ENRK IBSEN, considered by many to be the father of modern prose drama, was born in Skien, Norway, on March 20,

1828. He was the second of six children. Ibsens father was a prominent merchant, but he went

bankrupt when Ibsen was eight years old, so Ibsen spent much of his early life living in poverty. From 1851 to 1864, he worked in theaters in Bergen and in what is now Oslo (then called Christiania). At age twenty-one, Ibsen wrote his first play, a five-act tragedy called Catiline. Like much of his early work, Catilinewas written in verse. In 1858, Ibsen married Suzannah Thoreson, and eventually had one son with her. Ibsen felt that, rather than merely live together, husband and wife should live as equals, free to become their own human beings. (This belief can be seen clearly in A Dolls House.) Consequently, Ibsens critics attacked him for failing to respect the institution of marriage. Like his private life, Ibsens writing tended to stir up sensitive social issues, and some corners of Norwegian society frowned upon his work. Sensing criticism in Oslo about not only his work but also his private life, Ibsen moved to Italy in 1864 with the support of a traveling grant and a stipend from the Norwegian government. He spent the next twenty-seven years living abroad, mostly in Italy and Germany. Ibsens early years as a playwright were not lucrative, but he did gain valuable experience during this time. In 1866, Ibsen published his first major theatrical success, a lyric drama called Brand. He followed it with another well-received verse play, Peer Gynt. These two works helped solidify Ibsens reputation as one of the premier Norwegian dramatists of his era. In 1879, while living in Italy, Ibsen published his masterpiece, A Dolls House. UnlikePeer Gynt and Brand, A Dolls House was written in prose. It is widely considered a landmark in the development of what soon became a highly prevalent genre of theaterrealism, which strives to portray life accurately and shuns idealized visions of it. In A Dolls House, Ibsen employs the themes and structures of classical tragedy while writing in prose about everyday, unexceptional people. A Dolls House also manifests Ibsens concern for womens rights, and for human rights in general. Ibsen followed A Dolls House with two additional plays written in an innovative, realistic mode: Ghosts, in 1881, and An Enemy of the People, in1882. Both were successes. Ibsen began to gain international recognition, and his works were produced across Europe and translated into many different languages. In his later work, Ibsen moved away from realistic drama to tackle questions of a psychological and subconscious nature. Accordingly, symbols began to gain prominence in his plays. Among the works he wrote in this symbolist period are The Wild Duck (1884) and Hedda Gabler (1890). Hedda Gablerwas the last play Ibsen wrote while living abroad. In 1891, he returned to Oslo. His later dramas include The Master Builder (1892) and Little Eyolf(1896). Eventually, a crippling sickness afflicted Ibsen and prevented him from writing. He died on May 23, 1906.

Henrik Johan Ibsen, born in 1828 in Skien, Norway, was the eldest of five children after the early death of his older brother. His father, Knud Ibsen, one in a long line of sea captains, had been born in Skien in 1797 and had married Marichen Cornelia Martie Altenburg, the daughter of a German merchant, in 1825. Though Ibsen later reported that Skien was a pleasant place to grow up, his childhood was not particularly happy. He was described as an unsociable child. His sense of isolation increased at the age of sixteen when his father's business had to be sold to meet the demands of his creditors. On top of this, a rumor began circulating that Henrik was the illegitimate son of another man. Although the rumor was never proven to be true, it manifested itself in the theme of illegitimate offspring that runs throughout Ibsen's later works. After Knud's business was repossessed, all that remained of the family's former estate was a dilapidated farmhouse on the outskirts of Skein. It was there that Ibsen began to attend the small, middle-class school where he cultivated a talent for painting, if nothing else. He was also taught German and Latin as well as drawing. In 1843, at the age of fifteen, Ibsen was confirmed and taken from the school. Though he had declared his interest in becoming a painter, Ibsen was apprenticed to an apothecary shortly before his sixteenth birthday. Leaving his family, Ibsen traveled to Grimstad, a small, isolated town, to begin his apprenticeship. He maintained a strong desire to gain admission to the university to study medicine. Meanwhile, he fathered an illegitimate son with the maid of the

apothecary. Despite his unhappy lot, Ibsen began to write in earnest in Grimstad. Inspired by the European revolutions of 1848, Ibsen wrote satire and elegant poetry. At the age of twenty-one, Ibsen left Grimstad for the capital. While in Christiania (now Oslo), Ibsen passed his exams but opted not to pursue his education, instead turning to playwriting and journalism. In Christiania he penned his first play, Catiline (1849), written in blank verse about the failure of Catilines conspiracy against ancient Rome in the time of Cicero. It sold only 45 copies and was rejected by every theater Ibsen submitted it to for performance. Ibsen also spent time analyzing and criticizing modern Norwegian literature. Still poor, Ibsen gladly accepted a contract to write for and help manage the newly constituted National Theater in Bergen in 1851. Beginning his work untrained and largely uneducated, Ibsen soon learned much from his time at the theater, producing such works as St. John's Night (1852). The majority of his writings from this period were based on folksongs, folklore, and history. In 1858, Ibsen moved back to Christiania to become the creative director of the city's Norwegian Theater. That same year, Ibsen married Suzannah Thoresen, with whom he fathered a child named Sigurd Ibsen. Though his plays suggest otherwise, Ibsen revered the state of marriage, believing that it was possible for two people to travel through life as perfect, happy equals. During this period, Ibsen also developed a daily routine from which he would not deviate until his first stroke in 1901: he would rise, consume a small breakfast, take a long walk, write for five hours, eat dinner, and finish the night with entertainment or early retirement to bed. Despite this routine, Ibsen found his life difficult, though he did pen several plays, including Love's Comedy (1862), a close relation of A Doll's House (1879) in its distinction between love and marriage. Luckily, in 1864, his friends generously offered him money that they had collected, allowing him to move to Italy. He felt like an exile. He would spend the next twenty-seven years living in Italy and Germany. During this time abroad, he authored a number of successful works, including Brand (1866) and Peer Gynt (1867), both (significantly) written to be read rather than to be performed. Ibsen moved to Dresden in 1868 and then to Munich in 1875. In Munich in 1879, Ibsen wrote his groundbreaking play, A Doll's House. He pursued his interest in realistic drama for the next decade, earning international acclaim; many of his works were published in translation and performed throughout Europe. Ibsen eventually turned to a new style of writing, abandoning his interest in realism for a series of so-called symbolic dramas. He completed his last work, Hedda Gabler, abroad in 1890. After being away from Norway for twenty-seven years, Ibsen and Suzannah returned in 1891. Shortly afterwards, he finished writing The Master Builder (1892), after which he took a short break. In late 1893, seemingly in need of moist air to help cure her recurring gout, Suzannah left for southern Italy. While his wife was away, Ibsen found a companion in a young female pianist, Hildur Andersen, with whom he spent a great deal of time. He continued to correspond with her even after Suzannah's return. Ibsen's relationship with Andersen was characteristic of his larger interest in the younger generation; he was famous for seeking out their ideas and encouraging their writing. Ibsen's later plays tended to meet with controversy on the occasions of their first performances: Hedda Gabler was reviled by critics of the published script and of the first production in 1890. It is at about this time that Ibsen's work, partly as a consequence of George Bernard Shaw's lecture The Quintessence of Ibsenism (1890), became extremely popular in England. After suffering a series of strokes, Ibsen died in 1906 at the age of seventy-eight. He was unable to write for the last five years of his life, following a stroke which also left him

unable to walk. Reportedly his last words, after his nurse suggested he was doing better, were, To the contrary!

An Enemy of the People (original Norwegian title: En folkefiende) is an 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Ibsen wrote it in response to the public outcry against his play Ghosts, which at that time was considered scandalous. Ghosts had challenged the hypocrisy of Victorian morality and was deemed indecent for its veiled references to syphilis. An Enemy of the People addresses the irrational tendencies of the masses, and the hypocritical and corrupt nature of the political system that they support. It is the story of one brave man's struggle to do the right thing and speak the truth in the face of extreme social intolerance. The play's protagonist, Dr Stockmann, represents the playwright's own voice. Upon completion of the play, Ibsen wrote to his publisher in Copenhagen : "I am still uncertain as to whether I should call it a comedy or a straight drama. It may [have] many traits of comedy, but it also is based on a serious idea."

