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Midsummer Night's Dream (A)
- Director: William Dieterle; Max Reinhardt
- Writer: William Shakespeare; Charles Kenyon
- Producer: Henry Blanke; Hal B. Wallis
CGiii Comment
The overture lasts, needlessly, for over 6 minutes...and then you have to sit through the elongated titles.
Many fair things have been said about this opulent production - no-one seems to mind the shocking shimmering costumes, the horrendous musical numbers and the downright rotten acting.
Shakespeare is still spinning in his grave at the vulgar liberties taken and those accents - Mickey Rooney, a child that deserved a good smack - annoying to the nth degree.
Still it won two Oscars: Cinematography & Editing.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
Theseus, Duke of Athens, is going to marry Hyppolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Demetrius is engaged with Hermia, but Hermia loves Lysander. Helena loves Demetrius. Oberon and Titania, of the kingdom of fairies have a slight quarrel about whether or not the boy Titania is raising will join Titania's band or Oberon's, so Oberon tries to get him from her by using some magic. But they're not alone in that forest.Lysander and Hermina have there a rendezvous, Helena and Demetrius are there, too as well as some actors, who are practicing a play for the ongoing wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta. Due to some misunderstandings by Puck, the whole thing becomes a little bit confused...
Cast & Characters
Ian Hunter as Theseus, Duke of Athens;
Verree Teasdale as Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, betrothed to Theseus;
Hobart Cavanaugh as Philostrate, Master of Revels to Theseus;
Dick Powell as Lysander, In love with Hermia;
Ross Alexander as Demetrius, In love with Hermia;
Olivia de Havilland as Hermia, In love with Lysander;
Jean Muir as Helena, In love with Demetrius;
Grant Mitchell as Egeus, Father to Hermia;
Frank McHugh as Quince, the Carpenter;
Dewey Robinson as Snug, the Joiner