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 & 1 nomination.

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:

love | lover | fairy | fickleness | victorian era | 

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Taglines:

Love makes fools of us all.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Italy UK USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

14 May 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

Filming Locations:

Caprarola, Viterbo, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£310,464 (UK) (24 September 1999)

Gross:

£1,183,531 (UK) (15 October 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Regency Enterprises, Taurus Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Take a look at what some of the other performers are rehearsing while the Mechanicals are waiting for word from the Duke. One group of players is rehearsing the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex and another pair of players are rehearsing a scene from Shakespeare's play Othello.

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Goofs

Near the end of the film, right after the players have been "Notably Discharged," there is a shot where Bottom kisses Flute on the forehead, and Quince rubs his head and brings his face down next to Flute's. If you watch closely, the next shot is the exact same moment, just shown from a different angle, so where it would seem like one sequence of events, we are actually seeing the same thing twice.

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Quotes

Theseus: Merry and tragical? Tedious and brief? That is hot ice and wonderous strange snow.

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Connections

Version of BBC Sunday-Night Theatre: A Midsummer Night's Dream (1958)

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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

Charming Fairy Dust

Though some critics have dumped on this film, I was charmed by it. The movie literally sparkles. The settings are full of rich colors and magical lighting. The romantic classical music is all well chosen to help induce the hypnotic or dreamlike qualities. And the cast is an utter delight.

This is a fluffy cloud of fairy dust -- just as Shakespeare intended.