Contents
[hide]

1 Plot 2 Characters o 2.1 List of characters 3 Themes 4 Adaptations 5 See also 6 Notes 7 External links

[edit] Plot
Dr. Thomas Stockmann is a popular citizen of a small coastal town in Norway. The town has recently invested a large amount of public and private money towards the development of baths, a project led by Dr. Stockmann and his brother, Peter Stockmann, the Mayor. The town is expecting a surge in tourism and prosperity from the new baths, said to be of great medicinal value, and as such, the baths are a source of great local pride. However, just as the baths are proving successful, Dr. Stockmann discovers that waste products from the town's tannery are contaminating the waters, causing serious illness amongst the tourists. He expects this important discovery to be his greatest achievement, and promptly sends a detailed report to the Mayor, which includes a proposed solution which would come at a considerable cost to the town.

To his surprise, Dr. Stockmann finds it difficult to get through to the authorities. They seem unable to appreciate the seriousness of the issue and unwilling to publicly acknowledge and address the problem because it could mean financial ruin for the town. As the conflict develops, the Mayor warns his brother that he should "acquiesce in subordinating himself to the community." Dr. Stockmann refuses to accept this, and holds a town meeting at Captain Horster's house in order to persuade people that the baths must be closed. The townspeople - eagerly anticipating the prosperity that the baths will bring - refuse to accept Dr. Stockmann's claims, and his friends and allies, who had explicitly given support for his campaign, turn against him en masse. He is taunted and denounced as a lunatic, an "Enemy of the People." In a scathing rebuttal of both the Victorian notion of community and the principles of democracy, Dr. Stockmann proclaims that in matters of right and wrong, the individual is superior to the multitude, which is easily led by self-advancing demagogues. Dr. Stockmann sums up Ibsen's denunciation of the masses, with the memorable quote "...the strongest man in the world is the man who stands most alone." He also says: "A minority may be right; a majority is always wrong."

[edit] Characters
[edit] List of characters

Dr. Thomas Stockmann. Mrs. Stockmann, his wife. Petra, their daughter, a teacher. Ejlif & Morten, their sons. Peter Stockmann, Dr. Stockmann's elder brother. Morten Kiil, a tanner (Mrs. Stockmann's adoptive father), also known as the badger. Hovstad, editor. Billing, sub-editor. Captain Horster. Aslaksen, a publisher. Men of various conditions and occupations, a few women, and a troop of schoolboys the audience at a public meeting.

[edit] Themes
In An Enemy of the People, speaking the language of comic exaggeration through the mouth of his spokesman, the disillusioned idealist Dr. Thomas Stockmann, Ibsen puts into very literal terms the theme of the play: It is true that ideas grow stale and platitudinous, but one may go one step further and say flatly that truths die. According to Stockmann, there are no absolute principles of either wisdom or morality. In this Ibsen is referring indirectly to the reception of his previous plays. For example, the biblical injunction "honor thy father and thy mother" referred to in Ghosts is not simply either true or false. It may have been a truth once and a falsehood today.[1] As Stockmann puts it in his excited harangue to his political enemies: "Truths are by no means the wiry Methuselahs some people think them. A normally constituted truth liveslet us sayas a rule, seventeen or eighteen years; at the outside twenty; very seldom more. And truths so patriarchal as that are always shockingly emaciated."

[edit] Adaptations
This classic play was adapted by Arthur Miller in the 1950s in a production that opened at the Broadhurst Theater on December 28, 1950. It starred Academy Award winner Fredric March and his wife Florence Eldridge as well as Morris Carnovsky; future Oscar winner Rod Steiger was a "townsperson." Miller's adaptation was presented on National Educational Television in 1966, in a production starring James Daly. It was also made into a movie of the same name in 1978, starring Steve McQueen.[2] The BBC then cast Robert Urquhart as "Tom Stockman" in their 1980 TV version, adapting the story and the cast names to reflect it now being set in a Scottish town.[3] Satyajit Ray's 1989 film Ganashatru, was also based on this play. An Enemy of the People (with the subtitle The strongest one is the one who stands alone) - a Norwegian film issued in 2004 and directed by Erik Skjoldbjrg - is an adaptation of Ibsen's play. AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE
a synopsis and analysis of the play by Henrik Ibsen
The following essay on An Enemy of the People was originally published in The Social Significance of the Modern Drama. Emma Goldman. Boston: Richard G. Badger, 1914. pp. 34-42.

DR. THOMAS STOCKMANN is called to the position of medical adviser to the management of the "Baths," the main resource of his native town. A sincere man of high ideals, Dr. Stockmann returns home after an absence of many years, full of the spirit of enterprise and progressive innovation. For as he says to his brother Peter, the town Burgomaster, "I am so glad and content. I feel so unspeakably happy in the midst of all this growing, germinating life. After all, what a glorious time we do live in. It is as if a new world were springing up around us." BURGOMASTER: Do you really think so? DR. STOCKMANN: Well, of course, you can't see this as clearly as I do. You've spent all your life in this place, and so your perceptions have been dulled. But I, who had to live up there in that small hole in the north all those years, hardly ever seeing a soul to speak a stimulating word to me -- all this affects me as if I were carried to the midst of a crowded city -- I know well enough that the conditions of life are small compared with many other towns. But here is life, growth, an infinity of things to work for and to strive for; and that is the main point. In this spirit Dr. Stockmann sets to his task. After two years of careful investigation, he finds that the Baths are built on a swamp, full of poisonous germs, and that people who come there for their health will be infected with fever. Thomas Stockmann is a conscientious physician. He loves his native town, but he loves his fellow-men more. He considers it his duty to communicate his discovery to the highest authority of the town, the Burgomaster, his brother Peter Stockmann. Dr. Stockmann is indeed an idealist; else he would know that the man is often lost in the official. Besides, Peter Stockmann is also the president of the board of directors and one of the heaviest stockholders of the Baths. Sufficient reason to upbraid his reckless medical brother as a dangerous man: BURGOMASTER: Anyhow, you've an ingrained propensity for going your own way. And that in a well-

ordered community is almost as dangerous. The individual must submit himself to the whole community, or, to speak more correctly, bow to the authority that watches over the welfare of all. But the Docter is not disconcerted: Peter is an official; he is not concerned with ideals. But there is the pess -- that is the medium for his purpose! The staff of the People's Messenger -- Hovstad, Billings, and Aslaksen, are deeply impressed by the Doctor's discovery. With one eye to good copy and the other to the political chances, they immediately put the People's Messenger at the disposal of Thomas Stockmann. Hovstad sees great possibilities for a thorough radical reform of the whole life of the community. HOVSTAD: To you, as a doctor and a man of science, this business of the water-works is an isolated affair. I fancy it hasn't occurred to you that a good many other things are connected with it.... The swamp our whole municipal life stands and rots in.... I think a journalist assumes an immense responsibility when he neglects an opportunity of aiding the masses, the poor, the oppressed. I know well enough that the upper classes will call this stirring up the people, and so forth, but they can do as they please, if only my conscience is clear. Aslaksen, printer of the People's Messenger, chairman of the Householders' Association, and agent for the Moderation Society, has, like Hovstad, a keen eye to business. He assures the Doctor of his wholehearted cooperation, especially emphasizing that, "It might do you no harm to have us middle-class men at your back. We now form a compact majority in the town -- when we really make up our minds to. And it's always as well, Doctor, to have the majority with you.... And so I think it wouldn't be amiss if we made some sort of demonstration.... Of course with great moderation, Doctor. I am always in favor of moderation; for moderation is a citizen's first virtue -- at least those are my sentiments." Truly, Dr. Stockmann is an idealist; else he would not place so much faith in the staff of the People's Messenger, who love the people so well that they constantly feed them with high-sounding phrases of democratic principles and of the noble function of the press, while they pilfer their pockets. That is expressed in Hovstad's own words, when Petra, the daughter of Dr. Stockmann, returns a sentimental novel she was to translate for the People's Messenger: "This can't possibly go into the Messenger," she tells Hovstad; "it is in direct contradiction to your own opinion." HOVSTAD: Well, but for the sake of the cause-PETRA: You don't understand me yet. It is all about a supernatural power that looks after the so-called good people here on earth, and turns all things to their advantage at last, and all the bad people are punished. HOVSTAD: Yes, but that's very fine. It's the very thing the public like. PETRA: And would you supply the public with such stuff? Why, you don't believe one word of it yourself. You know well enought that things don't really happen like that. HOVSTAD: You're right there; but an editor can't always do as he likes. He often has to yield to public opinion on small matters. After all, politics is the chief thing in life -- at any rate for a newspaper; and if I want the people to follow me along the path of emancipation and progress, I mustn't scare them away. If they find such a moral story down in the cellar, they're much more willing to stand what is printed above it -- they feel themselves safer. Editors of the stamp of Hovstad seldom dare to express their real opinions. They cannot afford to "scare away" their readers. They generally yield to the most ignorant and vulgar public opinion; they do not set themselves up against constituted authority. Therefore the People's Messenger drops the "greatest man" in town when it learns that the Burgomaster and the influential citizens are determined that the truth shall be silenced. The Burgomaster soundly denounces his brother's "rebellion." BURGOMASTER: The public doesn't need new ideas. The public is best served by the good old recognized ideas that they have already.... As an official, you've no right to have any individual conviction. DR. STOCKMANN: The source is poisoned, man! Are you mad? We live by trafficking in filth and garbage. The whole of our developing social life is rooted in a lie!

