A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)

Directors:

William Dieterle
Max Reinhardt

Writers:

William Shakespeare (by)
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 | Queen | Fairy | Play

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 Fairie)
Helen Westcott	...	Cobweb (as Fairie)
Fred Sale	...	Moth (as Fairie)
Billy Barty	...	Mustard-Seed (as Fairie)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sheila Brown	...	Indian Prince (uncredited)
Carrie Daumery	...	Performance Audience Member (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		(by)
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)

Film Editing by
Ralph Dawson		(edited by)

Art Direction by
Anton Grot

Set Decoration by
Ben Bone		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Max Rée		(costumes by) (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	....	musical director
Erich Wolfgang Korngold	....	music arranger
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy	....	music by (as Felix Mendelssohn)
Erich Wolfgang Korngold	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
Stanley Logan	....	dialogue director
Bronislava Njinska	....	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 (have the honor to present: A Max Reinhardt Production) (as Warner Brothers)

Distributors

• Warner Bros (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) | Australia:G (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

The first stage production of this play was in London, about in 1595.

Quotes:

Lysander:Helena, I love you, by my life I do!
Demetrius, in Love with Hermia:I say I love you more than he can do!
Lysander:If you say so, withdraw, and prove it too.
Demetrius, in Love with Hermia:Come!
Lysander:Come!
Demetrius, in Love with Hermia:Quick!
Lysander:Quick!
Demetrius, in Love with Hermia:Come quick!
Lysander:Quick, come!
[They draw swords]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Projectionist (1971)

Soundtrack:

Scottish Symphony

A Magical, Musical, Marvelous Movie

What?! James Cagney, Mickey Rooney & Dick Powell doing Shakespeare? Yes, indeed, and very well, too.

This is one of the most magical films of the 1930's. Warner Brothers lavished great care upon it and it glows like the moonlight in many of its most famous scenes.

The plot is a familiar one to all lovers of Shakespeare. Four desperate lovers steal away into the enchanted forest outside ancient Athens. There they are spied upon by the King of Fairies, Oberon, who is having domestic difficulties of his own with his fair Queen, Titania. Meanwhile, seven intellectually-challenged Athenian rustics have come to the same woods to practice a play they wish to perform at the nuptial celebrations of the local nobility. Puck, the fairy mischief-maker, has a ball causing difficulty for nearly everyone.

Hal Mohr, the Cinematographer, did a marvelous job. He makes you think he was filming by moonlight. For this film he was awarded the only Oscar ever won due to a write-in vote. The dreamy Mendelssohn music is also used to great effect.

The entire cast is excellent and the American accents of many of them does no injury to the Shakespearean verse. This was Olivia de Havilland's film debut and she is beautiful. Others include Ian Hunter, Joe E. Brown, Anita Louise, Victor Jory, Frank McHugh, Jean Muir, Hugh Herbert, Arthur Treacher & Billy Barty. Ross Alexander, groomed for stardom by Warners, had his best role here as one of the young lovers. Fame never smiled on him and two years later, relegated to minor films, he was to die a suicide.