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IMDbPro

A Midsummer Night's Dream

  • 1996
  • PG-13
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
413
YOUR RATING
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1996)
ComedyRomance

Filmed adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1996 version of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.'Filmed adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1996 version of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.'Filmed adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1996 version of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.'

  • Director
    • Adrian Noble
  • Writer
    • William Shakespeare
  • Stars
    • Lindsay Duncan
    • Alex Jennings
    • Desmond Barrit
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.2/10
    413
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Adrian Noble
    • Writer
      • William Shakespeare
    • Stars
      • Lindsay Duncan
      • Alex Jennings
      • Desmond Barrit
    • 22User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos1

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    Top cast30

    Edit
    Lindsay Duncan
    Lindsay Duncan
    • Hippolyta…
    Alex Jennings
    Alex Jennings
    • Theseus…
    Desmond Barrit
    Desmond Barrit
    • Nick Bottom
    Finbar Lynch
    Finbar Lynch
    • Philostrate
    • (as Barry Lynch)
    • …
    Monica Dolan
    Monica Dolan
    • Hermia
    Kevin Doyle
    Kevin Doyle
    • Demetrius
    Daniel Evans
    Daniel Evans
    • Lysander
    Emily Raymond
    • Helena
    Alfred Burke
    Alfred Burke
    • Egeus
    Howard Crossley
    Howard Crossley
    • Tom Snout…
    Robert Gillespie
    Robert Gillespie
    • Robin Starveling…
    John Kane
    John Kane
    • Peter Quince…
    Mark Letheren
    • Francis Flute…
    Kenn Sabberton
    • Snug
    Ann Hasson
    • First Fairy
    Emily Button
    • Principal Fairy…
    Jane Colenutt
    • Principal Fairy…
    Tim Griggs
    • Principal Fairy…
    • Director
      • Adrian Noble
    • Writer
      • William Shakespeare
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews22

    6.2413
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    Featured reviews

    Summergrl21

    Strange, Yet I Have to Own It

    Though many praise this version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, I find it strange, creepy, and hilarious. Maybe I can't appreciate it because I'm only in high school, but after studying the play, the movie was not what I expected. Though it looks like it was produced in someone's basement while they were under the influence, most of the movie is just funny. Many of Shakespeare's dirty jokes are stressed, and that's the strange part. Also, the boy supposedly dreaming this enters whenever he pleases. Not only is he annoying, but he looks about 6 or 7. I hope my 6 year old never dreams about the content in A Midsummer Night's Dream, especially the way it's portrayed in this reproduction. Weird!!!
    8Sylviastel

    Delightfully Surprised!

    The little boy in the movie has read William Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. Like the title, he has a dream where he goes to different worlds and sees them act out the comedy. While it can get confusing, I prefer this film version because the little boy can be the audience. Not everybody who is going to see it is going to relate to the film. Shakespeare's Comedy is fantasy as well with fairies and an underworld all on its own. The boy may not grasp the language neither can most of the audience. But he does see what going on. Just like a title, it is his dream. Dreams can have fairies and be weird on its own. I like the fact that the director tried to do something different. After watching other versions, I like this quirky film for its pure hearted attempt to get people involved in Shakespeare. Like our dreams, they don't make sense a lot of the time. The acting here is average. You can't compare these actors to the other versions. They are not as seasoned as them but that's not the point. The Royal Shakespeare Company should be commended and applauded for taking a daring chance at bringing this play to a mainstream audience. If you want the old fashioned film, watch the 1968 version with Dame Diana Rigg, Dame Judi Dench, and Dame Helen Mirren. If you don't want that, you will enjoy and open your mind to Shakespeare's play without the bloodshed of his tragedies. By the way, since I am going to become an English teacher. I like this version because of the little boy.
    6Bernie4444

    Odd take off as a boy dreams the play.