BURGOMASTER: Idle fancies -- or something worse. The man who makes such offensive insinuations against his own native place must be an enemey of society. DR. STOCKMANN: And I must bear such treatment! In my own house. Katrine! What do you think of it? MRS. STOCKMANN: Indeed, it is a shame and an insult, Thomas ... But, after all, your brother has the power---DR. STOCKMANN: Yes, but I have the right! MRS. STOCKMANN: Ah, yes, right, right! What is the good of being right when you haven't any might? DR. STOCKMANN: What! No good in a free society to have right on your side? You are absurd, Katrine. And besides, haven't I the free and independent press with me? The compact majority behind me? That's might enough, I should think! Katrine Stockmann is wiser than her husband. For he who has no might need hope for no right. The good Doctor has to drink the bitter cup to the last drop before he realizes the wisdom of his wife. Threatened by the authorities and repudiated by the People's Messenger, Dr. Stockmann attempts to secure a hall wherein to hold a public meeting. A free-born citizen, he believes in the Constitution and its guarantees; he is determined to maintain his right of free expression. But like so many others, even most advanced liberals blinded by the spook of constitutional rights and free speech, Dr. Stockmann inevitably has to pay the penalty of his credulity. He finds every hall in town closed against him. Only one solitary citizen has the courage to open his doors to the persecuted Doctor -- his old friend Horster. But the mob follows him even there and howls him down as an enemy of society. Thomas Stockmann makes the discovery in his battle with ignorance, stupidity, and vested interests that "the most dangerous enemies of truth and freedom in our midst are the compact majority, the damned compact liberal majority." His experiences lead him to the conclusion that "the majority is never right.... That is one of those conventional lies against which a free, thoughtful man must rebel.... The majority has might unhappily -- but right it has not." HOVSTAD: The man who would ruin a whole community must be an enemy of society! DR. STOCKMANN: It doesn't matter if a lying community is ruined!... You'll poison the whole country in time; you will bring it to such a pass that the whole country will deserve to perish. And should it come to this, I say, from the bottom of my heart: Perish the country! Perish all its people! Driven out of the place, hooted and jeered by the mob, Dr. Stockmann barely escapes with his life, and seeks safety in his home, only to find everything demolished there. In due time he is repudiated by the grocer, the baker, and the candlestick maker. The landlord, of course, is very sorry for him. The Stockmanns have always paid their rent regularly, but it would injure his reputation to have such an avowed rebel for a tenant. The grocer is sorry, and the butcher too; but they can not jeopardize their business. Finally the board of education sends expressions of regret: Petra is an excellent teacher and the boys of Stockmann splendid pupils, but it would contaminate the other children were the Stockmanns allowed to remain at school. And again Dr. Stockmann learns a vital lesson. But he will not submit; he will be strong. DR. STOCKMANN: Should I let myself be beaten off the field by public opinion, and the compact majority, and such deviltry? No, thanks. Besides, what I want is so simple, so clear and straightforward. I only want to drive into the heads of these curs that the Liberals are the worst foes of free men; that party-programmes wring the necks of all young living truths; that considerations of expediency turn morality and righteousness upside down, until life is simply hideous.... I don't see any man free and brave enough to dare the Truth.... The strongest man is he who stands most alone. A confession of faith, indeed, because Henrik Ibsen, although recognized as a great dramatic artist, remained alone in his stand as a revolutionist. His dramatic art, without his glorious rebellion against every authoritative institution, against every social and moral lie, against every vestige of bondage, were inconceivable. Just as his art would lose human significance, were his love of truth and freedom lacking. Already in Brand, Henrik Ibsen demanded all or nothing, no weak-kneed moderation -- no compromise of any sort in the struggle for the ideal. His proud defiance, his enthusiastic daring, his utter indifference to consequences, are Henrik Ibsen's bugle call, heralding a new dawn and the birth of a new race.

Context
Henrik Ibsen was one of the world's greatest dramatists. He was the leading figure of an artistic renaissance that took place in Norway at the end of the nineteenth century, a renaissance that also included the painter Edvard Munch. Ibsen lived from 1828 to 1906. He grew up in poverty, studied medicine for a while, then abandoned that to write plays. In 1858, he published his first play, The Vikings at Helgeland. That same year, he married Susannah Thoresen, the daughter of a pastor.

Ibsen obtained a scholarship to travel to Italy, where he wrote the plays that would establish his reputation, Brand and Peer Gynt. These were long, historical verse plays. He lived most of the rest of his life in Italy and Germany. Starting in 1869, he began to write prose plays. Some critics would say that at this point in his life, Ibsen abandoned poetry and took up realism. In 1877, he began what became a series of five plays in which he examines the moral faults of modern society. In order of appearance, the plays were The Pillars of Society, A Doll's House, Ghosts, An Enemy of the People, and The Wild Duck. An Enemy of the People attacks the institution of the liberal newspaper. Like all of the plays in this series, An Enemy of the People deals with the extent to which individual desires and beliefs are compromised by society. In particular, the play focuses on the ways in which an individual can be ostracized by the society he is trying to help. The problems of the play's hero, Dr. Stockmann, are not far removed from the problems Ibsen experienced after the publication of Ghosts. In a letter written around the time of the play's composition, Ibsen noted: "Dr. Stockmann and I got on excellently together; we agree on so many subjects." Like all of Ibsen's plays, An Enemy of the People was originally written in Norwegian and is full of untranslatable wordplay. Specifically, a number of the character's titles exists only in Norwegian bureaucracy. For the sake of clarity, in this SparkNote, Peter Stockmann is referred to as the mayor, Morten Kiil is Mrs. Stockmann's adoptive father, and Hovstad is editor of the People's Herald.

Ive made a great discovery. . . and Ill tell you what it is: the strongest person in the world is the one who stands alone Dr. Tomas Stockmann.

Henrik Ibsens opening play at the newly refurbished Sheffield Crucible, is An Enemy of the People, with Anthony Sher in the role of Dr Stockmann. Its a disturbing drama, constituting an attack on democracy and the theory of majority rule, a position with which Ibsen himself had some sympathy. Stockman, a scientist and an idealist, quite unworldly in this production, almost a natural innocent, discovers that the waters of his Spa town are polluted and poisonous. He immediately wants to go public with this news, shut the Spa down and, at whatever expense, cleanse and reroute the water. But his brother, the Mayor, suppresses the report. The bureaucrats, the local small businessmens association, the town newspaper and eventually the workers of the town, turn on Stockman, his family and his friends, and reduce them to penury. The play works as a forum for ideas. For a modern audience to empathize with Stockmann entirely is almost impossible. He does, of course, stand for truth against the suppression and lies of his brother and the other organs of the democratic process, but he does not understand the need to educate his audience and become instead self-righteous and arrogant and a chilling and contemptuous social darwinist in his remarks about disgusting, mangy, vulgar mongrels whose brains dont develop in the same manner as gently reared pedigree dogs. On the other hand his sense that truth, any truth, has a limited lifetime, and that time always brings us round to the realisation that what was once true has now become untrue, is never less than fascinating. And his fear that the suppression of material facts and the acceptance of political lies will lead, inevitably, to a kind of spiritual corruption and decay of society, is a companion to each of us in the twenty-first century. A disturbing play, then; one that still, in our own time, offers an audience no place to hide. This production, directed by Daniel Evans, with Antony Sher as Dr Stockmann, in a new version by Christopher Hampton, runs until the 20th March. If you go out and fight for freedom you should never do so in your best trousers. Dr. Tomas Stockmann.
slow istiyorsanz : (bkz: i am the highway) (bkz: the last remaining light) (bkz: getaway car) gaz istiyorsaniz : (bkz: cochise) (bkz: show me how to live) (bkz: what you are)
(berkertoy, 17.09.2007 01:00 ~ 01:03)

