A Midsummer Night's Dream

Starring:Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stanley Tucci, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart, Dominic West, Christian Bale, Anna Friel, David Strathairn, Sophie Marceau, Roger Rees, Sam Rockwell, Gregory Jbara, Bill Irwin, Max Wright, Bernard Hill, John Sessions, Deirdre Harrison, Heather Parisi, Annalisa Cordone
Director: Michael Hoffman
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Imagine a work by Shakespeare reduced to one of those pretty, glossy coffee-table picture books that have only a dollop of text alongside its sumptuous photographs, and you might have Michael Hoffman's adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. This all-star version of Shakespeare's comedy is gorgeously shot in Tuscany, complete with a magical forest, breathtaking landscapes, beautiful villas, picturesque villages, stunning period costumes--oh wait, there's supposed to be a story here, too! Hoffman hijacks Shakespeare's basic premise but doesn't instill it with much more than surface shine and transplants it to turn-of-the-century Italy. Ergo, it's left up to the actors to find the heart and soul of this classic play, in which the fairies of the forest play mix and match with four young lovers, courtesy of a magical love potion. Hoffman couldn't ask for better (or better looking) actors to play Shakespeare's dreamlike love games--Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart, Christian Bale, Stanley Tucci, Kevin Kline, Anna Friel, Dominic West, the list goes on and on--but he sure as heck doesn't know what to do with them, aside from putting them in various states of undress. Only Flockhart (as the lovestruck Helena), Tucci (a sprightly Puck), Pfeiffer (dazzling and funny as the queen of the fairies), and especially the sublime Kline (as weaver-turned-donkey Bottom) seem to connect with their characters in ways that make this adaptation occasionally soar; the rest are inexplicably left to flounder. Hoffman does seem to set himself right with the film's climax, when Bottom's amateur acting troupe hilariously enacts the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe (it helps that the troupe includes Roger Rees, Sam Rockwell, and Bill Irwin). Those searching for a more in-depth exploration of Shakespeare's farce might do better to look elsewhere, but if it's gorgeous actors and scenery you're in the mood for (along with an evocative opera soundtrack), and an all's-well-that-ends-well ending, this Midsummer Night will give you pleasant if weightless dreams. --Mark Englehart

Description

A stellar cast, headed by Michelle Pfeiffer and Kevin Kline, bring Shakespeare's romantic comedy to life. When two pairs of star-crossed lovers, a feuding pair of supernatural sprites and a love potion gone awry all come together in an enchanted moonlit forest, the result is a delightful mix of merriment and magic. Also starring Calista Flockhart, Stanley Tucci and Rupert Everett.

Customer Reviews:

Disliked it five years ago, still don't like it today!.......2007-06-13

Saw this when it first came out and hated it; watching it again, in hopes of using it in a class, and again I find it tedious and uninspired. It has all the right parts, in terms of actors (though I must confess to disliking Stanley Tucci's Puck), but the conception is busy, pretentious, and sadly missing the spirit of the play! As another reviewer said, if you haven't read much Shakespeare or seen much on stage, you may like this film. If you have read Shakes, and seen good stagings of this and other plays, you'll find it to be two very tedious hours. I still think I"ll use part of it in class, though, in comparison with at least one other filmed stage performance (the Royal Shakespeare Company's), just to spur discussion about updating and interpreting Shakespeare!

The Director Turned A Simple Play Into Something Amazing!!!.......2007-05-31

We first began to read Midsummer Night's Dream in school a few days ago. Then we watched the beginning of the movie (this one). I found the play extremely bland to read. The actors brought it to life! The director was best though, using modern items while keeping all the original text from Shakespeare, nothing has been orally changed. This movie is PG-13 but only idiots would hold it from anyone over 10.

Amazing version, Great for Classroom.......2007-05-09

This is a great supplement for anyone teaching Shakespeare Comedies. The acting is supperb and the sets bring the story to life. It is great seeing American actors trying their hand with the Bard's craft and doing it well.

A Midsummer Night's Entertainment.......2007-05-06

This film adaptation of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a star-studded and workable translation of the original play. It has a movie's freedom of action with respect to sets. The story moves easily from a Duke's luxurious Italian villa being prepared for a wedding, to a forest where two sets of lovers undergo a comedy of mistaken emotions thanks to feuding among groups of ethereal spirits, to the small town outside the villa where a group of workers is preparing a play to present at the wedding. The sets are sumptious, attractive to the eye, and suitable to the story.

The cast is truly star-studded, all with very solid movie credentials, although few with real chops for a Shakespeare play. Kevin Kline easily steals the show as the hapless Bottom, an over-the-top actor who is bewitched by the spirit Puck (played with mischevious good humor by Stanley Tucci) into a love affair with the Queen of the Fairies (played by Michelle Pfeiffer). Rupert Everett is solid as a spirit who while in search of revenge on the Queen unleashes much of the magical mayhem in the forest. Calista Flockheart seems least up to par as an hysterical Helena, one of the star-crossed lovers in the forest,

Perhaps the best portion of the movie is the play within a play, as Kevin Kline and his ham-handed fellow troupers struggle to put together their play. The audience cannot help but feel sympathy as they wrestle with lack of talent, uncooperative sets, and the unintended consequences of improvisation. Their determination is rewarded by an unorthodox but ultimately successful presentation that earns them the sincere compliments of the Duke.

