A Midsummer Night's Dream
by Adrian Noble
List Price:
Our Price: $4.99
You Save: $10.00 (67%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alex Jennings, Desmond Barrit, Finbar Lynch, Lindsay Duncan, Osheen JonesDirector: Adrian Noble
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Cinematographer: Ian Wilson
Writer: Adrian Noble
Editor: Paul Hodgson
Editor: Peter Hollywood
Producer: Ian Scaife
Producer: Paul Arnott
Writer: William Shakespeare
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-10-08
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Miramax
Movie Reviews of A Midsummer Night's Dream
Movie Review: The 'Psychedelic' version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Summary of A Midsummer Night's Dream
MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM - DVD Movie