A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)

Directors:

William Dieterle
Max Reinhardt

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play)
Charles Kenyon (arranged for the screen by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

30 October 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

A New Triumph In Movie History !

Plot:

Theseus, Duke of Athens, is going to marry Hyppolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Demetrius is engaged with Hermia...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Actor | Magic | Play | Fairy

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Ian Hunter	...	Theseus, Duke of Athens
Verree Teasdale	...	Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, betrothed to Theseus
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Philostrate, Master of Revels to Theseus
Dick Powell	...	Lysander, In love with Hermia
Ross Alexander	...	Demetrius, In love with Hermia
Olivia de Havilland	...	Hermia, In love with Lysander (as Olivia de Haviland)
Jean Muir	...	Helena, In love with Demetrius
Grant Mitchell	...	Egeus, Father to Hermia
Frank McHugh	...	Quince, the Carpenter
Dewey Robinson	...	Snug, the Joiner
James Cagney	...	Bottom, the Weaver
Joe E. Brown	...	Flute, the Bellows-mender
Hugh Herbert	...	Snout, the Tinker
Otis Harlan	...	Starveling, the Tailor
Arthur Treacher	...	Epilogue
Victor Jory	...	Oberon, King of the Fairies
Anita Louise	...	Titania, Queen of the Fairies
Nini Theilade	...	Fairie, Attending Titania (as Nina Theilade)
Mickey Rooney	...	Puck or Robin Goodfellow, a Fairy
Katherine Frey	...	Pease-Blossom (as Fairies)
Helen Westcott	...	Cobweb (as Fairies)
Fred Sale	...	Moth (as Fairies)
Billy Barty	...	Mustard-Seed (as Fairies)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sheila Brown	...	Indian Prince (uncredited)
Carrie Daumery	...	In Audience watching the acting Troupes Performance (uncredited)
Carol Ellis	...	Titania (singing voice) (uncredited)
Shep Houghton	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Rags Ragland	...	Acting Troupe Member (uncredited)
Angelo Rossitto	...	Gnome (uncredited)
Helen Wood	...	Lady of the Court (uncredited)

Directed by
William Dieterle
Max Reinhardt

Writing credits
William Shakespeare		(play)
Charles Kenyon		(arranged for the screen by) &
Mary C. McCall Jr.		(arranged for the screen by)

Produced by
Henry Blanke	....	producer (uncredited)
Hal B. Wallis	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Jack L. Warner	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Hal Mohr		(photography by)

Film Editing by
Ralph Dawson

Art Direction by
Anton Grot

Set Decoration by
Ben Bone		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Max Rée		(as Max Ree)
Milo Anderson		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Perc Westmore	....	cosmetician
Charles Gemora	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Faye Hanlin	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Al Alleborn	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Russell Saunders	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Sherry Shourds	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Emmett Emerson	....	props (uncredited)
Harper Goff	....	set designer (uncredited)
John More	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Charles David Forrest	....	sound (uncredited)
Nathan Levinson	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Byron Haskin	....	special photographic effects
Fred Jackman	....	special photographic effects
Hans F. Koenekamp	....	special photographic effects (as Hans Koenekamp)

Camera and Electrical Department
Thomas Brannigan	....	camera operator (uncredited)
William Classen	....	grip (uncredited)
Stanley Cortez	....	camera operator (uncredited)
L. De Angelis	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Hans F. Koenekamp	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Mickey Marigold	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Robert Surtees	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Warren Low	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	conductor
Erich Wolfgang Korngold	....	music arranger
Erich Wolfgang Korngold	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
Stanley Logan	....	dialogue director
Bronislava Njinska	....	choreographer: ballets by (as Bronislawa Nijinska)
Fred Applegate	....	continuity (uncredited)
Henry Blanke	....	supervisor (uncredited)
George P. Breakston	....	double: Mickey Rooney (uncredited)
Jane Downey	....	stand-in (uncredited)
S. Charles Einfeld	....	press agent (uncredited)
Jack A. Goodrich	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Jack Grey	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Betty Hobday	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Percy Kennedy	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Pat O'Shea	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Gladys Rehfeld	....	stand-in (uncredited)
George Slight	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Nini Theilade	....	dance ensembles (uncredited)
Charles Veneman	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Arthur J. Zellner	....	publicist (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures (have the honor to present) (as Warner Brothers)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1935) (USA) (theatrical)
• Key Video (1984) (USA) (VHS) (For CBS/Fox Video)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1992) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• MGM/UA Home Video  VHS package design
• Turner Entertainment  VHS package design
• United Costumers Inc.  costume supplies (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

133 min | USA:117 min (edited version) | USA:142 min (with overture and exit music)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #752)

Filming Locations:

Stage 11, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold was personally chosen by director Max Reinhardt. Both agreed in an early production stage to use the original incidental music written by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy as the film's soundtrack. (Reinhardt did a stage production of the play before and used Mendelssohn's music.) As the film runs over two hours it was obvious that Mendelssohn's composition would be too short. Instead of just repeating several musical cues to fit the film's final length Korngold adapted the incidental music and parts of some other compositions by Mendelssohn, re-orchestrated them for a larger orchestra and choir (most notably heard in his Wedding March version at the end) and composed some short musical bridges by himself. Thus he created a complete symphonic score for the movie based on Mendelssohn's music. However, he chose to remain uncredited as a composer and insisted on giving full musical credit to Mendelssohn.

Quotes:

Demetrius, in Love with Hermia:[Puck is leading Demetrius astray through a fog] Lysander! Speak again! You runaway. You coward. Are you fled?
Puck:You coward! Are you bragging to the stars? Telling the bushes that you look for wars, and wilt not come?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Goodbye Girl (1977)

Soundtrack:

Scherzo in E-Minor

A great cinematic introduction to Shakespeare

Early Hollywood wasn't known for its high-brow culture, and this film was an important step in enriching the cinema. The opening titles reveal how proud Warner Brothers were to have done it, and what a production it was indeed: all the top Warner's stars, the best technical support in the world, a top composer of the day in Erich Korngold, ballet choreography by Nijinska, and the highly respected Max Reinhardt as director. You couldn't have asked for more in those energetic movie days.

And, happily, it works! It's still beautiful, exciting, technically enthralling--and very funny! There are too many great performances to single out even one; but as an ensemble, the "players" are marvelous. No one seems stilted; everyone is right at home; even though most of these individuals hadn't been trained to the classical stage--they were just good! and, incidentally, it just goes to show the timelessness of the play itself.

Some scenes today seem overlong, and I think someone should have toned down little Mickey Rooney a good bit, but all in all it's a triumph. Midsummer or not, it's a sweet interlude.