The Henrik Ibsen Collection features ten star-studded BBC productions of Ibsen's most famous plays, together in one six-disc box set. Considered the father of modern realistic drama, Henrik Ibsen is one of the most importa... more »nt playwrights of all time. His plays attacked the values of the Victorian society in which he lived and were considered scandalous during his lifetime. Yet many of his themes are thoroughly modern today. The Henrik Ibsen Collection features stellar casts in Ibsen's best-known works, including Ingrid Bergman and Michael Redgrave in Hedda Gabler, Judi Dench and Michael Gambon in Ghosts, Anthony Hopkins and Diana Rigg in Little Eyolf, Denholm Elliot in The Wild Duck, Sir Donald Wolfitt and Leo McKern respectively in two extraordinary productions of The Master Builder, and much more. It's a quintessential part of any theater lover's library.« less
"Because one of the earlier posters asked, the titles included in the set are "Brand", "A Doll's House", "Hedda Gabler", "The Wild Duck", "Ghosts", "Little Eyolf", "An Enemy of the People", "The Lady from the Sea" and two versions of "The Master Builder." Also included are the following plays in radio versions: "Peer Gynt", "The Pretenders", "Emperor and Galilean", "The Pillars of Society", "Rosmersholm", "John Gabriel Borkman", "When We Dead Awaken" and "A Meeting in Rome" by Michael Meyer (a play about a meeting between Ibsen and August Strindberg)."
Great cast for Ghosts
Alan Montgomery | Oberlin, Oh USA | 05/04/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I can't vouch for all 6 plays, but the Ghosts is quite wonderful. In stars a younger Judi Dench as Mrs. Alving (brilliant), Natasha Richardson (radiant as the daughter of the "drunk"), Michael Gambon (pre-Dumbledore days) as a first - rate vicar, Freddie Jones (of Dune and Elephant Man) as the father of Natasha Richardson, and a very young Kenneth Branagh as the son. The cast lives up to their star status.
Assuming the other plays are that well done (I think I actually saw Little Eyolf), it is a wonderful introduction to my favorite dramatist."
Wonderful drama collection
Peregrine Reader | USA | 07/30/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I am impressed with this collection. The older versions of the plays hold up very well and are as vital as the later productions. The acting is magnificent - an impressive array of talent. Also it is a great bargain!"
Classic performances of Ibsen
R. A. Camp | United Kingdom | 05/01/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Henrik Ibsen Collection (Hedda Gabler / Ghosts / Little Eyolf / The Wild Duck / The Master Builder)
A wonderful collection of definitive performances of great plays, unobtainable in the U.K. 8 radio plays included. These performances by casts including Michael Redgrave,Judi Dench, Anthony Hopkins, Diana Rigg will never be bettered. Beautifully spoken and understood. The producers really know their Ibsen and bring out all Ibsen's subtle ironies and nuances. Alas, the BBC do not produce such great plays any more: very wise for any true theatre-lover to grab this collection while it is available. I have been studying Ibsen for 40 years; these productions are the culmination of my `Ibsen experience'. I know all the plays intimately; very few moments in these productions jar. Faithful period detail and costume: characters and background look convincingly `Victorian': contemporary productions (which are rare anyway) invariably make Hedda, Nora, Gina etc. look as if they've just walked in off the streets of New York or London, let alone Oslo. Seeing them actually prompted me book a Eurostar train to Oslo to visit the Ibsen Museum. Michael Meyer translations are relatively faithful: again, contemporary versions make the language much too chatty and contemporary.
Richard Camp, Brecon, UK."
A COLLECTION FOR THE AGES
Calicokid | San Francisco, CA USA | 10/17/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This aural and video collection of Ibsen should be in the collection of all who treasure the theatre experience. All the performances are very fine. Any collection that contains even such a truncated version of HEDDA GABLER with Bergman, Richardson, Redgave and Howard needs no further endorsement. Be ready for some memorable drama.