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A Midsummer Night's Dream

  • TV Movie
  • 1981
  • TV-14
  • 1h 52m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
356
YOUR RATING
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1981)
Comedy

The adventures of four young lovers, a group of amateur actors and their interactions with fairies come to light in a moonlit forest.The adventures of four young lovers, a group of amateur actors and their interactions with fairies come to light in a moonlit forest.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
  • Stars
    • Estelle Kohler
    • Nigel Davenport
    • Hugh Quarshie
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    356
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Elijah Moshinsky
    • Writer
      • William Shakespeare
    • Stars
      • Estelle Kohler
      • Nigel Davenport
      • Hugh Quarshie
    • 20User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Top cast26

    Edit
    Estelle Kohler
    • Hippolyta
    Nigel Davenport
    Nigel Davenport
    • Theseus
    Hugh Quarshie
    Hugh Quarshie
    • Philostrate
    Geoffrey Lumsden
    • Egeus
    Pippa Guard
    Pippa Guard
    • Hermia
    Nicky Henson
    Nicky Henson
    • Demetrius
    Robert Lindsay
    Robert Lindsay
    • Lysander
    Cherith Mellor
    Cherith Mellor
    • Helena
    Geoffrey Palmer
    Geoffrey Palmer
    • Quince
    Brian Glover
    Brian Glover
    • Bottom
    John Fowler
    • Flute
    Don Estelle
    Don Estelle
    • Starveling
    Nat Jackley
    • Snout
    Ray Mort
    Ray Mort
    • Snug
    Phil Daniels
    Phil Daniels
    • Puck
    Helen Mirren
    Helen Mirren
    • Titania
    Peter McEnery
    Peter McEnery
    • Oberon
    Tania Bennett
    • Fairy
    • Director
      • Elijah Moshinsky
    • Writer
      • William Shakespeare
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews20

    6.6356
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    Featured reviews

    9artzau

    Fantastic, but seldom seen

    This little viewed BBC event is certainly worth watching if you're a Shakespeare fan. I certainly am and A Midsummer's Night Dream (or, as us buffs call it, "The Dream") is certainly one of my favorites. Most of the cast will be not well known to those outside of the ranks of the fans of British theatre and indeed, Helen Mirren, always a delight, may well be the only name that stands out.

    There have been many versions of this play presented in both as films to be shown in theaters and as films made-for-TV. The rewarding feature of British theater is that seemingly, no matter what the venue for showing the performance, the acting is nearly always up to the highest mark of stage standards.

    There is no DVD or Video of which I am aware but, if this little romp crosses your screen, be sure to check it out. It's delightful and fun.
    7gentlepuck

    Helen Mirren and The Dream

    This is the second time I've seen her in this play, first as Titania. The first time she was in a movie version of the Dream she was Hermia, one of the lovers. This is a good version for a class room viewing. It lacks the nudity and innuendos that Hall's and Hoffman's exhibited. This is also the one I know of where Puck is a punk. I love this version because it doesn't cut out any of the dialogue. It heightens the tension and passion Mirren's character had in the section about the environmental affects her feud with her husband has had. The costumes do not blend well with one another. It makes it hard to date and does not give the story a sense of timelessness. Also, you can get this on video. It's hard to find but it can be located at a library near you. Blockbuster will not carry it for whatever reason. PBS is a good source too but don't hold out for it.
    5howard.schumann

    Cumbersome and heavy-handed

    A BBC, Time-Life production from the early 1980s, this TV adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream has all of Shakespeare's words but none of the magic. Trying to ensure that none of the text is left out, the actors deliver their lines at a breakneck pace, almost sounding like the debating team in Rocket Science. Consequently, much of Shakespeare's nuance and poetry is lost. This is a play that relies on myth and allegory to make its point which is essentially that reality is malleable and can be influenced by the spirit world for either good or ill, yet its treatment here is cumbersome and heavy-handed rather than light and playful.