This movie is recommended to fans of Shakespeare who are prepared to forgive the uneven efforts of a large troup of actors for an ultimately entertaining story.

Bewitching&Dreamy.......2007-05-04

What a lovely adaptation. And they did mostly stick verbatim to the play... Ok, so they may have taken some liberties, ie the setting (though the landscape is very like it should have been) the bicycles (though they are charming!), &the 'mud wrestling scene, which was truly ridiculous, but was obviously added for the benefit of the many boyfriends and husbands who were dragged to the flick by their wives or girlfriends! I love this film, and watch it over & over. Pair it with the delightful 'Much Ado About Nothing' and '12th Night', and you'll find yourself doing the same & memorizing the books so easily!

Shakespeare Collection (Hamlet 1996 / A Midsummer Night's Dream 1935 / Othello 1965 / Romeo & Juliet 1936)

Average customer rating:

Warners continues to go highbrow with this new boxed set

Shakespeare Collection (Hamlet 1996 / A Midsummer Night's Dream 1935 / Othello 1965 / Romeo & Juliet 1936)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh , and Laurence Olivier
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 4 (Act of Violence / Mystery Street / Crime Wave / Decoy / Illegal / The Big Steal / They Live By Night / Side Street / Where Danger Lives / Tension)
Becket
Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection (Manhattan Melodrama / Evelyn Prentice / Double Wedding / I Love You Again / Love Crazy)
Ace in the Hole - Criterion Collection
The First Films of Samuel Fuller - Eclipse Series 5 (The Baron of Arizona / I Shot Jesse James / The Steel Helmet) (Criterion Collection)

ASIN: B000QC6O98
Release Date: 2007-08-14

Customer Reviews:

Warners continues to go highbrow with this new boxed set.......2007-05-12

I was very pleased with my "Literary Classics Collection" and "Motion Picture Masterpieces Collection" that I purchased from Warner's, and it looks like the studio originally known for gritty urban dramas continues to go highbrow with this collection of four movies featuring interpretations of works by the Bard. The press release by Warner Home Video has the following extras listed for each movie:

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
Cast includes James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland (in her screen debut), Joe E. Brown, and Mickey Rooney. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.
DVD Special Features:
Commentary by film historian Scott MacQueen
Olivia de Havilland screen test
Vintage featurette "A Dream Comes True" (8 minutes)
Presenting... Gallery of 6 teaser trailers showcasing cast members
Warner Bros. Studio Café teaser trailer
Musical short "Shake Mr. Shakespeare"
Theatrical trailer
Subtitles: English, French and Portuguese (feature film only)

Romeo and Juliet (1936)
This was actually an MGM production. George Cukor directs with Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard in the title roles. Nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture.
DVD Special Features:
Vintage short "Master Will Shakespeare"
Classic MGM cartoon "Little Cheeser"
Theatrical trailer
Subtitles: English (feature film only)

Othello (1965)
Lawrence Olivier in the title role, Maggie Smith as Desdemona, Joyce Redman as Emilia, and Frank Finlay as Iago. All four performers were nominated for Academy Awards for their performances.
DVD Special Features:
Vintage featurette "Olivier Talks About Othello"
Theatrical trailer
Subtitles: English (feature film only)

Hamlet 2-Disc Special Edition (1996)
Cast includes actor/director Kenneth Branagh, Kate Winslet, Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie, Robin Williams, Jack Lemmon, Billy Crystal and Charlton Heston. This rendition is set in the 19th century.
DVD Special Features:
Introduction by director/star Kenneth Branagh
Commentary by Kenneth Branagh and Shakespeare scholar Russell Jackson
New digital transfer from original 70mm elements
Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1
Featurette "To Be on Camera: A History with Hamlet"
1996 Cannes Film Festival promo
Shakespeare movies trailer gallery
Subtitles: English, French and Spanish subtitles. (feature film only)

Average customer rating:

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Starring: Ross Alexander , Billy Barty , Joe E. Brown , James Cagney , and Hobart Cavanaugh
Director: William Dieterle
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Charley's Aunt

ASIN: B000QGE8JC
Release Date: 2007-08-14

Description

Love is blind, fickle and true. And under the sway of capricious fairies it becomes blinder ( a queen romances as donkey), more fickle (best friends swoon over each other's beau) and truest of all (lovers repledge their devotion). "Lord, what fools these mortals be!" in Shakespeare's bewitching comedy!

