A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (Warner Bros. 1935) Warner Home Video

For whatever reason, Shakespeare on film has always remained a very tough nut to crack. Given the Bard’s eternal themes and eloquence as the premiere dramatist, not only in his, but of all time, Will’s lack of success in the movies remains a disconcerting mystery. Not that there have never been great cinematic adaptations of his plays to consider. One immediately conjures to mind, Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s Julius Caesar (1953), and, Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet (1996) – also, George Cukor’s 1936, and Franco Zeffirelli’s ’68 versions of Romeo and Juliet. But what about a definitive King Lear on the screen? Ditto for Twelfth Night, or, Macbeth? In retrospect, it is generally conceded one of the artistic ironies about William Shakespeare’s immortal works is that, although they endure as captivating/escapist live theater, on celluloid something of that elusive spark in performance gets lost.  Perhaps, Shakespeare’s greatest works do not require the camera trickery of the modern age. Or, few directors working in the movies truly understand what makes Billy’s diamond horseshoe of tragedies and rom/coms click as they should. Max Reinhardt’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935) is but one of these latter-age unfortunates; a frightfully pretentious (in both talent and temperament) adaptation of the bard’s merry chuckle and ode to young love.

Indeed, in planning this super-production, Warner Brothers spared no expense on Shakespeare’s most ethereal grand dream. The studio then, purveyors of ‘ripped from the headlines’ gangster/crime and detective stories, knew little of the fantasy genre and even less about pulling off a period costume dramas. With varying degrees of success, and immediately following the production code’s sanitizing of all screen entertainments, Warner Bros. tried various experiments in an effort to change their public image. The Busby Berkeley musicals were just one example. Reinhardt’s adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was another. But on this occasion, the studio’s assemblage of talent seems to have been blunted by too many big ideas thrown haphazardly into one mesmerizing blend of super kitsch; interesting perhaps as a series of vignettes, and spell-binding for its colossal waste of star power.

Plot wise: Theseus, the Duke of Athens (Ian Hunter) is set to marry the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta (Verra Teasdale). At once, the lowly Demetrius (Ross Alexander) is engaged to the flighty Hermia (Olivia DeHavilland) who, in turn, shares none of his affections, but in fact, is heart struck for the fairly foppish, Lysander (Dick Powell). In the meantime, Helena (Jean Muir) is smitten with Demetrius. Enter the rather confrontational puppet masters of the piece, Oberon – King of the Fairies (Victor Jory) and Titania (Anita Louise), his queen. Oberon and Titania are split over the rearing of a child currently in Titania’s care. But before the two can straighten out their own marital discourse, they choose to re-examine the folly of these aforementioned star-crossed couples – who have stolen into the night and are now lost within the forested domain. The last bit of structural plotting involves mischief maker, Puck (Mickey Rooney), a devilish prankster who delights in sabotaging the course of true love to suit his own ticklish fancy. Exploiting the rather hapless weaver, Bottom (James Cagney) and his own misguided opinions on love and romance, Puck transforms man into ass – literally - and thereafter sets about concocting a jealous love triangle with a potion-drugged Titania. Naturally, Oberon will stand for none of it.

The chief problem with this Midsummer Night’s Dream boils down to an utter lack of sparkle. The couples are just not believable, and having them espouse Shakespeare’s golden-honeyed barbs and badinage does not lighten their load. As example, we question Hermia’s clingy devotion to the Lysander – primarily because Dick Powell in tights (whose lack of understanding here is woefully on display) is hardly the epitome of manly grace. Mickey Rooney’s Puck is a sort of bare-chested Peck’s Bad Boy meets the doomsayer ramped up on a sugar fix – an unhappily obnoxious punster. Victor Jory’s Oberon is Teutonic, though otherwise absent of the princely charm to compel us to buy into his alliance with the bubbly Titania. Cagney’s Bottom is the best realized of these star turns. He is, in fact, top-billed in the credits. Yet, even so, he remains something of an arrogant misfire, valiantly going through the motions with all the commitment of a consummate professional minus the suspended disbelief to be entirely embraced or admired. In spite of every effort made to will it into magnificence, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is more of an awkward nightmare – a careworn junk sale of top-notch personalities, utterly wasted.

There is nothing wasted in Warner Home Video’s beautifully restored B&W DVD. The gray scale perfectly captures Hal Mohr’s tenderly lit and gauze-filtered cinematography. The picture looks spectacular, excellent contrast, and barely a hint of age-related wear and tear. Fine details are remarkable, particularly in close-up, with only the occasional establishing shot suffering from residual soft focus. There is no edge enhancement or pixelization. The audio is Dolby Digital 1.0 mono and sounds excellent for an audio of this vintage. Extras include a thorough commentary from Scott McQueen, Olivia DeHavilland’s screen test, a vintage featurette, short subjects and trailer. It is hard not to recommend this mastering effort, even if the movie fails to hold up as an entertainment. In the end, A Midsummer Night’s Dream remains an elegant experiment that proved itself an interesting financial flop of mixed artistic virtues.

FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)

3

VIDEO/AUDIO

4

EXTRAS

3