There are some other notable flaws in An Enemy To The People that make it a perfectly acceptable movie instead of the powerhouse it could have been. The musical score by Leonard Rosenman is nice, but it seems this low budget movie could only afford one instrumental song, since variations of various pieces of this song are played throughout the movie. The movie is directed in a fashion that seems more suited to the stage instead of a sound stage; at key moments we sense a curtain should be falling to end the act, and many of the sets look only a little better to what one may find at a good community theater. Some scenes are directed with the central conversation in one room, while the camera looks on at someone (working in silence) in another room. And the few outdoor scenes were obviously filmed indoors. It's almost as if the production didn't have time to rewrite the play as a movie, and director Schaefer was struggling to make the play script look as much like a movie as possible. And the ending of the movie is extremely rushed - I haven't seen or read the original play, but I sincerely doubt the final action, whatever it is, is played at that speed. Despite this kind of treatment, the story and themes of An Enemy To The People are still strong enough to be of interest to viewers who are interested in them, and made the movie worthwhile to me. Still, the movie clearly could have been much better, and I'm not sure that McQueen fans, enthusiastic as they are about their idol, will be as interested in this movie as they are of his better-known

Because Steve McQueen is brilliant in this role; there is a depth and heart to his Stockman that wrings every bit of strength and truth out of Ibsen's words. Anyone who is lucky enough to have seen this film would agree, I believe, that its unavailability in not only unbelievable, but unforgivable. The wonderful Bibi Andersson also gives an

exceptional performance here as Catherine Stockman, a part for which she could easily (and should) have received an Oscar nomination. The supporting cast includes An Enemy of the People' is an excellent rendering of a timeless classic by one of the world's master dramatists; the movie itself is a classic in its own right. It took courage for McQueen to venture into this territory, but the result is indeed his triumph; this film deserves to be seen, and hopefully, through the magic of video, some day it will be. I rate this one

As Doctor Thomas Stockman, McQueen is the embodiment of morality; the good and the just, the voice of reason and truth crying out amid a wilderness of complacency, corruption and complicity, the individual against the masses. It's the strength of the pure against the desperate agenda of the moderates who would conspire and compromise away all that is holy for the sake of self-aggrandizement. This is a stirring and emotional story that exposes the heart of darkness which unfortunately dwells within the human spirit; but in doing so, it also serves to illuminate the magnanimity of that same spirit, as well. The construction is done with precision and the message is unequivocal; simply put, it is a masterful study of the human condition.

Ironically, the fate of this movie was ultimately decided by circumstances not unlike those within the story itself. Never released, still unavailable on video and very rarely shown on television (even cable, which seems quite inexplicable), the Powers that Be decided that this was not the Steve McQueen (heavier, with long hair and full beard) the public wanted to see; what `they' wanted (they contend) was a McQueen `with a gun in his hand,' and plenty of action. They decreed that a meaningful drama starring an action hero was somehow taboo. And that reasoning must be regarded now as nothing less than criminal. Because Steve McQueen is brilliant in this role; there is a depth and heart to his Stockman that wrings every bit of strength and truth out of Ibsen's words. Anyone who is lucky enough to have seen this film would agree, I believe, that its unavailability in not only unbelievable, but unforgivable. The wonderful Bibi Andersson also gives an

exceptional performance here as Catherine Stockman, a part for which she could easily (and should) have received an Oscar nomination. The supporting cast includes Charles Durning (Peter Stockman), Richard Dysart (Aslaksen), Michael Cristofer (Hovstad), Michael Higgins (Billing), Eric Christmas (Morten), Robin Pearson Rose (Petra) and Richard Bradford (Captain Forster). `An Enemy of the People' is an excellent rendering of a timeless classic by one of the world's master dramatists; the movie itself is a classic in its own right. It took courage for McQueen to venture into this territory, but the result is indeed his triumph; this film deserves to be seen, and hopefully, through the magic of video, some day it will be. I rate this one

As Doctor Thomas Stockman, McQueen is the embodiment of morality; the good and the just, the voice of reason and truth crying out amid a wilderness of complacency, corruption and complicity, the individual against the masses. It's the strength of the pure against the desperate agenda of the moderates who would conspire and compromise away all that is holy for the sake of self-aggrandizement. This is a stirring and emotional story that exposes the heart of darkness which unfortunately dwells within the human spirit; but in doing so, it also serves to illuminate the magnanimity of that same spirit, as well. The construction is done with precision and the message is unequivocal; simply put, it is a masterful study of the human condition.

Ironically, the fate of this movie was ultimately decided by circumstances not unlike those within the story itself. Never released, still unavailable on video and very rarely shown on television (even cable, which seems quite inexplicable), the Powers that Be decided that this was not the Steve McQueen (heavier, with long hair and full beard) the public wanted to see; what `they' wanted (they contend) was a McQueen `with a gun in his hand,' and plenty of action. They decreed that a meaningful drama starring an action

hero was somehow taboo. And that reasoning must be regarded now as nothing less than criminal. Because Steve McQueen is brilliant in this role; there is a depth and heart to his Stockman that wrings every bit of strength and truth out of Ibsen's words. Anyone who is lucky enough to have seen this film would agree, I believe, that its unavailability in not only unbelievable, but unforgivable. The wonderful Bibi Andersson also gives an exceptional performance here as Catherine Stockman, a part for which she could easily (and should) have received an Oscar nomination. The supporting cast includes Charles Durning (Peter Stockman), Richard Dysart (Aslaksen), Michael Cristofer (Hovstad), Michael Higgins (Billing), Eric Christmas (Morten), Robin Pearson Rose (Petra) and Richard Bradford (Captain Forster). `An Enemy of the People' is an excellent rendering of a timeless classic by one of the world's master dramatists; the movie itself is a classic in its own right. It took courage for McQueen to venture into this territory, but the result is indeed his triumph; this film deserves to be seen, and hopefully, through the magic of video, some day it will be. I rate this one

Government corruption, a public unable to comprehend scientific fact, greed - these are all things we can relate to even in the 20th century - Ibsen clearly had a good idea of the basic, unchanged nature of man. In addition, there's discussion on the individual's role in society (to blend in or not?), if the majority is "always right", and also interesting looks when people agree on a problem, but can't decide on the proper solution. Moderation? Full out? There are no easy answers both for Tom and the other citizens. Even the neutral side is explored in this movie, represented by Captain Forster (Richard Bradford, in a small but standout performance), who claims to be politically neutral (he doesn't vote), but his later actions show that even he has a hard time staying neutral in the conflict.

no cars, motorbikes, or guns here. How did McQueen get involved in such an unlikely project? As it turns out, even he knew that the commercial prospects for An Enemy Of The Peoplewere not great, to say the least. After 1974's The Towering Inferno, he took some time off, partly due to some big problems in his personal life. (Though he secretly did some of the motorcycle stunt work in the 1976 exploitation movieDixie Dynamite.) Though he wanted to rest, there was one monkey on his back - he was under contract by the production company First Artists (a company he now despised) to do another movie for them. However, his contract stated that he was allowed to pick the project. So to get revenge, and possibly get First Artists to go under (they eventually did, though I'm not sure if this movie was the cause), he decided to pick something extremely uncommercial - hence An Enemy Of The People. The movie was shot and completed in 1977, with a closed set and McQueen refusing to give interviews. A funny thing happened to McQueen during the shoot. As time progressed, his fondness and enthusiasm for the project kept growing. By the end, he was convinced that the movie was going to be a big hit, and started claiming to his friends that he had chosen the movie because looking back at his previous work he felt "artistically, I've failed," and that, for the first time, he felt like he was actually acting. However, when distributor Warner Brothers saw the movie, they got nervous, and shelved it for some time, unsure on how to market it. After two years had past, they tested the movie at several college campuses, where several movie critics caught it and heavily panned it. As a result, the movie never got a further release to theaters, and to this date it hasn't been released on video. I finally caught this movie on one of its rare broadcasts on TV. It's a pretty good movie. It isn't a masterpiece or a great movie, but it's a competent, interesting little movie, covering issues Ibsen wrote about that are still around today. McQueen's doctor character Tom at the beginning of the movie makes a horrifying discovery - the town's spring, which is destined to become a future health resort by several of the town's leading citizens (including Tom), is contaminated. Feeling that the resort plan should stop, Tom tells his brother Peter (Durning), who is also the town's mayor. To Tom's shock, Peter refuses to stop the project, claiming the costs and time for cleanup would be enormous, and potential tourists would be scared off. ("You want to ruin this town?") Tom then heads to the owners of the local newspaper, who are initially eager to print Tom's report, partly due to the fact they despise the town council and have political aspirations of their own. However, Peter later visits the newspaper to tell them that printing the article would result in a large taxation for the cleanup - and the citizens wouldn't be fond of any government under that tax. The newspaper then declines to run the story. Tom, still determined the truth should be told, tries taking his case to the citizens, but finds it much harder than he thinks, due both to unforeseen circumstances and the citizens not taking to the tongue of this stubborn, scientific man. Soon, Tom finds himself an outcast, finding himself in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" dilemma and wondering what to do next. Government corruption, a public unable to comprehend scientific fact, greed - these are all things we can relate to even in the 20th century - Ibsen clearly had a good idea of the basic, unchanged nature of man. In addition, there's discussion on the individual's role in society (to blend in or not?), if the majority is "always right", and also interesting looks when people agree on a problem, but can't decide on the proper solution. Moderation? Full out? There are no easy answers both for Tom and the other citizens. Even the neutral side is explored in this