Average customer rating:

Not happy with this version
Wonderful
A Midsummer Night's Dream
The 'Psychedelic' version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
The Beauty of Shakespeare

Midsummer Night's Dream (1996)
Starring: Lindsay Duncan , Alex Jennings , Desmond Barrit , Finbar Lynch , and Osheen Jones
Director: Adrian Noble
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
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Romeo & Juliet

ASIN: B000068QPX
Release Date: 2002-10-08

Amazon.com

This adaptation of a Royal Shakespeare Company production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is drenched in color: The costumes, the set, the lighting--all of them are flush with bright yellows, reds, blues, every color in the rainbow. In this classic comedy, the confused lives of four young lovers (two men who love the same woman and another woman who loves one of the men) get caught up in a fight between Oberon and Titania, king and queen of the fairies. Oberon has his servant Puck brush Titania's eyes with a flower that will make her fall in love with the next creature she sees--who turns out to be an oafish aspiring actor named Bottom and whom Puck has magically given a donkey's head. But Puck also brushes the eyes of the young lovers, twisting their love rectangle in all directions. The RSC actors have the great virtue of British theatrical training; they understand Shakespeare's language and, for the most part, can make that understanding clear to the audience. The production carries a number of theatrical devices into the movie--some actors play more than one character; the forest of the fairies is represented by a bare and brightly painted wooden floor; doors and umbrellas appear out of nowhere, resulting in some wonderfully surreal imagery. This may be confusing at first, but over the course of the story these techniques give the play's shifting worlds a greater clarity. This unusual adaptation is a feast for the eyes and an excellent introduction to one of Shakespeare's most popular plays. --Bret Fetzer

Description

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.

Customer Reviews:

Not happy with this version.......2006-08-22

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.......2005-12-08

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.

A Midsummer Night's Dream.......2005-12-07

The 1996 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream puts a modern spin on a traditional Shakespearean play.

Having the same actors play the parts of both Titania and Hippolyta, and Theseus and Oberon was a very good move. It accentuated the difference between reality and imagination, which is one of the main themes of the original Shakespeare. We see Theseus and Hippolyta as serious characters in a serious, recognizable set. Then, we see the same actors dressed differently in an "other-worldly" type of set - it really stressed the difference between that which is a dream, and that which is real. Costumes were easily differentiated as well, for the fairies had wild, Dr. Seuss-like hair-do's, and the Athenians wore specific costumes according to their sex, in a variety of colors.

The production was very true to Shakespeare in terms of using the majority of his text within the play, which, though staged far differently than he ever foresaw it, offered an accurate presentation of Shakespearean themes and vision nonetheless.

While the little boy seemed to be distracting at first, he also had a role to play in the movie: it was HIS dream. He was the Indian boy whom Titania and Oberon fought over. And, it was the play stage in his room which was used by Puck and Oberon during their plotting. However, some of the shots of his reactions to different occurrences did seem slightly superfluous. But, through the eyes of this child, it was much easier to believe some of the seemingly crazy things that were going on in the woods.

The play-within-the-play remained unchanged in this version from the original text, and the players also performed multiple roles, dressing for the part of Bottom's fairy attendants when the fairy queen falls in love with him. Again, this adds to the distinction between reality and dream. It reminded me of the Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy falls asleep and dreams of a lion, a scarecrow, and a tin man, who are really the people from her own farm in different costumes. An excellent choice by the director.

While the staging and overall presentation of Shakespeare is radically different from any other movie version I've seen, I believe it holds significant value nonetheless. In fact, I believe that, although the set and costumes are very different from the Athenian garb which was worn in the 1935 version, the characterization and presentation given by this version is far more accurate to the original text.

Finally, while this version contains some sexually explicit material, that probably makes it more true to what the original production would have portrayed. Since Shakespeare wrote to please intellectuals and commoners, it was not uncommon for his plays to contain raunchy lines or scenes. This version has captured that, as the sexual themes do not overpower the themes of love, dreams and reality, they do play a part.

The 'Psychedelic' version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream".......2005-12-06

Psychedelic and funky, the Royal Shakespeare Players present "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with an entirely new twist to the traditional costumes and set. The fairies are portrayed wearing brightly colored tufts of fluff and their hair-do's are something to behold. The actor playing both Oberon and Theseus changes not only his attitude for each respective character but also his hair undergoes massive transformation from a hail to a Sesame Street character to something more subdued. Puck is an 80's rock star re-incarnate.

The sets are simplistic yet astounding in their simplicity. Many times they consist of only doors opening and closing to symbolize a different setting. Another interesting point to note is the use of color. The doors change colors periodically throughout the performance and can be tied to the emotion being enacted in that scene. Much of the action takes place on an empty and somewhat darkened stage.

This interpretation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a unique blend of modern and traditional. While staying true to Shakespeare's written words they take liberty to play with the characters and how to interpret them. The players in the play (Bottom, Quince, etc) are portrayed as a pseudo-biker group, leather jackets included. Puck is interpreted as an extremely sexual being, which accentuates Shakespeare's tendency to incorporate the intellectual and vulgar into his plays in order to appeal to the groundlings and to the more scholarly.

Many reviewers have something to negative to say about the boy who randomly appears in this version. In a way it can be confusing but upon a closer look his appearances are not as random as one originally assumes. For example, he falls asleep and dreams himself into the play and we are seeing the action from his point of view. We get to see his reactions to the drama. Another interesting thing to note is the reappearance of the doll house. The dollhouse starts out as just a toy in the boy's room but later you see Oberon and Puck maneuvering the lovers on the stage of the doll house just as they are discussing how to maneuver them through the woods and rectify the confusion. The boy and his dollhouse are actually ingenious devices used to show the audience how true it is that the whole play is about people maneuvering people to feel a certain way or do a certain thing. For example, Oberon dislikes how Titania is keeping the Indian boy away from him so he manipulates her and makes her fall in love with a donkey. Upon awakening from the "nightmare" she gives the boy over to Oberon.

