation with Linden to Stewart that sets in motion Stewart's own downfall with his decision to destroy the manuscript he had been working on, setting up thoughts of suicide and one character's eternal damnation.
This complex drama requires full concentration, and how could you not concentrate with the riveting Jackson pulling you in? It was a weak year in movies for leading ladies, so for once, the Academy Award nominees were filled with actresses from obscure art house films that might have been forgotten in a year of blockbusters. This film wasn't meant to be box office dynamite, and only those with the highest ability to concentrate or the highest standards of literary interests could stomach the slow burning drama that takes its time in building and finally erupts like the most violent of volcanoes. Certainly, the play has been edited down to fit a 100 minute running time, but the choicest bits remain. I've seen "Hedda Gabler" on stage (with Kate Mulgrew in the lead), unfortunately at a very young age where I didn't understand much of it. If I ever get the opportunity to see it again, I hope that it is put in the hands of somebody like Jackson who can chew up every moment and make me want more. She is brilliant here in every way, and I hope that this film gets more exposure than it has since its release nearly 45 years ago.