A Midsummer Night's Dream
by Peter Hall
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DVD details
Author: Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Peter HallActor: Derek Godfrey, Donald Eccles, Ian Holm, Judi Dench, Michael Jayston
Director: Peter Hall
Brand: Water Bearer Films
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 124 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-03-10
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Water Bearer Films,
DVD Reviews of A Midsummer Night's Dream
DVD Review: Shakespeare's MidSummer Nights Dream
Summary: 3 Stars
I love Shakespeare's work in most of its incarnations. This version of A Midsummer Night's Dream was purchased to show at a retirement community to celebrate the summer solstice - there were several to pick from and this one with a very young Judi Dench and Helen Mirren seemed the most worthy. I was disappointed on first glimpse at the poor color quality and the dated costuming which was based on the late-60s / early 70s style. Men had Beatles type bowl haircuts, women wore thigh-high black boots and mini skirts. That was my era - it's a dated look now.
The second disappiontment was the too-rapid delivery of the lines combined with very little expressive body gesture. It seemed the performers proffered the canto without wanting to impose their personas on the sacred words. Actually, it is the inhabiting of the character by the actor that brings Shakespeare to life. He did write for common folk, not exclusively for elitists, so overt physical gestures make sense. I wanted to see the actors really become those folks in the play.
Compare with a recent version starring David Straitharn, Stanley Tucci, Calista Flockhart, Michelle Pfeiffer and others. They really flesh out the physicality of their parts, and are believable despite the far-fetched nature of the story. That was the well-received version I showed to my seniors.
I did not finish watching this one - it was just too wooden.
Still, you do get to see a naked Judi Dench - which did not save it; on the contrary, that little touch was completely unnecessary and only distracted. I give it a C.
Description of A Midsummer Night's Dream
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