Two couples and a troupe of actors have an encounter with some mischievous fairies in the forest.Two couples and a troupe of actors have an encounter with some mischievous fairies in the forest.Two couples and a troupe of actors have an encounter with some mischievous fairies in the forest.Two couples and a troupe of actors have an encounter with some mischievous fairies in the forest.Two couples and a troupe of actors have an encounter with some mischievous fairies in the forest.
Videos1
Olivia de Havilland
- Hermia - In Love with Lysanderas Hermia - In Love with Lysander
- (as Olivia de Haviland)
Nini Theilade
- Fairie - Attending Titaniaas Fairie - Attending Titania
- (as Nina Theilade)
Theseus, Duke of Athens, is going to marry Hyppolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Demetrius is engaged with Hermia, but Hermia loves Lysander. Helena loves Demetrius. Oberon and Titania, of the kingdom of fairies have a slight quarrel about whether or not the boy Titania is raising will join Titania's band or Oberon's, so Oberon tries to get him from her by using some magic. But they're not alone in that forest.Lysander and Hermina have there a rendezvous, Helena and Demetrius are there, too as well as some actors, who are practicing a play for the ongoing wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta. Due to some misunderstandings by Puck, the whole thing becomes a little bit confused... —Stephan Eichenberg <eichenbe@fak-cbg.tu-muenchen.de>
Top review
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.
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.
helpful•337
- Doc-57
- Jul 17, 1999
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