    "On one night of every year, the boundary between the daylight and twilight worlds is thin as air." Shown as a stage play but uses excessive camera tricks to display a colorful version that still keeps iambic pentameter. At least it is not one of those present-day versions that force Shakespeare into contemporary clothing.

    Only occasionally moving a play to a different time or place can it keep its magic. This presentation is of no real-time or place but seems to have borrowed from the junk leftover from previous plays, containing part stage and part Victorian England, with a dash of Alice in Wonderland.

    Lots of nice colors and music. However, everyone goes around kissing everyone but the person they should be kissing; you can call it artistic license but I call it a distraction for the purpose or base story. For those people that do not like the introduction of bicycles and nudity as in another version, take heart as there is no nudity or bicycles. The bicycles are replaced with Mary Poppin's type of umbrellas. O. K. I lied there is the E. T. bicycle scene, motorcycles with sidecars motorcycles.

    Usually, this tail is played out by well-known actors so I must confess that even though this is the Royal Shakespeare Company production I do not recognize anyone.

    One big missing part is where Nick Bottom is transferred into a donkey. Too bad as that is one of the best parts. He just pops up with ears and teeth. That is like showing Hamlet without Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

    You need to watch any other production before this one as "Who would not change a raven for a dove?"

    Presented by the "Royal Shakespeare Company" Starring:

    Lindsay Duncan as Hippolyta/Titania Alex Jennings as Theseus/Oberon

    Desmond Barrit as Nick Bottom Barry Lynch as Puck/Philostrate

    The Lovers:

    Hermia - Monica Dolan Demetrius - Kevin Doyle Lysander - Daniel Evans Helena - Emily Raymond

    Egeus - Alfred Burke The boy - Osheen Jones.
    drn5

    A misfire

    This film is based on a wonderful stage production that was staged by the RSC in 1994. On stage it was superb, and I think of it as one of the best times I've ever had in the theatre.

    The film, however, is a complete mess. All the effects that were so magical in the theatre - the forest of lightbulbs, the flying umbrellas, the mysterious doors - look ridiculous when they're turned into bad computer graphics. And although some of the performances are good - especially Alex Jennings and Des Barritt - the pacing of the film seems poor. In particular, the mechanicals scenes are stilted and unfunny - and 'Pyramus and Thisbe' is mangled with poorly-timed slapstick and glooping sentimentality. And most annoyingly of all, Noble introduces a Macauley Culkin lookalike, who runs around being wide-eyed and imaginitive, infusing the film with unnecesary Hollywood schmaltz.

    I regard this film as a brave, but poorly-executed attempt at translating faithfully a stage production to film. It doesn't really work, but at least Noble's vision is more imaginitive than the other films of the 'Dream'. And bad though the film is, it's still better than the ghastly Michelle Pfeiffer / Kevin Kline version, which should be avoided like the plague.
    raygirvan

    Creative and very English adaptation

    I just love this film. I didn't see the stage version, but this is an extremely clever adaptation of the play: a nice parallel construction where the human court is pointed up by using the same actors as the fairy court, and Bottom's friends reappearing as his fairy attendants. Desmond Barrit is brilliantly characterised, and the Mechanicals very creatively presented as English working-class (for instance, Bottom on a motor-bike combination). And we're left with no doubts that he does have sex with Titania, and donkey's ears are not all he gets from the transformation! I think it's one of the hallmarks of good Shakespearian productions that it manages to make the humour genuinely funny, and the play-within-the-play combines slapstick with genuine pathos. Ultimately, it was a very moving production, whose end (despite my being fairly hard-bitten) brought tears to my eyes with its deep nostalgia and Englishness. You are sorry to leave the world of these characters.

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    Storyline

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    • Connections
      Version of A Midsummer Night's Dream (1909)

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • November 29, 1996 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • arabuloku.com
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Сон літньої ночі
    • Production companies
      • Arts Council of England
      • Capitol Films
      • Channel Four Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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