A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Directors:

William Dieterle
Max Reinhardt

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play)
Charles Kenyon (arranged for the screen by) ...

Release Date:

30 October 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

A New Triumph In Movie History !

Plot:

Theseus, Duke of Athens, is going to marry Hyppolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Demetrius is engaged with Hermia...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Fairy | Actor | Wedding | Magic

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Ian Hunter	...	Theseus, Duke of Athens
Verree Teasdale	...	Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, betrothed to Theseus
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Philostrate, Master of Revels to Theseus
Dick Powell	...	Lysander, In love with Hermia
Ross Alexander	...	Demetrius, In love with Hermia
Olivia de Havilland	...	Hermia, In love with Lysander (as Olivia de Haviland)
Jean Muir	...	Helena, In love with Demetrius
Grant Mitchell	...	Egeus, Father to Hermia
Frank McHugh	...	Quince, the Carpenter
Dewey Robinson	...	Snug, the Joiner
James Cagney	...	Bottom, the Weaver
Joe E. Brown	...	Flute, the Bellows-mender
Hugh Herbert	...	Snout, the Tinker
Otis Harlan	...	Starveling, the Tailor
Arthur Treacher	...	Epilogue

Runtime:

133 min | USA:117 min (edited version) | USA:142 min (with overture and exit music)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Vitaphone

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #752)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

William Dieterle had full charge as director for about a week because of a breach-of-contract suit filed against Max Reinhardt by a French film company. The judge found in favor of Reinhardt, and lifted the restraining order.

Quotes:

Demetrius, in Love with Hermia: [Puck is leading Demetrius astray through a fog] Lysander! Speak again! You runaway. You coward. Are you fled?
Puck: You coward! Are you bragging to the stars? Telling the bushes that you look for wars, and wilt not come?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Shake, Mr. Shakespeare (1936)

Soundtrack:

Italian Symphony

A True Classic

The movie is dated, true. In fact, seeing 30's Hollywood's version of Shakespearian England's version of Athenian costuming is a delight in itself. But the actors in this rendition are just amazing. Not only is the cast impressive (Cagney, Brown, Rooney, D'Havilland, Powell), but they are doing the roles with the right mixture of buffoonery and dedication to Shakespeare's love of high and low comedy together.

The casting of Cagney as Bottom was brilliant, his mixture of swagger and obliviousness is perfect, especially when played off of the great Joe E. Brown, who's rubber faced quiet performance is uproarious. Young Mickey Rooney is a wonderful puck, light and athletic, it may be his finest work. The special effects manage to give off the feeling of faerie, without overpowering what is going on. And the weaving of the two stories together works as well as might be hoped for.

I consider this to be the classic definitive Midsummer's Night Dream films. No other can ever measure up.