A Midsummer Night's Dream (1981)

The adventures of four young lovers, a group of amateur actors and their interactions with fairies come to light in a moonlit forest.

Director:

Elijah Moshinsky

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)

Stars:

Estelle Kohler, Nigel Davenport, Hugh Quarshie

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Estelle Kohler	...	Hippolyta
Nigel Davenport	...	Theseus
Hugh Quarshie	...	Philostrate
Geoffrey Lumsden	...	Egeus
Pippa Guard	...	Hermia
Nicky Henson	...	Demetrius
Robert Lindsay	...	Lysander
Cherith Mellor	...	Helena
Geoffrey Palmer	...	Quince
Brian Glover	...	Bottom
John Fowler	...	Flute
Don Estelle	...	Starveling
Nat Jackley	...	Snout
Ray Mort	...	Snug
Phil Daniels	...	Puck

Storyline

The adventures of four young lovers, a group of amateur actors and their interactions with fairies come to light in a moonlit forest.

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Plot Keywords:

mischievousness | fickleness | fickle man | shakespeare's a midsummer night's dream | based on play | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 1981 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Time-Life Television Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Elijah Moshinsky disliked productions which portrayed Puck as a mischievous but harmless and lovable sprite, so he had Phil Daniels play him as if he were an anti-establishment punk.

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Quotes

Helena: I am amazed and know not what to say.

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Connections

Version of Shakespeare's Globe: A Midsummer Night's Dream (2014)

User Reviews

Two Shining Moments

There are two reasons why you might want to watch this version of Midsummer Night's Dream. One is Helen Mirren. She is lovely and perfect as Titania throughout and her delivery of the long monologue to Oberon in Act 2 Sc. 1 does not lose the viewer's attention for a moment. That is an awesome feat considering what a difficult passage it is.

The other shining moment occurs in Act 3 Sc. 2, starting about when Demetrius wakes up to find that he is in love with Helena. The ensuing lines are delivered over top of each other, as the lovers engage in a confused quarrel. The actors add to this by pushing each other, trying to get around or over or under to talk to someone other than the one that's talking to them. Great directing and perfect timing make this scene race by like I've never seen it before.

These two shining moments hardly make up for the rest of the performance which lacks sparkle. Some parts are sung (Puck's "Jack shall have Jill" speech) which is just incongruous. Perhaps the fact that Starveling sings his part as Moonshine is a bit of self-satire.

Which brings me to the rude mechanicals who are particularly lacklustre. Geoffrey Palmer is absolutely wasted here. "Pyramus and Thisbe" is absolutely boring. There are exactly two bits of comic business (Bottom steals food from the wedding table on the line "'Deceiving me' is Thisbe's cue" and Starveling as Moonshine tries to upstage Bottom by hanging the lantern in front of his face) and they aren't exactly hilarious. If it's not funny, it should at least be moving, but although Flute (a very feminine Flute) tries, the director has cut most of the wedding party's backchat and they seem to have little interest in what is going on on the stage. Small wonder really.

There's nothing about the sets and costumes, which suggest the English Civil War, to get us excited. The entire first scene is set in a library against a background of a ticking clock. What a great way to remind us how slowly the scene is moving!