Main Cast: Derek Godfrey, Barbara Jefford, Hugh Sullivan, Nicholas Selby, David Warner
Release Year: 1968
Country: UK
Run Time: 124 minutes
Plot
British director Peter Hall's 1968 filmization of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, starring the Royal Shakespeare Company, is faithful to the text and to the main plot, which involves the "bewitching" of several groups of mortals by a covey of mischievous invisible fairies. So why did critics complain? Hall's handling of Shakespeare's prose and iambic pentameter didn't bother the purists as much as the director's visual choices. Hall was criticized for staging the film in a typically rainy British winter rather than the mid-Summer alluded to in the play's title. The director responded by pointing out that the fairies, led by Oberon and Titania, were deliberately toying with the expectations and sensibilities of the Mortals -- thus, it made sense to confuse the "human" characters by playing havoc with the weather. Other stylistic alterations included updating the story to the 19th century, and the near-nudity of Judi Dench as Titania. Most of the film is shot in close-up (most effectively during the soliloquies of Diana Rigg, as Helena), not so much to hide budgetary deficiencies as to play better on television. Also featuring Ian Holm (as Puck) Barbara Jefford, Helen Mirren, Michael Jayston, Paul Rogers, Ian Richardson and David Warner, this Midsummer Night's Dream premiered in the U.S. on the CBS TV network on Sunday evening, February 9, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
One of the finest screen versions of the immortal Shakespeare comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream does suffer slightly from the period in which it was filmed. The costuming is not such a problem -- the mixture of 1960s styles with 19th century attire actually works well, producing an effect that is both disconcerting and comforting, and seems appropriate for what is, after all, a fantasy. Peter Suschitzky's jumpy, handheld camera does become annoying in places, but overall it's quite effective and gives a sense of immediacy to the proceedings. More problematic is the editing, which is sometimes choppy to the point of incomprehension. Clearly, director Peter Hall was going for a Richard Lester feel, but the effort comes across as a little forced. Still, these flaws seem minor when compared with the faithfulness with which the text has been preserved and -- more importantly -- with the dream of a cast that Hall has gathered. Diana Rigg is a glorious Helena, Helen Mirren adds depth to the often-misunderstood Hermia, and David Warner is a charming Lysander. Paul Rogers is quite possibly the best Bottom captured on film, playing the truth of the comedy rather than playing for laughs, and he and the enticing Judi Dench make a wonderfully queer pair. Michael Jayston is a bit wan as Demetrius, but Ian Holm's Puck is a malevolent delight. Warner and Hall would work together two years later, in Perfect Friday. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Peter Hall - Director, Jack Harris - Editor, Guy Woolfenden - Composer (Music Score), Neville Smallwood - Makeup, Peter Suschitzky - Cinematographer, Michael Birkett - Producer, Martin Ransohoff - Producer, William Shakespeare - Play Author
