Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

A Midsummer Night's Dream

  • 19351935
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 2h 13m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
18,334
898
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
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...
Play trailer2:12
1 Video
64 Photos
ComedyFantasyRomance
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.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
18,334
898
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Directors
      • William Dieterle
      • Max Reinhardt
    • Writers
      • William Shakespeare(by)
      • Charles Kenyon(arranged for the screen by)
      • Mary C. McCall Jr.(arranged for the screen by)
    • Stars
      • James Cagney
      • Dick Powell
      • Ian Hunter
    Top credits
    • Directors
      • William Dieterle
      • Max Reinhardt
    • Writers
      • William Shakespeare(by)
      • Charles Kenyon(arranged for the screen by)
      • Mary C. McCall Jr.(arranged for the screen by)
    • Stars
      • James Cagney
      • Dick Powell
      • Ian Hunter
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 67User reviews
    • 35Critic reviews
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:12
    Official Trailer

    Photos64

    Olivia de Havilland and Dick Powell in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
    James Cagney, Hugh Herbert, Joe E. Brown, Otis Harlan, Frank McHugh, Dewey Robinson, and Arthur Treacher in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
    A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
    James Cagney and Anita Louise in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
    Ian Hunter and Verree Teasdale in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
    Sheila Brown and Anita Louise in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
    Olivia de Havilland in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
    Jean Muir in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
    James Cagney, Hugh Herbert, Joe E. Brown, Otis Harlan, Frank McHugh, and Arthur Treacher in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
    Ross Alexander in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
    James Cagney, Billy Barty, and Anita Louise in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
    Jean Muir in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)

    Top cast

    Edit
    James Cagney
    James Cagney
    • Bottom - the Weaver
    Dick Powell
    Dick Powell
    • Lysander - In Love with Hermia
    Ian Hunter
    Ian Hunter
    • Theseus - Duke of Athens
    Verree Teasdale
    Verree Teasdale
    • Hippolyta - Queen of the Amazons - Betrothed to Theseus
    Hobart Cavanaugh
    Hobart Cavanaugh
    • Philostrate - Master of Revels to Theseus
    Ross Alexander
    Ross Alexander
    • Demetrius - In Love with Hermia
    Olivia de Havilland
    Olivia de Havilland
    • Hermia - In Love with Lysander
    • (as Olivia de Haviland)
    Jean Muir
    Jean Muir
    • Helena - In Love with Demetrius
    Grant Mitchell
    Grant Mitchell
    • Egeus - Father to Hermia
    Frank McHugh
    Frank McHugh
    • Quince - the Carpenter
    Dewey Robinson
    Dewey Robinson
    • Snug - the Joiner
    Joe E. Brown
    Joe E. Brown
    • Flute - the Bellows-Mender
    Hugh Herbert
    Hugh Herbert
    • Snout - the Tinker
    Otis Harlan
    Otis Harlan
    • Starveling - the Tailor
    Arthur Treacher
    Arthur Treacher
    • Epilogue
    Victor Jory
    Victor Jory
    • Oberon - King of the Fairies
    Anita Louise
    Anita Louise
    • Titania - Queen of the Fairies
    Nini Theilade
    Nini Theilade
    • Fairie - Attending Titania
    • (as Nina Theilade)
    • Directors
      • William Dieterle
      • Max Reinhardt
    • Writers
      • William Shakespeare(by)
      • Charles Kenyon(arranged for the screen by)
      • Mary C. McCall Jr.(arranged for the screen by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Gold Diggers of 1935
    6.9
    Gold Diggers of 1935
    Les Misérables
    7.7
    Les Misérables
    Alice Adams
    6.9
    Alice Adams
    Anthony Adverse
    6.3
    Anthony Adverse
    Taxi
    6.6
    Taxi
    The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
    7.0
    The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
    Here Comes the Navy
    6.2
    Here Comes the Navy
    The Informer
    7.4
    The Informer
    Romeo and Juliet
    6.5
    Romeo and Juliet
    A Tale of Two Cities
    7.8
    A Tale of Two Cities
    Anna Karenina
    7.0
    Anna Karenina
    Captain Blood
    7.7
    Captain Blood

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When the forest that Max Reinhardt designed could not be lit properly, cinematographer Hal Mohr thinned the trees slightly, sprayed them with aluminum paint and covered them with cobwebs and tiny metal particles to reflect the light. As a result, he became the first (and only) write-in winner of an Academy Award.
    • Goofs
      Corrective lenses were introduced in the 13th century so they could have been worn in Shakespeare's time.
    • Quotes

      Hermia, in Love with Lysander: [to Helena] How low am I, you painted maypole? Speak! How low am I? I am not yet so low but that my nails can reach into your eyes!

    • Crazy credits
      The opening credits appear as if they were "trickling down" from the top of the screen.
    • Alternate versions
      The original 132-minute roadshow version of this film has been restored, shown on cable, and issued on videocassette and DVD. For many years, though, this film was shown only in its general release version, a 117-minute version painstakingly edited by the studio (so that the cuts would not be noticeable), which shifted the order of some sequences and eliminated others.The 2007 DVD release also restores the Intermission title card, not seen since the film's original roadshow release in 1935, as well as including the overture and exit music.
    • Connections
      Featured in A Dream Comes True (1935)
    • Soundtracks
      A Midsummer Night's Dream: Overture and Incidental Music
      (1826) (uncredited)

      Music by Felix Mendelssohn

      Adapted by Erich Wolfgang Korngold

      Heard throughout the film

    User reviews67

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    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.
    helpful•37
    7
    • Doc-57
    • Jul 17, 1999

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 30, 1935 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Sueño de una noche de verano
    • Filming locations
      • Stage 11, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 13 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
    Top Gap
    By what name was A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    New & Upcoming Superhero Movies and Series
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    Fall TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    Double Take: Celebrity Twins
    See the full list
    Back to top

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more access
    Sign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.