A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Starring: Lindsay Duncan
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Type: DVD
Directed By: Adrian Noble
Studio: Miramax
Release Date: 2002-10-08
Running Time: 103 minutes
Miramax Home Entertainment invites you to enjoy this playful interpretation of William Shakespeare's classic romantic comedy! A rich man's daughter has a difficult choice to make: do her duty and accept an arranged marriage ... or follow her heart to her one true love! But then the fun takes flight. When the humorous Kingdom of Fairies begins to toy with this funny romantic entanglement, magic and mischief are spun into the lives of everyone involved. An outstanding presentation of this timeless favorite, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM is a delightful must-see for Shakespeare fans new and old.

Nice Production
If you choose to watch Shakespeare on Film/DVD you have to accept that it's going to move at a slower pace, more dialogue than usual will be cut and in this case an additional part not intended by the Bard will present itself. The little boy who appears throughout the play adds another (quite unnecessary) frame to a tale that is already framed. The actors however, are superb, (as they should be since they are the Royal Shakespeare Company) the casting of Bottom and Puck are spot on and the settings which move from actual stage to movie-like creations are delightful. The costuming is beautiful as well. So, if you like Shakespeare - you will enjoy this ... just try to ignore that creepy, ubiquitous silent and smiling boy.

Ying and Yang of modern productions.
Greetings,

Right off I'll say this much: I like (Note the use of personal opinion here not global statement) this version much more than the nightmarishly Hollywoodized 2003 one with Kevin Kline and Michelle Pfeiffer.

This version is a bit of extremes. On the one hand it's an excellent portrayal of the Bards work is some ways and in others directly contradicts what many masters of his works consider paramount at times.

The Good:

Well, personally I like the colors and allusions in the motifs of light bulbs and umbrellas. The contradiction of a normal stage, set and settings in the human world and this, oh...quasi-minimalistic, surreal approach when in the woods worked, at least as far as this member of the audience is concerned. Of course there are the basic prerequisites that were matched (This IS the Royal Shakespeare company after all) of wonderful acting, yadda, yadda, yadda and so on, good casting, blah, blah, blah. For me though what makes or breaks these kinds of immortal works are the little things. The physical gestures, facial expressions etc. Oberon is perfect for example, the bare feet, the flowing coat hanging literally all over the young lovers who play their part perfectly by not acknowledging this rather large fellow actor breathing in their ear. Puck too works well. 'Proud Titania' certainly was amazonian enough; protrayed as a bit of a stick in the mud which went a far way to showing her greater, oh, let's say moral authority over her king; though the fae have no concept of morality, but I digress. The 'Human' characters were also quite fun getting yanked this way and that and playing the roles well. Though, as should be evidenced by this review, Oberon and Puck were my personal highlights.

The Bad:

As in The Good, it's the little things. In this case the sex scene with Bottom and Titiana. Um... As I've also said this IS The Royal Shakespeare Company so I have to wonder what industrial accident happened near their HQ to induce a dementia to the point where someone thought a sex scene was a good idea? One of the major charming points regarding Bottom is the idea that he is an innocent. A prime point of this comedy is how Titiana, who is a Fae Lord for God's sake, one of the most beautiful and enticingly sensual creatures in the history of time, is throwing herself at this mortal and he doesn't even notice being much more charmed, in his childlike manner, by Mustardseed and its kin. The actor who portrays Bottom is a good physical actor, he's just not a good physical actor for Bottom.

So, as I said, this is a creature of extremes in productions of Midsummer Night Dreams. Get it for Oberon and Puck, pay no attention to the kiss, it's a gesture of servile devotion- only a fool associates mortal definitions to fae actions. Avoid it for The Bottom of Bottom and Titian portrayals. Personally, I find Oberon and the young lovers actions and presentation to be of greater value than the detriments caused by the flawed writing and directing that birthed the Titania and Bottom fiasco- but that's not my call to make globally.

The Neutral:

These things did little to harm or add to the play. They came across as 'Charming' or 'Odd' but did not much add pro or con to any sum total of mental assessment as far as I'm concerned. These would be things like- The Umbrellas, the light bulbs, the feathered hair, the running through doors, the portrayal of the dream as a dream, maybe, and the boy who pops up now and again who I like to think of as 'The Witness'. Really the only thing that's worth commenting on regarding The Witness is how this young actor is apparently also in the Anthony Hopkins version of Titus, directed by Julie Taymore where he has has much the same role until the last third or so. As I said, a bit odd.

I remain, as always,
Mad-Hamlet

Stellar -- but truncated -- Dream
I saw this Royal Shakespeare Company production live and the movie captures a lot of its magic. However, excising out parts of this play diminishes it somewhat. And as others have noted, staging the play as a young boy's dream is unnecessary. It's not likely a young child could visualize the plot's intracies even in his most imaginative dreams.

Still, you aren't apt to hear Shakespeare's poetry spoken more splendidly than in this production. This is a veteran cast of top notch British actors rather than a group of movie stars doing their Shakespeare thing.

Desmond Barrit's wonderfully enunciated and acted Bottom is a real treat, and the two leads, Ken Jennings and Lindsay Duncan recreate their splendid live performances.

Not happy with this version
I had a couple of major problems with this version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

The little boy -- Titania's changeling? -- who kept cropping up was just one of those conceits that directors and screenplay writers feel that they have to slip in there to keep the story interesting. As if the story needs to be made more interesting. *sigh*

I don't mind the representational forest and the umbrellas and all that, but PLEASE don't write parts for characters that aren't even part of the original play.

The other thing that sent me over the edge was the extremely graphic sex scene between Bottom and Titania. They weren't naked, but the sex was VERY VISUAL accompanied by moans and sighs. It was completely gratuitous and it offended the hell out of me since I was sitting there watching it with my two young daughters. What is the deal with this? It was far, far more than the bawdy talk and suggested action in the play that would go straight over their heads anyway. No, the director and screenwriter felt that we needed to see Bottom thrusting energetically between Titania's splayed legs.

That ruined it for me. Adding the role of the boy in was bad enough, but adding in the frank sex scene was just obnoxious.

DO NOT buy this movie if you intend to watch it with your children.

Wonderful
The Royal Shakespeare Players know how to do a production. This film of A Midsummer Night's Dream did more than take my breath away, it made me think and gasp and laugh till I had tears in my eyes. The sensitivity of the cast to each line they speak is profound and beautiful. So often when Shakespeare is performed on film the actors are not very familiar with speaking in verse, but this version the actors speak beyond the text and break down the barrier of language that is often associated with Shakespeare.

Also in this version there is a brilliant use of light and color to set a mood. The rooms and costumes are wildly colorful and it makes things seem very child-like. This brings in the topic of the little boy in this film. He seems to be the one dreaming this whole play, but in the play he seems to be the changeling boy that Oberon wants to take from Titania. The fairy world is very sexual and I for one find it a bit too racy for my taste, and it makes me recoil to see the perverse gestures as the thoughts of a little child.

Other than this, I was delighted by the themes brought out in the film. One such theme is the relationship between the dream world in the woods and the world of reason in Athens. This is shown by actors playing Hippolyta and Theseus are double cast as Titania and Oberon, (as they would be in Shakespeare's day) and so is every other character except the four lovers, who visit both worlds throughout the play.

It is beautiful and intriguing production and I enjoyed it immensely.