    The play, replete with allusions to Greek mythology, is about a trio of mixed-up lovers: Hermia, Denetrius, and Lysander. Hermia's overbearing father Egeus is partial to Demetrius, his choice to be Hermia's husband. Indeed, Egeus' description in the play's first scene of his love for Demetrius sounds suspiciously like Shakespeare's entreaties to the fair youth in the Sonnets. In the same vein, Duke Theseus, who is marrying former enemy Hippolyta, sounds the refrain that the duty of a beloved youth is to make a copy of himself to preserve for future generations. Meanwhile Hermia is fixated on Lysander and will not consider anyone else as a husband, although choosing to disobey her father may lead to a potential death sentence or life as a nun which may be the same thing. To escape, Hermia agrees to run off with Lysander into the forest but naively conveys the information to Helena, a young maiden who longs for Demetrius.

    She follows Demetrius into the forest to try and stop Hermia and Lysander but they come upon a group of fairies who have their own agenda, leading to a romantic farce of mistaken identities caused by the fairies magical potions. One of the subplots concerns a theatrical troupe of workers who offer a play within a play that bring the proceedings to a comic high. The cast is competent but uninspired with the possible exception of Helen Mirren as The Faerie Queen. Nicky Henson as Demetrius and Robert Lindsay as Lysander seem too old for the part of young lovers and speak their lines with a clunky earnestness that is all wrong for the mood. Phil Daniels plays Puck with a demonic grin, belying the characters' playful nature. All in all, work of nimble grace is turned into an often incomprehensible shouting match that makes one long for some of the magic fairies potion - to sleep, perchance to dream.
    8rjanecook1

    Wonderful presentation

    I thought this was fantastic, from beginning to end. There was nothing significant I could criticise or find fault with, there were a few dull moments, but the majority of the action was excellent. This seems to not be very well known, there is a video, it may be rather hard to get hold of though, and there is no DVD to my knowledge. Helen Mirren sparkled as Titania, I also enjoyed the way Phil Daniels brought Puck to life. I also was delighted by Cherith Mellor as Helena, she brought the comedy and the life to this production.

    On the whole, this made a great impression on me, and I recommend it for the comedy brought out in the talented acting and the superb setting.
    10tomfern

    The essence of this movie will always be with me.

    After reading some previous comments, I can only conclude that some people were watching a different movie altogether. I found this version Of A Midsummer Night's Dream to be far superior to any other that I've ever seen .

    This is my favorite of all Shakespeare's plays, so I generally stand to be critical of the various treatments offered. However, I found this cast and direction to be outstanding, visually, and emotionally. The costumes were spectacular, the settings haunting, and the acting...flawless. I loved Geoffrey Palmer's work as well. I was lucky enough to catch a repeat of it years ago, and quickly taped it so I could watch it every summer.I themed my wedding after this play.

    I loved Helen Mirren's portrayal as the faerie queen, Titania. I found her to be perfect in the role. Judi Dench, I believe, played it all too 70s hippie-angsty, and could have done very well without the overexposure.

    The casting of an older boy as Puck, while at first seemed unfamiliar, and wrong, he quickly won me over, and soon his age didn't matter a bit. He sure beat a manic Mickey Rooney in the Hollywood version of 1935! Who, by the way, was 15 when he played the role.

    I saw some scenes on Youtube the other day, and the background music has been playing in my head for 2 days now. I'm hooked again.

    My birthday is next month..my husband is buying me the entire boxed set of the BBC Shakespeare comedies! Helen Mirren as Rosalind in As You Like It is superb again...as is John Cleese as Pertruchio in The Taming of the Shrew. I can't wait till next month...I'll be in Shakespeare Utopia.

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    Related interests

    Will Ferrell in Présentateur vedette: La légende de Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      The second televised production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with Dame Helen Mirren in the cast, although this time in a different role (Titania). In the 1968 production, which was released to movie theatres in Europe, but premiered in the U.S. on CBS, Ms. Mirren played Hermia.
    • Quotes

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

    • Connections
      Featured in Shakespeare Uncovered: A Midsummer Night's Dream with Hugh Bonneville (2015)

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • December 13, 1981 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream
    • Production companies
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
      • Time-Life Television Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 52m(112 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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