IMDb > A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982)
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 15 | slideshow) Videos
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   6,120 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Woody Allen (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
16 July 1982 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Six characters in search of love [Video]
Plot:
A wacky inventor and his wife invite two other couples for a weekend party at a romantic summer house in the 1900s countryside. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 nomination more
User Comments:
Shakespeare and Bergman and Sprites and Spirits oh my more (33 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Woody Allen ... Andrew

Mia Farrow ... Ariel
José Ferrer ... Leopold (as Jose Ferrer)
Julie Hagerty ... Dulcy
Tony Roberts ... Maxwell

Mary Steenburgen ... Adrian
Adam Redfield ... Student Foxx
Moishe Rosenfeld ... Mr. Hayes
Timothy Jenkins ... Mr. Thomson
Michael Higgins ... Reynolds
Sol Frieder ... Carstairs
Boris Zoubok ... Purvis
Thomas Barbour ... Blint

Kate McGregor-Stewart ... Mrs. Baker
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
88 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: About thirteen minutes into the movie, a crew member is visible crouched by a tree, as a deer runs through the woods. more
Quotes:
Andrew: Adrian, this is the kitchen table. What are you doing?
Adrian: Making...
Andrew: We cannot have intercourse where we eat oatmeal!
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? (1983) more
Soundtrack:
Symphony No. 3 (Scottish) in A Minor more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
19 out of 20 people found the following comment useful.
Shakespeare and Bergman and Sprites and Spirits oh my, 31 May 2005
8/10
Author: canadude

When I look at his filmography on this site and count the films I consider great from the 70s till the early 90s I only stumble over two or three entries I am not fond of. Granted, some are greater than others, but Woody Allen essentially created consistently excellent films for two decades. Whether comedy or drama, whether set in New York or elsewhere, his films are not only great American films, but they belong in the international arena of film art.

Having said all that, and hopefully having disclosed my own bias in discussing the man's work, I can say without further ado that I loved "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy." It is hardly the type of Woody Allen film that would receive dozens of critical accolades and nominations (in fact it was only nominated for a Razzie), but I think that can be explained by the fact that Woody Allen set a bar of expectation for himself. When you watch "Manhattan" or "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and then this you see a change of pace, a sort of lighter tone. That does not, however, mean that this film is without its merits. Taken strictly as a film, not as a Woody Allen film, it is plain wonderful. I think that goes for most of his films (except maybe some of the more recent ones).

Allen, of course, is up to his usual tricks again - he takes a Bergman film ("Smiles of a Summer Night") and spoofs it, makes it his own and I think successfully. The atmosphere of this film is what makes it so watchable - the beautiful blend of humor, nostalgia and unfulfilled desire, which I think he perfected in "Radio Days," come through exquisitely. It's also an interesting move away from the stark atheism, or at least agnosticism of his earlier films - the presence of spirits, shadows and ghosts, things unexplained by science, unaccounted for by our sentient experience.

The most interesting aspect of it is that this mystical theme is hardly incongruous with Allen's other films, including his tragedies. Whether his films underline the hopelessness of existence (like "Interiors") or the mystical, and thus hopeful nature of human relationships, they only differ by the mood the storyteller is in when he speaks of them.

Here we have an entirely Shakespearean comedy full of criss-crossing love affairs, absurd relations, untamed desires all leading to hilarious revelations, or serious revelations under the most comic circumstances. Jose Ferrer is remarkable as Professor Leopold, a cold, atheistic intellectual, an accomplished thinker and professor. Contrary to his character, Allen bestows him with some of the funniest lines in the entire film. For example, when he realizes that his marriage to Mia Farrow's Ariel will be the end of his bachelorhood and that he is attracted to Julie Hagerty's nurse Dulcy, he attempts to compliment Dulcy over a game of chess. He says: "You have a wonderful flair for spatial relationships." These little speeches are completely in line with the comic absurdity of the whole, like Tony Robert's Maxwell, a romantic doctor who, gets shot not once, but twice in the film (once for love and once for revenge {meant for someone else}, nonetheless), or Woody Allen's stockbroker / inventor Andrew.

There is such joy in this film, such passion. Yes, maybe "Radio Days" is more articulate and personal on the subject, maybe "Crimes and Misdemeanors" is one of his best tragedies, "Manhattan" one of my favorite of his films along with "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Another Woman." And, while "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy" is not as great, in my humble opinion, as the aforementioned films, it is still a great film, if that makes any sense.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (33 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Why does Mia Farrow talk like Diane Keaton? jiffyxpop
Picture of Andrew's house? glowgirl225
smiles of a summer night apologist8
Incredibly good! ugobo
soundtrack CD? gomper-1
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Vicky Cristina Barcelona Peter's Friends Annie Hall Heaven Can Wait Stevie
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Comedy section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.