movie, represented by Captain Forster (Richard Bradford, in a small but standout performance), who claims to be politically neutral (he doesn't vote), but his later actions show that even he has a hard time staying neutral in the conflict. Besides Bradford, there's also an excellent performance by Durning as Tom's brother. The way the role is written, it's very easy for a performer to portray Peter as a selfish, evil man. But with During in the role, you see that Peter isn't altogether bad - he is sneaky and manipulative, and will do anything to survive the crisis, but at the same time he seems to genuinely believe what he's doing is for the overall good of the community. A special acting note also goes to Eric Christmas as Tom's father-in-law, whose memorable character initially seems to be in the play for light comic relief, but later provides a sinister piece of the puzzle. As for McQueen - well, I was relieved to see that he actually seems to fit in the movie, a large part of that being that he is pretty much unrecognizable. So he doesn't seem that out of place, though at the same time he isn't stupendous. McQueen gives a low key performance here, talking very softly when he is not brooding in silence. His performance is so low key at times, other performers sometimes have trouble with him - witness the scene when Durning and McQueen are first alone. You'd think this would be a great scene, with two acclaimed actors by themselves. But McQueen is so subdued, that Durning seems unsure of how to act with him, even descending down to McQueen's low key nature in this scene. In fairness to McQueen, there is one kind of acting that he does very well here - his "eye" acting. When he has a close-up, and you see his eyes clearly, you can tell exactly what his character is thinking. There are some other notable flaws in An Enemy To The People that make it a perfectly acceptable movie instead of the powerhouse it could have been. The musical score by Leonard Rosenman is nice, but it seems this low budget movie could only afford one instrumental song, since variations of various pieces of this song are played throughout the movie. The movie is directed in a fashion that seems more suited to the stage instead of a sound stage; at key moments we sense a curtain should be falling to end the act, and many of the sets look only a little better to what one may find at a good community theater. Some scenes are directed with the central conversation in one room, while the camera looks on at someone (working in silence) in another room. And the few outdoor scenes were obviously filmed indoors. It's almost as if the production didn't have time to rewrite the play as a movie, and director Schaefer was struggling to make the play script look as much like a movie as possible. And the ending of the movie is extremely rushed - I haven't seen or read the original play, but I sincerely doubt the final action, whatever it is, is played at that speed. Despite this kind of treatment, the story and themes of An Enemy To The People are still strong enough to be of interest to viewers who are interested in them, and made the movie worthwhile to me. Still, the movie clearly could have been much better, and I'm not sure that McQueen fans, enthusiastic as they are about their idol, will be as interested in this movie as they are of his better-known efforts.

Executive Producer and star Steve McQueen and director George Schaefer bring Henrik Ibsen's `An Enemy of the People' to the screen, giving life and imagery to the powerful words of this Master playwright. First performed on stage in Oslo in the 1880's, the story is every bit as pertinent today as it was when it was written, for the themes of right and wrong, principle and ideal, democracy and commitment are timeless. What must a man do when he knows he is right? How far should he be willing to go, how much sacrifice should be made in the name of the truth? Ibsen contends that there can be no shades of gray when it comes to such matters, that truth is nothing less than absolute, and must be maintained as such; honesty cannot be found in acquiescence to the solid majority. As Doctor Thomas Stockman, McQueen is the embodiment of morality; the good and the just, the voice of reason and truth crying out amid a wilderness of complacency, corruption and complicity, the individual against the masses. It's the strength of the pure against the desperate agenda of the moderates who would conspire and compromise away all that is holy for the sake of self-aggrandizement. This is a stirring and emotional story that exposes the heart of darkness which unfortunately dwells within the human spirit; but in doing so, it also serves to illuminate the magnanimity of that same spirit, as well. The construction is done with precision and the message is unequivocal; simply put, it is a masterful study of the human condition.

Ironically, the fate of this movie was ultimately decided by circumstances not unlike those within the story itself. Never released, still unavailable on video and very rarely shown on television (even cable, which seems quite inexplicable), the Powers that Be decided that this was not the Steve McQueen (heavier, with long hair and full beard) the public wanted to see; what `they' wanted (they contend) was a McQueen `with a gun in his hand,' and plenty of action. They decreed that a meaningful drama starring an action hero was somehow taboo. And that reasoning must be regarded now as nothing less than criminal. Because Steve McQueen is brilliant in this role; there is a depth and heart to his Stockman that wrings every bit of strength and truth out of Ibsen's words. Anyone who is

lucky enough to have seen this film would agree, I believe, that its unavailability in not only unbelievable, but unforgivable. The wonderful Bibi Andersson also gives an exceptional performance here as Catherine Stockman, a part for which she could easily (and should) have received an Oscar nomination. The supporting cast includes Charles Durning (Peter Stockman), Richard Dysart (Aslaksen), Michael Cristofer (Hovstad), Michael Higgins (Billing), Eric Christmas (Morten), Robin Pearson Rose (Petra) and Richard Bradford (Captain Forster). `An Enemy of the People' is an excellent rendering of a timeless classic by one of the world's master dramatists; the movie itself is a classic in its own right. It took courage for McQueen to venture into this territory, but the result is indeed his triumph; this film deserves to be seen, and hopefully, through the magic of video, some day it will be. I rate this one

teve McQueen fans will no doubt be surprised by this movie on several levels. Probably their initial surprise will be when they discover that this movie exists - despite the presence of their favorite movie star, this movie has not attracted a lot of attention over the years. Their next surprise will probably come from when they see how Steve McQueen looks like here. In An Enemy Of The People, McQueen is pretty much unrecognizable - even I had a lot of trouble picturing him under his long wavy hair, his granny glasses, his puffy and curly beard, and his extra weight. And the final surprise is the subject matter of this movie; in previous movies (and afterwards, with Tom Horn and The Hunter) McQueen is known for playing cool, heroic loners in actioners. An Enemy Of The People is nowhere near an actioner - it's an adaptation of a dramatic play by Henrik Ibsen! And McQueen's character here is a small town doctor in 19th century Scandinavia who tries to solve a crisis with logic and scientific fact UPDATE: One of the sources I used during my research on this movie was a Steve McQueen biography (published just a few years ago) that stated the movie was only screened at college campuses. However, reader William Norton reveals that the release was actually wider: "You...mentioned An Enemy Of The People never played on regular runs, but it did in 1981 (or was it 1982?) in Seattle. Siskel and Ebert mentioned the film on their show also, so it must have played in Chicago." If any other readers remember seeing any kind of release in their area for An Enemy Of The People, please write in, so the size of its release can be confirmed once and for all.

UPDATE 2: C.F. Velkas sent this along:

"I came across your review some time ago and was pleased to have the opportunity to read it, especially the information about the distribution/ showings of Mr. McQueen's film, An Enemy Of The People. "Background: In Oct. 1976 (at age 51) I read a front page story in the local Bennington, Vermont newspaper about a research team from the Atlanta based Centers for Disease Control (CDC) having discovered high levels of lead in the blood of factory workers who worked at Globe Union Battery Factory. The batteries contained lead plates and the workers were exposed to lead dust, etc. at the work place. To their surprise, the (CDC) team also found above average lead blood levels in a research "Control Group" with no history of exposure to lead. The CDC team then called for another CDC team, composed of epidemiologists, to investigate and determine the source of the lead in the Control Group. After ruling out many other factors, the epidemiologists found that the town public drinking water contained high levels of lead. "As a clinical psychologist in private practice, I understood the permanent damage caused by lead, etc. to the central nervous system and assumed the medical doctor community would see to correcting this problem. After a short while, it became obvious that they were not going to lift a finger. So I sought to have the then State's Attorney (referred to in some other States as the "D.A.") to legally stop the Town from distributing the lead-laced drinking water via the Town public water distribution system. I had become aware that Vermont has a "rule" (which has the force of law) that prohibits lead and some other toxic materials in Town public water with a penalty of one year in jail and/or a fine. No action came from the "D.A." So I tried, and failed, to persuade an attorney to represent me in a suit to restrain the Town from distributing the water. "Having no experience in writing up law suit papers to file in Courts, I looked over legal papers drawn up to prosecute persons involved in the 1865 shooting of Pres. Lincoln and, acting as a self-appointed prosecutor, put together a complaint against the criminal behavior of the six members of the Town governing Board of Selectmen (Chair "man" was a woman), and filed it,, "pro se", in Dec. of 1976 with the Court Clerk after serving a copy on the Town Manager. This resulted in the Town testing lead levels in different parts of Town, selecting public locations able to meet the then government mandated permitted levels of toxic substances in public drinking water, and advising residents of the availability of drinking/ cooking water at those approved locations. Then over the year 1977, I worked to secure government funds to replace the old lead distribution pipes in town with non-lead pipes. (As I write, the Town is still removing old lead pipes). It turns out that the Town added "acidic" river water to our nice underground aquifer water source in order to meet the needs of a new industry they were trying to attract to come to Bennington with jobs for the locals. They sweetened the offer with sufficient water, a tax reduction clause, and the acidic water is carried via a new long main water pipe from our new water treatment plant (money came from my continuing hell-raising) to the site where they were to build their new Globe Union Battery Factory. "By late 1977, the New York Times got wind of all this and their Boston Bureau Chief came up here, with a photographer, to put together a story which appeared on the front page of a Sunday issue of the NYT in January 1978, and which story was distributed to over 200 U.S. and other papers world-wide (including the Paris American Herald Tribune). The writer compared my experience to that of the Doctor in Ibsen's AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. Then followed a segment on a CBC TV affiliate in Albany, N.Y. on their "30 Minutes"