All in all I believe that this version, although somewhat raunchy in certain scenes, does an amazing job bringing a fresh interpretation to "A Midsummer Night's Dream. With the merging of a simplistic set, fantastical costumes, and overall stellar acting, this play comes to life yet again.

The Beauty of Shakespeare.......2005-12-04

The beauty if Shakespeare is present in this version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The version is quite different from other versions. Often the fairy world contains no sets- just floating lights and ambient light. The fairies are portrayed in bright color with wild hair-do's. Puck is reminiscent of an eighties rock star, and several of the fairies look like oompah- loompahs. Lysander and Demetrius are introduced wearing the same clothes and appear very whiny at times. The play is very sexual at times and the acting sometimes appears over the top (several people are slapped in the face in anger at random times). But staging is marvelous. The backdrop of the movie is that the entire thing is a child's dream, making the many fantastical happenings much more believable. The child appears throughout the movie, and if you watch carefully, many things in the child's room are repeated throughout the movie. The same actor and actress play the Theseus/Hippolyta couple and the Oberon/Titania couple. The end has some excellent staging using these two actors/four characters portrayal.
The beauty of Shakespeare is interpretation. Shakespeare has been done on so many levels in so many ways, and this is simply another way of doing it. The bright color and sometime unorthodox manner of interpretation (at one point Titania and Bottom with a donkey's head are seen making love) may startle at first, but know that the essence of the play is kept. Many things of this movie are in fact reminiscent of past versions. The player of "moon" in this version of the play within a play is still a skinny old man with glasses as in the Woolfenden and Hoffman productions, and the wall "chink" is still two fingers. Many of the same jokes are kept (Ninus' Tomb! Ninus' Tomb! Not Ninny's!) and the actual Shakespeare lines are treated with respect, unedited with the exception of simple removal. So, although the movie stands out as utterly different from all other screen versions (and probably from most stage versions too) it contains the remnants of its predecessors along with the nature Shakespeare originally intended for the play.
I personally quite enjoyed the movie. The over acting can be something amusing, and once you get used to it, you can see through to the interpretation of the play. The actor of Theseus/Oberon is quite young, and does well in changing his acting. It is obvious the same actor is playing both parts, but his change in attitude makes it interesting to watch him act. The players (Quince, Bottom and the others) are portrayed as a sort of subdued biker group. They are very funny, and the actor of Pyramus, while acting silly during the play within a play, is able to elicit serious emotion as well.
So, give this version some time. It is quite satisfying to see it through to the end. The differences can be startling at first, but the interpretation is marvelous at times. Shakespeare is treated with due respect, earlier versions are honored, and A Midsummer Night's Dream is definitely experienced by all who watch.

Average customer rating:

Sentimental value and a look back
A naked Judi Dench
Four Stars for the Stars
As I remembered it.
Shakespeare in a Nehru jacket?

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Starring: Judi Dench , Donald Eccles , Derek Godfrey , Ian Holm , and Michael Jayston
Director: Peter Hall
Manufacturer: Water Bearer Films,
ProductGroup: DVD
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A Midsummer Night's Dream

ASIN: B0007CNXV4
Release Date: 2005-03-10

Customer Reviews:

Sentimental value and a look back.......2007-03-18

I first saw this film in 16mm format when I was taking Shakespeare in college in 1980. I liked it so much that every year after I would find out when the class was showing it just to go see it. The film's image onscreen was always rich, lush, and filled with color. At the time aside from Diana Rigg and a couple of others, I didn't know who many of the actors were. Now, looking back 27 years later after many of them like Judy Dench and Helen Mirren have had such distinguished careers, it is really amazing to look back on it now and see them when they were so young etc.

The reason I bought the dvd was because it's the only way I can go back and see it now. Having seen a real film print in excellent condition, I can verify that unfortunately as one other reviewer said, the print is washed out and the colors faded, and while the overall image is clean, the film's imperfections are apparent. The whole thing could benefit from a better print and digital remastering. If you're just looking for a film version of this play, then you may be better off with more recent releases. However if you can get past the imperfections and have a keen interest, then it's a great way to look back in time at many of these fine British actors.

A naked Judi Dench.......2007-02-28

An independent film Directed by Peter Hall and The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon. This is one of those gems that allow many famous personalities of the time to display a little culture.

There are many fun facets of this film; right off we notice all the actors in a much earlier version. Who would have thought that Judi Dench was once so cute? And Helen Mirren before she was queen. Each version of midsummer Night's Dream displays a different star cast; and also to our advantage displays a different emphasis and dialog of William Shakespeare.

Then there is the negative side. Look closely and it looks like an Italian film with English dubbing; the words and voices are not quite in sync. The cameraman is the one that filmed "The Blare Witch."

Believe it or not it is better the second time through.
This film is a must for the collector.

Four Stars for the Stars.......2006-08-17

I had this film on video and the transfer was horrible.

Yes, the dialogue is read faster than the cast of the original horror flick THE THING could've done it, the green makeup of the fairies comes and goes like sunscreen...but this film is worth seeing for the cast alone.

