Henrik Ibsen in my mind deserves his reputation of being one of the great playwrights/dramatists, his work being very poetic and profound, as well as remarkably realistic. One can totally see as to why he was considered a big influence over other great and important playwrights/dramatists, very important in his time (ahead of it perhaps as well) and by some the "father of realism". Know him best though for 'Peer Gynt' (Edvard Grieg plays some part in this) and 'Hedda Gabler'.
'The Wild Duck' though is a highly fascinating and moving work and shows perfectly why Ibsen's reputation was so well deserved, Ibsen's style is unmistakable and with the brooding atmosphere and the moving realism of the story and characters 'The Wild Duck' is very much distinctive of him. This early 80s film version is not very well known and not easily available, but even if there are better film adaptations of Ibsen's work it is worth tracking down and watching. As well as it being a major work by a great dramatist, it was difficult to resist watching being a fan of both its two leads Liv Ullman and Jeremy Irons.
It's a good looking film. The photography is both beautiful to look at and rich in atmosphere, the costumes and settings fit the relocated period evocatively (also very attractive while also uncompromising when needed) and the use of the staircases is effective. What is most striking though is the lighting, the shifts between light and dark mirroring the shifts in mood constantly changing. The music at least an appealing listen, is appropriately placed and fits the moods well without over-emphasising. The script is terse and has a lot of meaning even in scenes with less dialogue, classic Ibsen and captured well in the film. The story handles the different moods in a way that charms, touches and shocks, the brooding atmosphere and structure are intact and the characters are mostly as compellingly real as they are in the play.
As a play, it is heavily symbolic. So is the film and the symbolism is obvious and clearly presented, while just about avoiding being laid on too thick, a big danger with symbolism especially when there is a lot of it. There are a lot of themes (such as human weakness and guilt), explored tensely and poignantly without being sketchy or overdone. It is all credibly directed, and the performances are mostly strong. For me, the best performance came from Ullman on dignified and poignant form with a very expressive face. Arthur Dignam's pomposity is a good and not overdone contrast and Lucinda Jones and John Meillon are similarly strong.
Don't think 'The Wild Duck' is perfect. As good as the film looks, didn't see the point of the setting being relocated to early 20th century Australia especially when not an awful lot is done with it. Despite being a big fan of Irons, this is not one of his best performances, found him uncharacteristically bland and uncomfortable and he does struggle to not make Harold too unsympathetic.
Like the play, the ending is shocking. If anybody says that it is very melodramatic as well they are right, again like the play. Even for what happens for my tastes the melodrama got somewhat too over-heated that it veers on a little too overwrought, wouldn't go as far as calling it grotesque but this is the one point of the film where it felt on the heavy-handed side.
Overall though, well done and worth tracking down. 7/10
