If a movie with a Christmas theme is set in California on a ninety-eight degree summer day, it is hard to get the same feel from the movie the director intended. With this in mind, notice how the setting of a movie affects the way one interprets the theme. In Joseph Losey’s 1973 version of A Doll’s House, the setting is just right for the theme of this movie. Not only is the setting appropriate but is also realistic in all aspects. If the setting is appropriate, the theme and the theme is known, the movie is very effective.

         A Doll’s House opens on a cold winter day. Not only is the snow on the ground real, the pond is frozen over, the sky is gray, and the backdrop is not phony. Most movies are somewhat simulated; however, this movie is respectively not. The perfectly natural outdoor setting provides the realism a movie needs. The characters in the movie are all wearing appropriate clothing for the setting, which also helped it seem more realistic. The women and men are all wearing fur-lined coats, with scarves and gloves. In all actuality, this movie is set in the far north so that the setting is real.

         Inside scenes were also realistic. The antique clocks, doorbells, curtains, and furniture all play into the nature of the movie. The style is a simple elegance, with nice wallpaper, nice furniture, and nice trinkets on the walls and bookshelves. From the doors, to the floors, the house was very appropriate for that of a house back in that time period. All these things help the setting to seem realistic

.          Both inside and outside scenes are perfectly set. The setting can “make or break” a movie. In the case of A Doll’s House, the setting is so appropriate that the movie is very effective.