A Midsummer Night's Dream

1935
Approved
2h 13m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

YOUR RATING

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...

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71 Photos

Comedy Fantasy Romance

Two couples and a troupe of actors have an encounter with some mischievous fairies in the forest.Two couples and a troupe of actors have an encounter with some mischievous fairies in the forest.Two couples and a troupe of actors have an encounter with some mischievous fairies in the forest.

Directors
- William Dieterle
- Max Reinhardt
Writers
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

YOUR RATING

Directors
- William Dieterle
- Max Reinhardt
Writers
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 2 Oscars
- 2 wins & 2 nominations total

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A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Broadway Melody of 1936

6.2

7.1

6.9

7.5

5.7

6.8

6.2

6.7

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
When the forest that Max Reinhardt designed could not be lit properly, cinematographer Hal Mohr thinned the trees slightly, sprayed them with aluminum paint and covered them with cobwebs and tiny metal particles to reflect the light. As a result, he became the first (and only) write-in winner of an Academy Award.

Goofs
Corrective lenses were introduced in the 13th century so they could have been worn in Shakespeare's time.

Quotes
Hermia, in Love with Lysander: [to Helena] How low am I, you painted maypole? Speak! How low am I? I am not yet so low but that my nails can reach into your eyes!

Crazy credits
The opening credits appear as if they were "trickling down" from the top of the screen.

Alternate versions
The original 132-minute roadshow version of this film has been restored, shown on cable, and issued on videocassette and DVD. For many years, though, this film was shown only in its general release version, a 117-minute version painstakingly edited by the studio (so that the cuts would not be noticeable), which shifted the order of some sequences and eliminated others.The 2007 DVD release also restores the Intermission title card, not seen since the film's original roadshow release in 1935, as well as including the overture and exit music.

Connections
Featured in A Dream Comes True (1935)

Soundtracks
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Overture and Incidental Music
(1826) (uncredited)
Music by Felix Mendelssohn
Adapted by Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Heard throughout the film

User reviews74

Review

Featured review

Warner Bros does Shakespeare, successfully!

Max Reinhardt's theatre production, together with William Dieterle's directorial flair, brings Shakespeare to Hollywood. The ideas and effects within this vision are brilliant, although the detail has undoubtedly diminished with the wear and tear of several decades.

Best in the actors are Mickey Rooney as Puck, and Joe E Brown as Flute. James Cagney is Bottom, Anita Louise is Titania, Victor Jory is Oberon, Olivia de Havilland and Dick Powell are amongst the lovers. All are ok but nothing special. The little changeling is Kenneth Anger, who would later be vitriolic in his book 'Hollywood Babylon'.

Perhaps the best thing about this film is how it looks. It truly is magical, and you get the sense of fairies and sprites causing mischief and confusion deep in the woods. I have the feeling it would look superb in colour.