Diana Rigg is as sexy as she ever was as Mrs. Emma Peel from "The Avengers" or Mrs. James Bond in ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE.

Judi Dench, who would become 007's boss "M" in the Pierce Brosnan Bond films, runs around in green paint and pasties. If the crew of the Enterprise had beamed down into this production, Captain Kirk would've added another hot green chick to his list of conquests (alongside Yvonne Craig).

David Warner, an actor whose career goes from THE OMEN to TIME BANDITS to TRON to TITANIC, plays one of the "human" leads.

Helen Mirren looks like she just got out of high school--so young and fresh and pretty! She would go on to many sexy roles. One of the weirdest ones was THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE & HER LOVER.

And Ian Holm, perhaps best remembered as the milk-sweating android from the original ALIEN, plays a hyper, twitching fairy. He was also great in THE SWEET HEREAFTER and in the Mel Gibson version of HAMLET.

Any one of these actors would've been worth watching in a Shakespearean production...but to have them all?
Definitely worth watching.

As I remembered it........2006-08-06

I first saw this film in the '60s and was glad to have it again. Excellent DVD.

Shakespeare in a Nehru jacket?.......2006-07-26

Allowing for the albeit distracting 1968-isms (i.e. leather mini skirts and Beatles-style haircuts) this is a first rate version of Shakespeare's magical play. Featuring a cast of amazing stars including Helen Mirren and Diana Rigg as Hermia and Helena, Judy Dench (quite scantily clad) as Titania, the velvet-voiced Ian Richardson as Oberon and the impish Iam Holm as Puck, this version successfully portrays the combination of humor, magic and the absurdities of young love ("Lord, what fools these mortals be!") inherent in Shakespeare's play. The high-speed camera work and overabundance of green face paint can be a bit distracting, but the brilliance of Bottom and the "rude mechanicals", the careful balancing of the magical and the real and the faithful and articulate delivery of Shakespeare's gorgeous language more than compensate for any eccentricities of film-craft. Listening to Oberon's beautiful soliloquies ("I know a bank where the wild thyme blows...") delivered with such beauty and grace by Ian Richardson is worth the price of admission all by itself! Give Peter Hall's MND a try!

The Shakespeare Collection (Romeo + Juliet / Titus / A Midsummer Night's Dream)

Average customer rating:

Interesting and modern interpretations of Shakespeare for general audiences

The Shakespeare Collection (Romeo + Juliet / Titus / A Midsummer Night's Dream)
Starring: Osheen Jones , Dario D'Ambrosi , Anthony Hopkins , Jessica Lange , and Raz Degan
Director: Julie Taymor , Michael Hoffman , and Baz Luhrmann
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000E6ESK8
Release Date: 2006-04-18

Description

Includes the following titles:

*A Midsummer Night's Dream *Romeo & Juliet Special Edition *Titus 2-Disc Special Edition

Customer Reviews:

Interesting and modern interpretations of Shakespeare for general audiences.......2006-12-29

These movies are a real value and a good introduction for modern people to Shakespeare. They are not done in a very classical way, but rather take a lot of poetic license in their approach. They are a refreshing interpretation of Shakespeare that are very accessible to a general audience. Serious Shakespeare fans may want something more traditional, but overall these tapes bring a refreshing approach to these classical plays. Titus was especially powerful and provides a lot of creative visual interest, great acting and high emotional impact. While it was a bit disturbing, it was also quite interesting in a way that is unique to Anthony Hopkins. Purists may want to look elsewhere, but I enjoyed seeing these interpretations and recommend them given the caveats above.

Average customer rating:

A Great Ballet
Disappointing.
Extraordinarily Enchanting Ballet
Defective inventory?
wow!

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Starring: Patricia Barker (III) , Paul Gibson (VI) , Seth Belliston , Julie Tobiason , and Ross Yearsley
Director: Ross MacGibbon
Manufacturer: BBC / Opus Arte
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005Q313
Release Date: 2001-09-18

Description

Choreographed by an artistic genius, Shakespeare's comedy of magic and love's delusions set to the music of Felix Mendelssohn is a guaranteed audience pleaser. Pacific Northwest Ballet displays all the vitality, brilliance and versatility of its wonderful dancers in this award-winning production of Balanchine's first original full-length ballet.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Ballet.......2007-03-17

I had ordered this dvd a year ago from amazon and it is my one of my favorite ballet dvds. (The other beig PNB's Nutcracker the Show. also featuring Patricia Barker.) The Ballet is entertaining and the performance was wonderful. It is well worth seeing.

Disappointing. .......2006-08-24

I was very disappointed in the quality of the disc. The first 10 minutes were unwatchable. It was like trying to watch a scrambled programme on T.V. However, after that the first and second acts were fine until the finale when the disc just stopped. I was able to start the finale again from the disc menu after which it played through to the end. From what I was able to watch I think it would have been very enjoyable but was, of course spoiled. I have not been able to watch the PAL side so cannot comment on it.