program which aired just before the Sunday CBS "60 Minutes program" and later an invitation from a Professor of Political Science to address some classes and a faculty group at Keene (New Hampshire) State University where I was applauded by the students after the talk and approached for my autograph. My treatment from Bennington residents, however, was not unlike that accorded Ibsen's Doctor. "So I have wondered if Mr McQueen's decision in 1977 to select the Ibsen script was influenced by knowledge of my 1977 then mostly unpublicized local efforts. Some time after the NYT article, I received a phone call from a famous LA/NY publicist who asked me to review the film and make suggestions as to what final form it should take. He later had to cancel the trip here. Didn't say why - perhaps because of Mr. McQueen's illness. In the middle of this, I did receive a package of 8 X 10 stills of scenes from the film and some pages of descriptive material with information that the film had been shown in St Louis and the audience had written good review comments about it on forms they filled out at the end of the showing. "I have always been sorry that the film has not received wider distribution and has not been available on video tape (and now DVD). Years ago, I telephoned Warner Brothers about lack of distribution and they were not pleasant. I suppose they control what happens and Mr. McQueen's widow and children have no say in it. "A few years ago, I read an article (Associated Press) in the local paper that had a story about the increase in the use of bottled water and I noticed that a graph that was part of the article showed a dramatic increase in the sale of bottled water beginning in early 1978 (following the Jan. 1978 NYT article ?) It so happens that we have here a natural spring (in Town) named Morgan Spring that produces gallons per minute of the best drinking water you could ever imagine. Instead of bottling it and putting it on the market, that spring water is added to the river water along with CHLORINE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE (the main ingredient of DRAINO - see the skull and crossbones on the can), and SODIUM BICARBONATE (see the warning on the side of boxes of baking soda). Cheers ! Of course, you can buy Saratoga (N.Y.) bottled water, and bottled water from Hawaii, the island where Napoleon spent his last years, Canada, Alaska, water from icebergs (big in Japan), France, Italy, you name it."

UPDATE 3: John Wilson sent me this: "Re your reference to Siskel and Ebert's discussion of An Enemy Of The People, Siskel wrote a column in the Chicago Tribune about attending a showing at a drive-in in the Chicago suburbs at which the movie was shown. I believe he ironically pointed out that this was the "world premiere" for the film, which had been completed some time before that showing. "There was no special advertising, just than the regular listings of what was to be shown. It is unclear what the motive was for this isolated screening, but it may be that the "release" was accidental. In any case, although the movie has been shown in isolated instances such as this, no funding was ever provided by the studio for a general release, according to STEVE MCQUEEN: PORTRAIT OF AN AMERICAN REBEL by Marshall Terrill."

UPDATE 4: Bora Kizilirmak sent this in:

"You were asking readers in your site if anybody saw An Enemy Of The People in their region and/or country. Well, I saw it in Ankara/Turkey in "Cagdas Aahne" movie theatre around the early 1980s and I liked the movie a lot. I remember it very well; it was played just after the week they played another forgotten movie which is also very good, Children of Sanchez."

UPDATE 5: "Markmanpix" sent this in: "Maybe this is ancient history now, but if you are still interested:

I worked in Pay TV in the late '70s and early '80s. An Enemy of the People had its U.S. TV premiere on a system called SelecTV, which operated in Los Angeles. This was somewhere between '79 and '81, and this was reported in one of the books that came out on McQueen but I can't remember which. Immediately after that, it was shown by ON TV, another L.A. based pay TV system, which had over half a million subscribers in Los Angeles, and also aired their programming in a few other cities back east.

"The movie also played in a few art houses in New York in 1981, creating some press at the time. the reviews were all good.

"In the mid 1980s, AMC ran the movie. I have it on tape from one of those airings, with the AMC intro.

"Several years back, it was released on video, by Warner Home Video, in England. some of those used tapes, in a picture box, come up on ebay from time to time."

The film fared better in the Japanese and UK poster campaigns, where the film was allowed to stand alone

This film recieved only limited release before Warner Brothers withdrew it from circulation. The reasons were a mixture of financial and image concerns. They felt that the film would be unsuccessful and that the McQueen image was not properly suited to this type of production. They did not even have the confidence to market it on its own strengths, such as in the case of the US Movie poster campaign, which utilized images from previous McQueen films surrounding one image of his character from Enemy..

This play was successfully adapted into the film by the American playwright Arthur Miller. Miller puts emphasis on the attempts of Dr. Stockmann to alert the townspeople about this threat and the selfish manner of local businessmen who are more concerned with financial wealth than physical wealth of the community. With this common enemy of the people, Ibsen and Miller underline the tyranny of the majority and the influence of the leaders in the manipulation of the society. Miller presents the struggle of an alone man who never gives up to defence the truth and honesty in the society and Stockmann summarizes his effort with this sentence You should never wear your best trousers when you go out fight for freedom and truth. The film was directed by an American director George Schaefer in 1978.

By staging the speech in a very public setting, Ibsen takes an opportunity to illustrate how the conventions of democracy can be manipulated by those in power. The doctor has convened this public meeting to read his report, but by electing a chairman and conducting the meeting according to vague parliamentary rules, the mayor and the newspapermen are able to shut the doctor up. This shows that the tyranny of the majority is not absolute. While Ibsen illustrates the tyranny of the majority, he also shows how leaders can manipulate the majority. When Aslaksen and the mayor take control of the town meeting, they are manipulating the majority, using the majority to their ends. It could be that Hovstad merely cited his subscribers' possible wrath as an excuse because he himself did not want to print the article. More likely, both he and his subscribers would have been against the doctor. Those who are in power, like Hovstad and the mayor, automatically guess what the majority will want, and they always try to please the majority. While Aslaksen and the mayor manipulated the audience at the town meeting, they influenced them in the only way possible. In other words, it would have been almost impossible for the mayor to convince the crowd that they should support the doctor's comments about the stupidity of the masses. Ibsen's idea is that the majority does not rule directly; instead, the idea and threat of the majority keeps leaders from acting honestly. The personal story of Dr. Stockmann is secondary. The key thing to remember is that he is extremely idealistic and maybe even a little naive and foolish. His wife, after all, feels compelled to remind him of practicalities

r. Stockmann makes a discovery that he thinks will help the town. He presses for changes to be made to the baths, but the town turns on him. Not only have his scientific experiments been a waste of time, and not only will the townspeople suffer, but his freedom of speech and self-respect are being attacked. He then decides that the only reason that the leaders have turned on him is that they are afraid of the people. He, thus, lashes out at the people. He is motivated both by his anger and by true realizations about the corruption of the town.

It can be concluded that An Enemy of the People has two key messages. First, it is a criticism of democracy. Second, it is the story of how one man's bravery and self-respect can survive overwhelming odds. Ibsen's critique of democracy is twofold. First, he shows the tyranny of the majority. The majority is a tyrant insofar as the leaders of society are afraid to do what is right because they are at the people's mercy. Even though Hovstad wanted to print the doctor's report on the baths, he was afraid to do so because his subscribers would be upset. The mayor cannot propose any changes to the baths because the public might find out that the mayor had made a mistake in the original plans and, thus, oust him. The majority is afraid of risk and, according to the doctor, it is not intelligent enough to do what is right.

