A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

US, 1935, 117 minutes, Black and white.
James Cagney, Dick Powell, Olivia de Havilland, Joe E. Brown, Hugh Herbert, Victor Jory, Mickey Rooney, Anita Louise, Ian Hunter, Arthur Treacher.
Directed by Max Reinhardt.

A Midsummer Night's Dream was one of the earliest sound screen versions, of a Shakespearian play. It was later made by a Russian company, by a Czech company in animated form and by Peter Hall with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1968. This version is based on a celebrated staging by German director Max Reinhardt. He collaborated with the direction of the film but the main credit is given to William Diertele, who had just come from Europe and was to direct the biographies at Warner Bros of Louis Pasteur, Emile Zola and Juarez, to much critical acclaim.

This version of the play uses many of the contracted players at Warner Bros in the mid-30s. It would not be immediately evident that they would be a cast chosen to portray Shakespeare, for example Dick Powell as Lysander, Anita Louise as Titania, Joe E. Brown as Thisbe (Flute). However, the film works very well indeed and although dated at times, is still an entertaining version of Shakespeare.

Warner Bros gave it the lavish black and white treatment, sets and decor resembling Elizabethan England rather than Ancient Athens, and the star cast. Standouts are James Cagney as Bottom, Victor Jory as Oberon and Joe E. Brown almost steals the show at the end in the performance of the play. The music is by Mendelssohn and by Korngold. The film uses most of Shakespeare's text and is able to do this with pageantry by a great deal of clever trick photography and special effects.

A postscript: a twelve year old Mickey Rooney does quite a good job with Puck.

1. The adaptation of Shakespeare to the cinema screen - the use of Shakespeare's text, visual equivalents, visualising the text? The use of music? Staging and making the staging cinematic? The 1930s treatment here? and the influence of the Broadway production? A successful cinematic presentation of this comedy?

2. The black and white photography, lavish sets and decor? The special effects? The cast and the Warner Bros players of the time? The light touch and the emphasis given to comedy? The use of Mendelssohn's music? The arrangements and music by Korngold? Adding to the style of the film?

3. The reputation of the play: a pageant comedy with the light touch, a gentle fable? The blend of the ancient with the fairy tale and the real? How were these elements captured and blended for the sake of the film?

4. The initial incongruity of Ancient Athens looking and sounding like Elizabethan England? Costumes, choral effects? The presentation of the songs both in the court and by the fairies? A satisfactorily fantasy atmosphere?

5. The framework of the marriage of Theseus and Hippolita? Pageantry, Hippolita's capture by Theseus and the introductory information about the Amazons? The wedding? The four day delay? The preparation of the play? The wedding and the enjoyment of the play? Theseus and the Elizabethan world view orderly rule?

6. The romantic story of Lysander and Demetrius, Helena and Hermia? Their participation in the pageant, their youthfulness, boasts? The rivalry of the men? Hermia as fiery, Helena as wistful? Hermia's father and his insistence on an arranged marriage? The confrontation before Theseus? The arrangements for the meeting in the forest? The chase, the sleep and the potion, the humour of the mix-ups? The fights? The waking and their laughing at what had happened on the midsummer night? The happy ending with the marriage? Quick delineation of character, romantic types?

7. The comedy of the players: the introduction to each of them, the '30s screen comedians adapting to Shakespeare? Hugh Herbert and his laughter, Joe E. Brown and his mouth? James Cagney and his comedy of the pretentious Bottom? The pretensions of the players? The rehearsal and the mix-ups? Verbal and visual humour? The focus on Bottom - his going to sleep, the discovery of the donkey's head, the romance with Titania? His waking and fear that he still had the donkey's head? His relief at the dream? The play itself, the various crises? Audience laughter and Shakespeare's capacity for making an audience laugh?

8. Titania and Oberon and the fairy world? Their flight? Clash? Jealousy over the Indian boy? Oberon's plans and his humiliating of Titania by her falling in love with Bottom? His waking her and the happy ending? The range of fairies with their ballet, singing? The special effects for the fairy world superimposed on that of the real? The poetry of Fairyland?

9. Mickey Rooney's style as Puck? The sprite of the forest? Oberon waking him and commissioning him to spread the potions? His mistakes, his later mischief, his enjoying himself distracting and misleading the romantic characters? His laughter? His poetry and quotes about 'What fools these mortals be?"

10. The speaking of the poetry and its being dramatised? Imaginative, romantic, rich poetry? The songs?

11. The blend of the romantic with the comical? The players and their "tragicall mirthe"?

12. Basic themes of love, jealousy, mistakes, authority, arranged marriages and true love? Blindness and seeing truly? Overcoming pride?

13. A fable for popular entertainment? Themes of who governs whom, fate - but with the light touch?