The New York herald., 1922-02-13
Nine. NazimOva
PeaSeS in Film of
n Dolls House.
Actress Shows to Advantage
in Screen Adaptation of
Ibscn's Play.
STRAND = Nazimova in "a Dolls
House," United Artists release,
adapted from the play by Henrik Ibsen
and directed by Charles Bryant.

House." a United Artists release,
adapted from the play by Henrik Ibsen
and directed by Charles Bryant.
They do come back in the movies Il
they train strictly. principally by re-
duction process that consists of cutting
out the close-ups. Nine. ALA Nazlmova,
who seemed lately to be hitting the
nickelodeon trail in her pictures. has in
her hrst Independent venture produced
photoDlay worthy of an artist, that
will make the average man stop asking
"Can any good come out Of Russian"
AS time flies in the theater. 1t is
far cry since Nora, renouncing ner DOM
ineering husband at the door. made the
slam heard around the world. 1t is
but to be expected that the movies would
present plea for woman's independence
several years late. when feminine suf-
frage had become more commonplace
than prohibition in this country. The
course of true thought, It is always
deemed proper TO point out In such
cases, takes considerable time in hurd-
ling the footlight and getting upon stage
or screen.
In America, where husbands are so
often accused by foreigners OF jndulging
their wives and being ruled by them,
woman's emancipation may seem Of less
Importance than abroad. where the wife
can still hear her masters voice without
turning to the phonograph. Many Ameri-
can husbands would cheerfully admit
that it's the missus who decides where
they shall have their personal liberty
in the way of smoking around the house.
But the drama ls none the less inter-
esting to them, IL only to point out to
their wife, "See how well ! treat you!"
Played Role on Stage.
Nine. Nazimova shows to advantage
in this picture because she is already
familiar with the material from her
stage presentation, aside from the fact
that she has once more discovered that
a film isn't all closeups. But many of
the mannerisms which were coming to
be accentuated when she made her sue
cess before the footlights in Ibsen's piece
have here at least been swallowed up by
the camera. For one thing, she no
longer purses her upper lip as though
about to chirp.
In the early part of the story she
envisaged the character we'll with her
febrie luttering, skipping and dancing,
the domestic gymnastics wherewith this
wife sought to hold her husband to her
Later in her dance at masquerade ball
she did not seem to be the most graceful
person there, but perhaps that was to
indicate how much her mind was fes-
tering over that mail box with the ruin
ing letter that kept fitting across the
screen almost as regularly as a pen
dulum-it should have had a special
mail box motif from the orchestra
Mime. Nazimova's methods are still, to
certain degree, Continental, and she
kept raising her eyebrows and staring
through her eyes as If to assure the spec
t9tor that this truly was a dolls house,
because her face readily showed she was
a doll. When she acknowledged to her
wrathful husband that she had forged
the signature that indirectly saved his
life her expression seemed too studied,
as one who tried to swallow something
unpleasant. But when the wife realized
that her husband thought primarily of
himself, despite his pampering of her.
one saw the shadow of disillusionment
In the stars face and watched a SILLY
little lark turn to a woman before
ones eyes. Then she packed up a suit
case that seemingly was only large
enough to hold her spirit of indepen-
dence. and you knew by the way she
threw out her arms to the whirling snow
that she was free woman.
Changed Slightly for Screen,
The director. Bryant has discreetIv
attempted no sort or continuation of the
unresolved chord of Ibsen's ending-a
fear which might keep some of the stu
dents of Scandinavian drama uneasy In
their seats. But they can rest COM
Portable that they do not see Nora maxi
ing her way In the world as telephone
operator and finally coming back to
hubby and the kiddies. The story has
been touched UP slightly for the screen.
but always suitably. and one Is aston
ished to find that, stripped of much dia-
logue for the movies. Ibsen seems quite
ntelligible--which may be the miracle
of miracles alluded to in the text
After this one will not be surprised to
see crowds flockipg to see a photodrama
adapted from dramatist who a short
period ago was taboo and considered
shocking. He no longer seems shock
ing in this day Of grace and Hollywood
Alan Hale seemed a triflc too genially
chubby to suggest fitful-tempered,
masterful man, but he and the others In
the cast made Ibsen as human as the