The Henrik Ibsen Collection

See why the plays of Norway's greatest author continue to captivate and divide—even more than a century after their debut. In this exclusive collection, ten of Ibsen's greatest works—including Ghosts, A Doll's House and Hedda Gabler—are brilliantly interpreted by all-star casts including Dame Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal, Shakespeare In Love), Ingrid Bergman (Casablanca, Notorious), Sir Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, Alexander), Denholm Elliott (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), Patrick McGoohan (The Prisoner, Braveheart) and many more. In Ghosts, witness Ibsen tackle the forbidden subjects of venereal disease and euthanasia. Marvel at how Nora's liberation from A Doll's House foreshadowed the modern women's movement. Watch Hedda Gabler suffer the fate of a woman maliciously egotistic, bored and spiritually bereft. As immensely affecting now as then.

6 DVD collection includes:
Brand
A Doll's House
Ghosts
An Enemy of the People
The Wild Duck
Hedda Gabler
The Lady From the Sea
The Master Builder (2 extraordinary productions)
Little Eyolf

Brand (1959): Brand is a priest who possesses a stark and idealistic view of morality. His journey is far from over as he faces people and situations that end up affecting his family, his friends, his life, and finally his embattled soul. Starring Patrick McGoohan, Peter Sallis, Fulton Mackay. Produced by Michael Elliot. Directed by Michael Elliot.

Peer Gynt (1972): After his father carelessly reduced the family inheritance to nothing and left to be a wandering salesman, Peer Gynt finds himself saddled with a large debt and no concept of practicality. Having quickly developed a reputation as somewhat of a poet and braggard, Peer makes rash choices, the consequences of which start to affect the very identity of his being. Starring Colin Blakely, Wendy Hiller, Francesca Annis. Produced by Cedric Messina. Directed by Alan Cooke.

A Doll's House (1992): One of Ibsen best known plays, A Doll's House caused a sensation when first published, as it provided a critique on the conventions of Victorian marriage. Nora Helmer feels suffocated and belittled in her marriage to banker Torvald. When faced with blackmail as a result of an attempt to save her husband's life, Nora decides that the only way to discover the real world is to step outside the illusions within her doll's house. Starring Juliet Stephenson, Trevor Eve, Patrick Malahide, Geraldine James. Produced by Simon Curtis. Directed by David Thackar.

Ghosts (1987): The publication of Ghosts in 1881 caused an uproar and almost ruined Ibsen. It was banned across Europe and sales of his other plays plummeted. Its themes of moral degradation—out-of-wedlock children, venereal disease, incest, infidelity, and euthanasia—proved too shocking. The play remains shocking even for modern-day audiences. Captain Alving was a respected man in his community, and on the tenth anniversary of his death, Mrs. Alving is preparing for the opening of an orphanage in his honor. This effort, however, is really an attempt by Mrs. Alving to mask her hidden disgust with Captain Alving who in reality was a cheating, immoral philanderer who bequeathed a deadly legacy to his son Oswald. Starring Judi Dench, Michael Gambon, Kenneth Branagh, Natasha Richardson, Freddie Jones. Produced by Louis Marks. Directed by Elijah Moshinsky.

An Enemy of the People (1980): Ibsen wrote An Enemy of the People as a direct response to the public's outcry of his earlier play Ghosts. Channeling his feelings into one Dr. Stockmann, the main character whose single voice of reason is drowned out by those with paranoid and ulterior interests, Ibsen had no qualms remarking on the irrational nature of masses and the corrupt political systems which encourage them. Starring Robert Urquhart. Produced by Roderick Graham. Directed by Gareth Davies.

The Wild Duck (1971): A devastating, yet bracing look at a family whose proximity to each other belies the decay of their relationships, The Wild Duck is just as modern today as it was when first staged. When Gregors Werle comes to stay with the Ekdals, his idealist nature refuses to tolerate the dreamworld of lies the family is living. However, in his bid to force the Ekdals to the truth, the skeletons he unearths destroy the family that he wanted to redeem. Starring Denholm Elliott, Jenny Agutter. Produced by Cedric Messina. Directed by Alan Bridges.

Hedda Gabler (1962 and 1972): Hedda Gabler has just come back from her honeymoon, married to boring but reliable academic George Tesman. Refusing to tie herself down in life and name, Hedda is banking on George being appointed a professorship to secure a better life for the young couple. However, the arrival of cleaned up ex-lover Eilert threatens to destroy everything. Two productions are included, featuring both Ingrid Bergman and Janet Suzman in the title role. Starring Ingrid Bergman, Michael Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, Trevor Howard, Janet Suzman, Ian McKellan, Jane Asher. Produced by Norman Rutherford, Lara Schmidt, David Susskind; Cedric Messina. Directed by Alex Segal; Waris Hussein.

Lady From The Sea (1974): Married to a much older widower with daughters nearly her age, Ellida Wangel starts exhibiting strange and anxious behaviors. When her husband, a doctor, tries to find a cure for her, he finds out that she has a secret that she cannot forget. Starring Eileen Atkins, Denholm Elliott. Produced by Cedric Messina. Directed by Basil Coleman.

The Master Builder (1958 and 1988): Halvard Solness is a middle-aged architect whose ruthlessness in his business results in him being a hardened individual. Affected by his ambitions are his wife and his colleagues, until a young woman shows up asking for a promised kingdom. Two productions are included, featuring both Sir Donald Wolfit and Leo McKern in the title role. Starring Sir Donald Wolfit, Mai Zetterling, Leo McKern, Miranda Richardson, Jane Lapotaire. Produced by Shaun Sutton, Stephen Harrison. Directed by Michael Darlow.

Little Eyolf (1982): Alfred Allmers has spent his whole life writing a book on "responsibility", a luxury as a result of his marriage to the wealthy and beautiful Rita. However, much to Rita's jealousy, his attention isn't always undivided towards her, as Afred shifts his focus on his book, their son Eyolf, and his half-sister Asta. As Allmers slowly feels trapped in an unfulfilling marriage, emotions and painful pasts threaten to boil over into a terrible finale. Starring Diana Rigg, Anthony Hopkins, Peggy Ashcroft, Charles Dance. Produced by Louis Marks. Directed by Michael Darlow; Desmond Davis.