Extraordinarily Enchanting Ballet.......2006-08-07

Patricia Barker is one of the best dancers of our time and she is extraordinary in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Balachine's choreography is wonderful and the story itself is enchanting. The costumes and scenery are so incredibly beautiful. Any small ballet company wishes they could have a budget like that. Everything about this ballet is absolutely beautiful.

Defective inventory?.......2006-04-02

As others have commented, the NTSC side of this DVD is non-playable. I tried it in two DVD players and they refused to play it. I then tried it in my PC, and only the PAL side of the DVD works. The NTSC side contains nothing but the color test bars you see when a TV station is off the air. I think Amazon has got a batch of bad DVDs here.

I'd really like to have this DVD for my daughter who loves ballet - and from viewing the PAL side of the DVD, the picture quality and sound appear superb. Giving it 1 star solely because the DVD was defective.

wow!.......2006-03-22

The choreography is wonderful (of course it's Balanchine!), the dancing is superb (the third act pas de deux is about the most beautiful ballet one is likely to see), the costumes are beautiful, the cast is excellent (Patricia Barker's legs and feet are astounding) well worth having in your library. One strange note to this happy tale... The first dvd I received (one side is European PalSecam, the other regular since it was recorded in England) did not play at all so I sent it back and got another one which was mislabeled (the European side was in reality the American version) so I thought I had another dud, but the opposite side plays just fine.

Britten - A Midsummer Night's Dream / Bowman, Cotrubas, Lott, Buchanan, Davies, Duesing, Haitink, Glyndebourne Opera

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Magical Entertainment
Lovely music and production
Wonderful Music
A Dream come true

Britten - A Midsummer Night's Dream / Bowman, Cotrubas, Lott, Buchanan, Davies, Duesing, Haitink, Glyndebourne Opera
Starring: Benjamin Britten , Felicity Lott , Ileana Cotrubas , James Bowman , and Dale Duesing
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000294T4M
Release Date: 2004-07-27

Description

Glyndebourne's production of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream is pure magic. Brilliantly adapted from Shakespeare's play, the opera follows the adventures of four lovers and a group of naïve rustics who, in a wood on a moonstruck midsummer night, fall foul of Oberon and Tytania, the quarrelling king and queen of the fairies. In Hall's remarkable staging the very wood comes alive as logs and trees move and rustle, creating ambiguous silhouettes in the dark mysterious woodland, lit only by designer John Bury's wonderful rising sun and moon. Stars Felicity Lott, Ileana Cotrubas, and James Bowman.

Customer Reviews:

Magical Entertainment.......2006-06-18

Methinks Shakespeare himself would applaud this remarkably beautiful operatic interpretation of his enchanting play. Let yourself be transported by the marvelous staging, incredibly eerie lighting, and of course Britten's out-of-this-world music -- not to mention all the spectacular transcendental singing! A stunning and riveting performance from the word goeth...

Lovely music and production.......2005-02-22

I think Britten handled Shakespeare very well here, and I only wish he had set other Shakespeare plays into opera. The mechanicals were very funny and I thought the lovers quite convincing, though not teenagers. Britten seemed to trust children in his operas as his career went on; here the fairies are all children (except Oberon and Titania) and Puck is especially tricky as a little boy. I thought Cotrubas was a very effective Titania and wished that a recent production of the play I saw (not the opera) had such an imperious fairy queen. I was not crazy about the Oberon, but it was Britten's choice to have a high male voice for the part, for good dramatic reason, to stress his difference from humans; but I found the voice to lack power. Others have said they did not like the woods, but I found them quite magical and for me, they worked very well, giving a rustling magical forest feeling. The mechanicals are funny and their opera within an opera is silly and touching.

Wonderful Music.......2005-01-23

The London Philharmonic, the truly spectacular boy's voices, and some great opera singing show off the extraordinary brilliance of Britten's composition and make this recording a necessary part of a serious opera collection. But don't expect the same from the production. The sets and costumes leave much to be desired. None of the lovers look convincing, and the "moving branches" that constitute the forest make one think of Macbeth's Birnam Woods a bit too often! A "low budget" production can often work very well for live opera performances, but with zoom lenses on the cameras and a relatively large screen home theater, the flaws distract. I enjoyed some of the scenes more by turning away from the screen and just listening.

A Dream come true.......2004-09-13

I've been waiting for this to arrive on DVD having fallen in love with it on LaserDisk. And it has been worth the wait. Britten is up to the task of turning Shakespeare into opera. He devises a different sound for each of the three forces - the fairies, the mortals and the rustics. The casting is ideal with a young Cotrubas as Titania outstanding. Bernard Haitink keeps everything moving. And Peter Hall gives it a magical production with an eerie forest where the trees seem to have a life of their own. All comes to a head in the Pyramus and Thysbe drama played as a hilarious spoof of bel canto. Let yourself be translated to fairyland.

