A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)

Lovers' lives are complicated by city law, feuding faerie royalty, and... love.

Director:

Michael Hoffman

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play), Michael Hoffman (screenplay)

Stars:

Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Kline	...	Nick Bottom
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Titania
Rupert Everett	...	Oberon
Stanley Tucci	...	Puck
Calista Flockhart	...	Helena
Anna Friel	...	Hermia
Christian Bale	...	Demetrius
Dominic West	...	Lysander
David Strathairn	...	Theseus
Sophie Marceau	...	Hippolyta
Roger Rees	...	Peter Quince
Max Wright	...	Robin Starveling
Gregory Jbara	...	Snug
Bill Irwin	...	Tom Snout
Sam Rockwell	...	Francis Flute

Storyline

Shakespeare's intertwined love polygons begin to get complicated from the start--Demetrius and Lysander both want Hermia but she only has eyes for Lysander. Bad news is, Hermia's father wants Demetrius for a son-in-law. On the outside is Helena, whose unreturned love burns hot for Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander plan to flee from the city under cover of darkness but are pursued by an enraged Demetrius (who is himself pursued by an enraptured Helena). In the forest, unbeknownst to the mortals, Oberon and Titania (King and Queen of the faeries) are having a spat over a servant boy. The plot twists up when Oberon's head mischief-maker, Puck, runs loose with a flower which causes people to fall in love with the first thing they see upon waking. Throw in a group of labourers preparing a play for the Duke's wedding (one of whom is given a donkey's head and Titania for a lover by Puck) and the complications become fantastically funny.

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Plot Keywords:

fairy | unrequited love | love potion | transformation | shakespeare's a midsummer night's dream | 

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Taglines:

Love makes fools of us all.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Calista Flockhart and Anna Friel's mud fight had to be filmed twice. It took four hours to prep and clean the actresses for a second take.

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Goofs

After calling Hermia a "dwarf", Lysander has a lot less mud on his face in the next shot.

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Quotes

Bottom the Weaver: Hark! I see a voice!

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Connections

Version of A Midsummer Night's Dream (1946)

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Soundtracks

Brindisi
from the opera "La traviata"
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Renée Fleming and Marcello Giordani
Conducted by Terry Davies
with the London Voices, directed by Terry Edwards
Courtesy of The Decca Record Company Limited, London
By Arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Music

User Reviews

very nice to look at

I admit, that I have not read the play, so probably all of the credit for the idea goes to Shakespeare himself. But I was also caught by the magic of the pictures. The actors and actresses were so pretty, the story so nicely recited, and the atmosphere somehow magically ravishing. I got a lot of positive feelings out of this movie, and when I walk through the forest now, I am reminded of them. Well, this film did leave a wonderful trace in my mind. Hopefully, it lasts for a couple of days. I give it an 8/10.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK Italy USA

Language:

English Italian Latin

Release Date:

14 May 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le songe d'une nuit d'été de William Shakespeare

Filming Locations:

Caprarola, Viterbo, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,285,620, 16 May 1999

Gross USA:

$16,071,990

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,071,990

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, New Regency Productions, Taurus Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1