Death has at last freed Helene Alving (Judi Dench) from her philandering husband, but her trials are far from over. Having inherited syphilis from his father, Helene's disturbed son (Kenneth Branagh) is smitten with the Alvings' maid (Natasha Richardson), who has a secret connection to the family. Michael Gambon also stars in this compelling BBC presentation of Henrik Ibsen's play, a scathing commentary on 19th-century morality.