Britten - A Midsummer Night's Dream / Daniels, Sala, Gietz, Dazeley, Meek, Hahn, Waddington, Rigby, Vas, Bicket, Barcelona Opera

Average customer rating:

Mesmerizing Recreation of Shakespeare's Ironic Comedy Performed to the Hilt by a Stellar Cast

Britten - A Midsummer Night's Dream / Daniels, Sala, Gietz, Dazeley, Meek, Hahn, Waddington, Rigby, Vas, Bicket, Barcelona Opera
Starring: David Daniels , William Dazeley , Ofelia Sala , Gordon Gietz , and Jean Rigby
Manufacturer: Virgin Classics
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000AY2K4A
Release Date: 2006-01-24

Description

This is a live performance of BENJAMIN BRITTEN's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" shot at Teatro del Liceu in April of 2005 featuring singers DAVID DANIELS, OFELIA SALA, GORDON GIETZ & WILLIAM DAZELEY. HARRY BICKET conducts Orquestra Simfonica del Gran Teatro del Liceu. The production received such great reviews & audience reaction that performances continued in various opera houses throughout Europe that same year. The stage direction by ROBERT CARSEN also received rave reviews and is what is seen here in this program. The DVD includes subtitles in French, English, German, Spanish & Italian.

Customer Reviews:

Mesmerizing Recreation of Shakespeare's Ironic Comedy Performed to the Hilt by a Stellar Cast.......2006-02-02

Truly one of the most beguiling of Benjamin Britten's operas, his 1960 adaptation (with longtime partner and co-librettist Peter Pears) of Shakespeare's fanciful comedy, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", was given a highly original makeover in Canadian music director Robert Carsen's production at the 1995 Festival of Aix-en-Provence. With some surprising cinematic touches added by film director Francois Roussillon, the production has been faithfully reworked in this wonderful April 2005 staging at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. Virgin Classics has done a superb job in capturing the magic of this performance, which hopefully signals a trend toward even more such DVD packages.

Highlighting the sexual tensions of the original play on a minimalist, blue-green-dominated set, Carsen foregoes period costumes to focus on the essence of the various themes by retaining the humor while still evoking a constant aura of mystery in his translation. Anyone familiar with the play knows that Shakespeare saturated his text with twisting ironies among a diverse set of characters, and Britten creatively responds with a unique musical style for each group - the folk-like pastiche of brass for the rustic characters (i.e. the "mechanicals"); the more noble sounds of strings and woodwinds which reflect Britten's more recognized style for the lovers; and the ethereal blend of percussion, harpsichord and harps full of glissandi for the immortals. These distinctions lend musical shadings that create the ideal panorama of emotions and comic elements to pull off Shakespeare's tale.

The international cast is superb and given the multiple nationalities represented, surprisingly compatible. The ensemble starts with the extraordinary American countertenor David Daniels as the fairy king, Oberon. In a relatively understated performance despite his resplendent green attire and matching green hair, he commands the stage with the right mix of unbridled romanticism and searing malevolence. Indicative of the part as originated by Alfred Dellar, the lower register of his voice is used splendidly, especially on his key Act I number, "I know a bank where the wild thyme blows". Even though he is known far more as a Handelian, Daniels's obvious affinity for Purcell (as evidenced on his recital discs, "Serenade" and "A Quiet Thing") serves him well here. Spanish soprano Ofelia Sala offers a full-bodied Tytania with a lovely voice that encompasses the coloratura of the role and a comic deftness to move fluidly from impervious to smitten as Bottom's unintended paramour. A high point is her delightful version of Act II's "Be kind and courteous to this gentleman".

As the first pair of lovers, Lysander and Hermia, Canadian tenor Gordon Gietz and American mezzo-soprano Deanne Meek exude passion effortlessly, sing beautifully together and provide the grounding necessary for their later comic scenes. German soprano Brigitte Hahn and with an especially dark timbre, English baritone William Dazeley, appear as the more comical second pair, Helena and Demetrius. The dynamic interaction of these four, whether quarreling or fleeing from each other due to Puck's intrusive magic, produces an engaging romp, all the while making Britten's music vibrant with emotional fervor and clear diction. English veterans from the 2004 Glyndebourne production fill the remaining principal roles. Bass-baritone Peter Rose makes a fine, subtle Bottom with a strong voice. Managing to remain expressive even in a full-head donkey mask, he lends an endearing quality and makes the most of his recital of his dream of love with Tytania. Proving a boisterous band, the mechanicals work well as an ensemble with tenor Christopher Gillett an appropriately naive Flute and bass Henry Waddington a lively albeit controlling Quince.

In the speaking role of Puck, the physically antic Emil Wolk is not the young figure one generally envisions in the role but a mischievous, middle-aged sprite who plays with the rhythms of Shakespeare's prose a little too freely (the cadences feel somewhat off). Costumed as green-hued gentleman's gentlemen with mustaches, the chorus of fairies is played liltingly by the Escolania de Montserrat under choirmaster Joaquim Pique. Michael Levine's strikingly bare but highly dramatic-looking set consists of a deep blue backdrop with just a crescent moon and most of the stage taken by a large platform laid out as a huge bed covered with a green bedspread. Two huge pillows are revealed underneath the bedcovers, and they become multi-purposed as river banks for the lovers to set themselves and as Tytania's bed at the end of Act I.

