Monday, September 02, 2013

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 1935 adaptation of Shakespeare's play. Max Reinhardt and William Dieterle direct. It stars Ian Hunter, James Cagney, Mickey Rooney, Olivia de Havilland, Joe E. Brown, Dick Powell and Arthur Treacher. The score is by Felix Mendelssohn as re-orchestrated by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. It was originally released at 132 minutes, but the theatrical release was shorter at 117 minutes. It bombed at the box office but seems to have increased appreciation now. The special effects are quite good, the dance sequences are delightful, the actors are fun to watch.... I enjoyed it all except for the loud, hysterical laughing fits, which gave me a head-ache before the almost 2 1/2 hour film was done.

via youtube:



DVD Talk says, "The movie is famous for its high production values and excellent, if wildly eccentric, star turns by James Cagney and Joe E. Brown. The result is funny and beautiful -- and truly magical." TCM has an overview, as does MSN. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 89%.

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