The Wild Duck (original Norwegian title: Vildanden) is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It focuses on the Ekdal family, whose fragile peace is shattered by Gregers Werle, an idealist who insists on exposing hidden truths, leading to tragic consequences. The play was written in a realistic style, but literary scholars have pointed out the play's kinship with symbolism. It blends themes such as deception, betrayal, and the disillusionment of modern life with moments of comedy and satire, and is considered the first modern masterpiece in the genre of tragicomedy. The Wild Duck and Rosmersholm are "often to be observed in the critics' estimates vying with each other as rivals for the top place among Ibsen's works".
Adaptations (3)
The Wild Duck has been adapted into 3 films, from 1957 to 2015. The most recent is The Daughter (2015).
The Wild Duck1957 · film · dir. Charles Crichton · IMDb ↗"It takes two people to tell the truth - one to speak and one to listen". But is Gregers Werle speaking the truth, and who will listen?
The Wild Duck1983 · film · 95 min · dir. Henri Safran · IMDb ↗IMDb6.0Ibsen's play, adapted to Australia, concerns a couple forced to answer for their daughter's legitimacy.
The Daughter2015 · film · 96 min · dir. Simon Stone · IMDb ↗In the last days of a dying logging town, Christian returns to his family home for his father Henry’s wedding. While home, Christian reconnects with his childhood friend Oliver, who has stayed in town working at Henry’s timber mill and is now out of a job. As Christian gets to know Oliver’s wife Charlotte, daughter Hedvig, and father Walter, he discovers a secret that could tear Oliver’s family apart.
