There is muscle and volume in the performances; but had Demme hung back, and kept things cooler and quieter, the mastery of what Ibsen built, and the agon of his extraordinary hero, would have cast a more looming shadow.

For a movie that lasts longer than two hours and is made up solely of talking, it's impressive that the story never seems to drag.

Filmed theater? Absolutely, but also, to my complete surprise, something else again.

Though not as celebrated as the previous efforts of Shawn and Gregory, it's a notable title, at last made worthy of reconsideration following its paltry release.