After a lengthy period of analysis he has discovered that the water of the spa that he himself had founded is polluted, and of great danger to

the health of all its visitors. The spa is of great importance to the fame and prosperity of the town, but he is convinced that it must be closed until the fault is corrected. To begin with he is praised for his discovery, but when it becomes clear that the improvements will cost the town a great deal, both the press and the inhabitants turn against him. From several quarters the doctor is asked to moderate his absolute demand that the spa be closed, but he calls a public meeting in order to present his case. It has now become the general opinion that the majority is always wrong and the minority always right. The people present at the meeting brand him as an enemy of the people and a threat to the town, and he is forced to leave the meeting. The whole affair has dramatic consequences for his family and himself his patients desert him, he is dismissed from the spa, his daughter Petra loses her job as a teacher and the family lose their home. His first reaction, in rage and disappointment, is to plan to go abroad with his family, but when people start to break his windows and he receives sinister threats and offers, he realizes how little independence of mind there is in the town. He decides to stay there and devote himself to the task of bringing up citizens with a freer spirit

Summary
The town in which the play is set has built a huge bathing complex that is crucial to the town's economy. Dr. Stockmann has just discovered that the baths' drainage system is seriously contaminated. He alerts several members of the community, including Hovstad and Aslaksen, and receives generous support and thanks for making his discovery in time to save the town. The next morning, however, his brother, who is also the town's mayor, tells him that he must retract his statements, for the necessary repairs would be too expensive; additionally, the mayor is not convinced by Dr. Stockmann's findings. The brothers have a fierce argument, but Dr. Stockmann hopes that at least Hovstad's newspaper will support him. However, the mayor convinces Hovstad and Aslaksen to oppose Dr. Stockmann.

The doctor holds a town meeting to give a lecture on the baths, but Aslaksen and the mayor try to keep him from speaking. Dr. Stockmann then begins a long tirade in which he condemns the foundations of the town and the tyranny of the majority. The audience finds his speech incredibly offensive, and the next morning the doctor's home is vandalized. He and his daughter are fired. The mayor insinuates that the doctor's actions were merely a scheme to inherit more of Morten Kiil's money, and Kiil himself soon arrives to suggest just such a plan to Dr. Stockmann. However, the doctor refuses all such suggestions and decides to defy authority and remain in town. His family is supportive, and he says that the strongest man is the man who stands alone.

Summary of plot
Tomas Stockmann is the father of a family and a doctor at a spa in a small Norwegian town. . This serious idea is the struggle of a brave man to speak the truth despite the suppression of the social life. Through the mouth of his spokesman, idealist Dr. Stockmann, Ibsen reflects the

Contrary to what was the case with Ibsen`s previous play, Ghosts, the Scandinavian theat res practically queued up to stage An Enemy of the People. The very first performance Reviews (not translated): Aftenposten, January 15th 1883 [read the review] Johan Irgens Hansen, Dagbladet, January 15th 1883 [read the review] Morgenbladet, January 15th and 17th 1883 [read the review] Christiania Intelligentssedler, January 15th 1883 [read the review] Ny ill. Tid., No 4 1883

Summary of plot
Tomas Stockmann is the father of a family and a doctor at a spa in a small Norwegian town. After a lengthy period of analysis he has discovered that the water of the spa that he himself had founded is polluted, and of great danger to the health of all its visitors. The spa is of

great importance to the fame and prosperity of the town, but he is convinced that it must be closed until the fault is corrected. To begin with he is praised for his discovery, but when it becomes clear that the improvements will cost the town a great deal, both the press and the inhabitants turn against him. One of his most important opponents is his brother, who is mayor and chief of police, Peter Stockmann. From several quarters the doctor is asked to moderate his absolute demand that the spa be closed, but he calls a public meeting in order to present his case. It has now become the general opinion that the majority is always wrong and the minority always right. The people present at the meeting brand him as an enemy of the people and a threat to the town, and he is forced to leave the meeting. The whole affair has dramatic consequences for his family and himself his patients desert him, he is dismissed from the spa, his daughter Petra loses her job as a teacher and the family lose their home. His first reaction, in rage and disappointment, is to plan to go abroad with his family, but when people start to break his windows and he receives sinister threats and offers, he realizes how little independence of mind there is in the town. He decides to stay there and devote himself to the task of bringing up citizens with a freer spirit.

Source: Merete Morken Andersen, Ibsenhndboken, Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, 1995

The first plans for the play probably began to take shape in the second half of 1880.

Thus when Ibsen started writing An Enemy of the People in the spring of 1882, the work proceeded at a fast pace. As early as June 21st he was able to tell Hegel:

"I finished my new drama yesterday. It is entitled An Enemy of the People and is in five acts. I am still somewhat uncertain as to whether to call it a comedy or a drama; it has many of the features of a comedy, but a serious idea behind it."

As a response to his play Ghosts which was considered scandalous in society, Henrik Ibsen wrote this play. Despite the resistance of Ibsen against the hypocrisy of Victorian morality, in Ghosts, and emphasis on the corruption of society and sexual vice with the common illness of his characters, syphilis; the society regarded this play as shocking indecent. The published edition of the play could not find any theatre to be staged for a while. Due to the critical assault upon him, this play turned him into a kind of enemy of the people. Upon the exclusions and blames of society as being morbid, unhealthy and blasphemous, Ibsen wrote An Enemy of the People as a response and reaction against the social oppressions.

n Enemy of the People attacks the institution of the liberal newspaper. Like all of the plays in this series, An Enemy of the People deals with the extent to which individual desires and beliefs are compromised by society. In particular, the play focuses on the ways in which an individual can be ostracized by the society he is trying to help. The problems of the play's hero, Dr. Stockmann, are not far removed from the problems Ibsen experienced

after the publication of Ghosts. In a letter written around the time of the play's composition, Ibsen noted: "Dr. Stockmann and I got on excellently together; we agree on so many subjects." Like all of Ibsen's plays, An Enemy of the People was originally written in Norwegian and is full of untranslatable wordplay. Specifically, a number of the character's titles exists only in Norwegian bureaucracy. For the sake of clarity, in this SparkNote, Peter Stockmann is referred to as the mayor, Morten Kiil is Mrs. Stockmann's adoptive father, and Hovstad is editor of the People's Herald.

Ibsen wrote for and about the middle class and life in the suburbs and small towns. He focused on characters and psychological conflicts rather than dramatic situations. His central theme was the duty of the individual towards himself, not the out-of-date conventions of bourgeois society. "I have really never had a strong feeling for solidarity," Ibsen said to Brandes in 1871. Ibsen's anarchistic individualism made a deep impression on the younger generation outside Norway, where he was considered a progressive writer. In his home country, however, Ibsen was seen as a moral preacher and more conservative than Bjrnson. Ibsen's discipline or successor was George Bernard Shaw, who dramatized with flair and wit generally accepted ideas into uncompromising plays.

An Enemy of the People (1882) Ibsen attacked "the compact liberal majority" and the mass opinion. Arthur Miller's adaptation from 1950 was a clear statement of resistance to conformity.

Ibsen wrote for and about the middle class and life in the suburbs and small towns. He focused on characters and psychological conflicts rather than dramatic situations. His central theme was the duty of the individual towards himself, not the out-of-date conventions of bourgeois society. "I have really never had a strong feeling for solidarity," Ibsen said to Brandes in 1871. Ibsen's anarchistic individualism made a deep impression on the younger generation outside Norway, where he was considered a progressive writer. In his home country, however, Ibsen was seen as a moral preacher and more conservative than Bjrnson. Ibsen's discipline or successor was George Bernard Shaw, who dramatized with flair and wit generally accepted ideas into uncompromising plays.

Ibsen solved the technical difficulties involved in translating his tragic vision from the romantic forms to a realistic form in two central ways. First, he developed a retrospective technique whereby, as the play progresses, the past events leading to the climax are gradually brought to light through the words and acts of the characters. In Ibsen's hands (but not always in those of his followers), the past is not just dead matter: it grips the present and changes its significance. Ibsen's characters live in a continual, exciting "now," moving toward the truth about themselves and their condition. Second, and equally important, was Ibsen's exploitation of visual imagery, whereby he gave his plays, through set, costume, and stage direction, much of the poetry denied the dramatist who deals with modern people speaking in everyday prose. The term "Ibsenite," as used by G. B. Shaw, Ibsen's disciple and champion in England, describes a play which exposes individual and social hypocrisy. It can be used, in the narrowest sense, only about Pillars of Society (1877) and A Doll's House (1879), which do seem to stress the aspects of society and personal dishonesty that hinder personal development. But even Nora, in the latter play, is a sufficiently complex character to suggest other interpretations. Already in Ghosts (1881), however, the heroine, Mrs. Alving, discovers that the forces working against human development are not just dead social conventions: there are forces in the individual that are more elusive and destructive than the "doll house" of marriage and society. The last of the "Ibsenite" plays, An Enemy of the People (1882), takes the consequences of Mrs. Alving's

discovery and laughs at the social reformer. The laughter, however, is compassionate - the hero has a certain resemblance to Ibsen himself - and the play is one of Ibsen's finest comedies.