The bed theme remains constant throughout the opera with, for example, three beds suspended dramatically in mid-air, two containing the pairs of lovers and one containing Tytania and Bottom. They ascend and descend depending on the plot turns. Lighting is also used dramatically, especially in the Act II entrance of Oberon and Puck. This is a visual as well as aural treat, and under Harry Bicket's expert baton, the Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Theatre del Liceu performs the music with dazzling dexterity and disciplined pacing. The 160-minute opera is presented on two discs with Acts I and II on the first and Act III on the second, and the package also includes a small pamphlet with credits, color photos and scene titles. Subtitles are available, though the credits in the recording itself are strictly in French.

Chailly Conducts Mendelssohn / Anne Schwanewilms, Petra-Maria Schnitzer, Peter Seiffert

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Riccardo Chailly's Inaugural Concert as Conductor of the Gewandhaus

Chailly Conducts Mendelssohn / Anne Schwanewilms, Petra-Maria Schnitzer, Peter Seiffert
Starring: Riccardo Chailly , Wolfgang Rihm Verwandlung 2 , Symphony No 2 Lobgesang , Midsummer Night's Dream , and Leipzig Gewandhaus Opera Orchestra
Manufacturer: Euroarts
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ASIN: B000CFX5HI
Release Date: 2006-01-17

Customer Reviews:

Riccardo Chailly's Inaugural Concert as Conductor of the Gewandhaus.......2006-02-06

It only took four months from the time of this concert on 2 September 2005 for it to find its way onto a DVD distributed worldwide. This is close to a record for a classical music DVD. But the concert does represent a momentous event in its part of the world and for those of us elsewhere who care about such things. Riccardo Chailly had been conductor of the famed Royal Concertbegouw in Amsterdam since 1988, moving to the Gewandhaus only this past fall. The concert itself has profound connections to the orchestra's history containing as it contans three works by Mendelssohn who was the orchestra's first conductor. It is special also for containing a world première by one of Germany's great living composers, Wolfgang Rihm.

The gala audience in the gorgeously refurbished Gewandhaus was in for a treat. The concert opened with the original 1826 version of the precocious Mendelssohn's Overture to 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' This original version sounds a bit more angular and a good deal more forward looking that the version we are familiar with. It seems to look forward to the sort of thing Berlioz was to do a few years hence. And the orchestra plays it with suavity and zest. One becomes aware of how strong this orchestra is in all its departments. (The only time I saw the orchestra play live was when they were on tour in the US during the latter days of the repressive East German regime -- one could spot their Stasi minders in the hall and backstage -- and the orchestra sounded and looked hangdog. None of that here. This is a brilliant orchestra.)

Next is the Rihm première, a 20-minute piece called 'Verwandlung II' ('Transformation II'; 'Verwandlung I' was premièred in 2002). It is a concerto for orchestra in all but name. A fairly typical late Rihm work, it looks backwards towards the formal constructs of Mahler but with no nostalgic tics. It is truly music of the present with brilliant orchestration, masterful manipulation of themes (cells, really) and clear form. It got a convincing performance from the orchestra and a loud ovation from the audience.

Mendelssohn's 'Psalm 114' ('When Israel came out of Egypt') is a compact, 15-minute powerfully moving expression of the faith of the exiled Jews. No soloists are used. Rather, Mendelssohn writes for a eight-part chorus, which sings the complete text of the psalm. It has six through-composed sections mirroring the Psalm's text and although it may be an example of what George Bernard Shaw sneeringly called 'kid-glove gentility,' it is an effective work for what it is. The excellent Gewandhaus Choir combined with the chorus of the Leipzig Opera make a joyful noise.

Mendelssohn's Second Symphony, 'Lobgesang' ('Song of Praise'), is a curious work in that it has three orchestral movements followed by an extended cantata for its final movement. It has some correspondence to Beethoven's Ninth, of course, but does not have the formal integrity of that work. This performance is of the original version from 1840 first presented at a Festival in Leipzig honoring the 300th birthday of Johann Gutenberg. I'm frankly not familiar enough with the symphony to note any differences between the two versions. The orchestral writing is marvelous. I particularly liked the sound of the unison trombones intoning the main theme of the first movement and the utterly gorgeous Allegretto second movement with its alternating pizzicato and arco strings accompanying meltingly lovely wind solos. The third movement is an Adagio, designated 'religioso,' and features some of the best string playing I've heard in a long time. This is vintage Mendelssohn and frankly I would have been more than happy to have had an instrumental finale. But obviously Mendelssohn knew better than I. The finale uses Bible texts (I cannot identify them more precisely than that) sung by two soprano soloists, a tenor soloist and a full choir. There is more than a little bit of homage paid to Lutheran chorale in the finale ('Nun danket alle Gott' gave me goosebumps), but the high points for me are the soprano solos and the two-soprano duet. The radiant Anne Schwanewilms is the prime soloist, joined in the duet by Petra-Maria Schnitzer. The stalwart tenor soloist is Peter Seiffert. I am less impressed with the sung finale than with what went before, but I have to say that the present performance is beautifully done and satisfying for what it is.

Sound (PCM stereo, Dolby 5.1, DTS 5.1) is demonstration quality. Videography is excellent; the editor clearly was very familiar with the score and the intercutting is expert. The sung texts are available in subtitles in English, German, French and Spanish. There is an eight-minute interview with Chailly and various other Gewandhaus personnel speaking of his accession to the conductorship of the orchestra. TT=121 mins

Scott Morrison

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