From the seventh decade of the last century to his last play in 1899, the storm of criticism, resentment, and denunciation scarcely ceased. On the other hand, the prophet and artist which were united in Ibsen's nature found many champions and friends. In Germany he was hailed as the leader of the new era; in England his champion, William Archer, fought many a battle for him; but in the end no one could escape his example. Young playwrights learned from him, reformers adopted his ideas, and moralists quoted from him as from a sacred book. His plays scorched, but they fascinated the rising generation, and they stuck to the boards. Psychologists discovered a depth of meaning and of human understanding in his delineation of character. He did not found a school, for every school became his debtor. He did not have followers, for every succeeding playwright was forced in a measure to learn from him.

The principles of Ibsen's teaching, his moral ethic, was that honesty in facing facts is the first requisite of a decent life. Human nature has dark recesses which must be explored and illuminated; life has pitfalls which must be recognized to be avoided; and society has humbugs, hypocrisies, and obscure diseases which must be revealed before they can be cured. To recognize these facts is not pessimism; it is the moral obligation laid upon intelligent people. To face the problems thus exposed, however, requires courage, honesty, and faith in the ultimate worth of the human soul. Man must be educated until he is not only intelligent enough, but courageous enough to work out his salvation through patient endurance and nobler ideals. Democracy, as a cure-all, is just as much a failure as any other form of government; since the majority in politics, society, or religion is always torpid and content with easy measures. It is the intelligent and morally heroic minority which has always led, and always will lead, the human family on its upward march. Nevertheless, we alone can help ourselves; no help can come from without. Furthermore -- and this is a vital point in understanding Ibsen -experience and life are a happiness in themselves, not merely a means to happiness; and in the end good must prevail. Such are some of the ideas that can be distilled from the substance of Ibsen's plays. On the plane of practical methods Ibsen preached the emancipation of the individual, especially of woman. He laid great stress upon the principle of heredity. He made many studies of disordered minds, and analyzed relentlessly the common relationships -- sister and brother, husband and wife, father and son. There is much in these relationships, he seems to say, that is based on sentimentalism, on a desire to dominate, on hypocrisy and lies. He pictured the unscrupulous financier, the artist who gives up love for the fancied demands of his art, the unmarried woman who has been the drudge and the unthanked burden-bearer -- all with a cool detachment which cloaks, but does not conceal, the passionate moralist. From the seventh decade of the last century to his last play in 1899, the storm of criticism, resentment, and denunciation scarcely ceased. On the other hand, the prophet and artist which were united in Ibsen's nature found many champions and friends. In Germany he was hailed as the leader of the new era; in England his champion, William Archer, fought many a battle for him; but in the end no one could escape his example. Young playwrights learned from him, reformers adopted his ideas, and moralists quoted from him as from a sacred book. His plays scorched, but they fascinated the rising generation, and they stuck to the boards. Psychologists discovered a depth of meaning and of human

understanding in his delineation of character. He did not found a school, for every school became his debtor. He did not have followers, for every succeeding playwright was forced in a measure to learn from him.

The State was not the only bte noire of Henrik Ibsen. Every other institution which, like the State, rests upon a lie, was an iniquity to him. Uncompromising demolisher of all false idols and dynamiter of all social shams and hypocrisy, Ibsen consistently strove to uproot every stone of our social structure. Above all did he thunder his fiery indictment against the four cardinal sins of modern society: the Lie inherent in our social arrangements; Sacrifice and Duty, the twin curses that fetter the spirit of man; the narrow-mindedness and pettiness of Provincialism, that stifles all growth; and the Lack of Joy and Purpose in Work which turns life into a vale of misery and tears. strongly did Ibsen feel on these matters, that in none of his works did he lose sight of them. Indeed, they recur again and again, like a Leitmotif in music, in everything he wrote. These issues form the keynote to the revolutionary significance of his dramatic works, as well as to the psychology of Henrik Ibsen himself. It is, therefore, not a little surprising that most of the interpreters and admirers of Ibsen so enthusiastically accept his art, and yet remain utterly indifferent to, not to say ignorant of, the message contained in it. That is mainly because they are, in the words of Mrs. Alving, "so pitifully afraid of the light." Hence they go about seeking mysteries and hunting symbols, and completely losing sight of the meaning that is as clear as daylight in all of the works of Ibsen, and mainly in the group of his social plays, "The Pillars of Society," "A Doll's House," "Ghosts," and "An Enemy of the People."

He was inspired by the critic George Brandes in terms of literature

by the demand of the critic Georg Brandes that literature begin to take up contemporary problems for discussion, and influenced by changing public taste, Ibsen now set out to develop a dramatic form in which serious matters could be dealt with in the "trivial" guise of everyday life. Since there were models for such a drama, Ibsen cannot be said to have invented the realistic, or social reform, play. However, he brought it to perfection and, in doing so, made himself the most famous, reviled and praised dramatist of the 19th century. It should be stressed, however, that Ibsen had no intention of becoming merely a dramatist whose plays reflected contemporary manners and attacked social evils. He remained what he had always been, essentially antisociety, concerned with the individual and his problems.

WORKS CITED

Goldman, Emma. The Social Significance of the Modern Drama. The Anarchist Library. http://theanarchistlibrary.org/HTML/Emma_Goldman__The_Social_Significance_of_ the_Modern_Drama.html Sharp, Farquharson. An Enemy of the People. http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/h-ibsen/enemy-people.pdf

As a response to his play Ghosts which was considered scandalous in society, Henrik Ibsen wrote this play An Enemy of the People or in original title En Folkefiende. Despite the resistance of Ibsen against the hypocrisy of Victorian morality, in Ghosts, and emphasis on the corruption of society and sexual vice with the common illness of his characters, syphilis; the society regarded this play as shocking indecent. The published edition of the play could not find any theatre to be staged for a while. Due to the critical assault upon him, this play turned him into a kind of enemy of the people. Upon the exclusions and blames of society as

being morbid, unhealthy and blasphemous, Ibsen wrote An Enemy of the People as a response and reaction against the social oppressions. In 1882 Ibsen completed the writing of An Enemy of the People and described the basic structure of his play when he wrote to his publisher, I am still uncertain as to whether I should call it a comedy or a straight drama. It may have many traits of comedy, but it also is based on a serious idea. This serious idea is the struggle of a brave man to speak the truth despite the suppression of the social life. Through the mouth of his spokesman, idealist Dr. Stockmann, Ibsen reflects the hypocritical and corrupt nature of social and political life that is idealized in society. Stockmann, who is an idealist scientist, develops a project of baths in the town which provides a great medicinal value and a local pride for the town people. However, when he discovers that the water of his spa town is polluted and poisonous, he makes detailed report about the solution of this threat despite the great financial cost to the town. Due to the great threat to innocent peoples health, Stockmann struggles to shut the baths down and cleanse the water at whatever expense. However, his brother Peter prevents publication of this report and news in the society. Similar to his brother, the bureaucrats, the local small businessmens associations, the town newspaper and eventually the workers of the town are against the claims of Stockmann and finally he is thought to be insane and called as the common enemy of the people in society.

Film Adaptation of An Enemy of the People

This play was successfully adapted into the film by the American playwright Arthur Miller. Miller puts emphasis on the attempts of Dr. Stockmann to alert the townspeople about this threat and the selfish manner of local businessmen who are more concerned with financial wealth than physical wealth of the community. With this common enemy of the people, Ibsen and Miller underline the tyranny of the majority and the influence of the leaders in the

manipulation of the society. Miller presents the struggle of an alone man who never gives up to defence the truth and honesty in the society and Stockmann summarizes his effort with this sentence You should never wear your best trousers when you go out fight for freedom and truth. The film was directed by an American director George Schaefer in 1978.

Characters
Dr. Thomas Stockmann, medical doctor

Cast
Steve McQueen

Peter Stockmann, Dr. Stockmanns brother and a chairman of the baths committee Charles Durning Mrs. Catherine Stockmann, Dr. Stockmanns wife Petra Stockmann, the daughter of Thomas and Catherine Stockmann Ejlif & Morten Stockmann, the sons of Thomas and Catherine Hovstad, the editor of the leftist newspaper Aslaksen, the newspapers printer Billing, the assistant at the newspaper Captain Horster, a ship captain Morten Kiil, Dr. Stockmanns father-in-law father and a rich old man who has several poisonous baths Bibi Andersson Robin Pearson Rose John Levin & Ham Lersen Michael Cristofer Richard Dysart Michael Higgins Richard Bradford Eric Christmas