A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SEX COMEDY

US, 1982, 88 minutes, Colour.
Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Jose Ferrer, Julie Hagerty, Tony Roberts, Mary Steenburgen.
Directed by Woody Allen.

A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy was one of Woody Allen’s earliest films. After a career in club writing and stand-up comedy, he moved into screenwriting for What’s Up, Pussycat (*? WHAT’S NEW, PUSSYCAT?), 1965. He then appeared in Casino Royale and began directing films with Take the Money and Run in 1970. He made a great impact during the 1970s with such films as Sleeper, Love and Death and won an Oscar for Annie Hall in 1977. Critics were unkind to his more serious film, a tribute to Ingmar Bergman, Interiors. They were also unkind to his tribute to Fellini, Stardust Memories. Manhattan, however, was acclaimed by critics and the public.

Then came this film and, from then on, a film a year for the next twenty-five years at least. He is one of the most prolific of actors and directors.

The film combines in its title the memories of Shakespeare with A Midsummer Night’s Dream as well as Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night. It is meant to be a film with a light touch – although it touches on many of Allen’s serious themes about the meaning of life and the world. It is strongly influenced by Ingmar Bergman. This is the first film in which Allen appeared with Mia Farrow and was to be followed by eleven more before their acrimonious break-up. This is vintage Allen – vindicated in its reputation after its time.

1. The impact of Woody Allen on American comedy? His success? Cult figure? His style of visual and verbal humour? The pathos of the little man? Reflective humour ? intellectual, philosophical? The strands of the American tradition? Jewish tradition? This film as a cheerful example of his comedy? How typical?

2. The background of Shakespeare and the basic outline of a plot? Summer magic and love? Reality and unreality? Season of love? The emphasis on the dream ? entry into another world? Exploring the psyche via fantasy? The use of dreams in the film, especially Leopold's? The conventions of the sex comedy? French farce, bedroom farce. mistaken identities, compromising situations, truth and lies? The use of Mendelssohn's music? The marriage themes, the Midsummer Night's Dream? The backing for love scenes, comedy, glimpses of nature? The influence of Ingmar Bergman and his Smiles of a Summer Night? The influence of Bergman on Allen? Style, themes, reflection? The blend of these elements? A European type film made and set in the United States?

3. The re-creation of the period: the university, the house, costumes and decor, the inventions, cars? The atmosphere of summer and beauty? The beauty of the collages of summer and nature? The use of Mendelssohn's music?

4. Verbal humour, wit, deadpan remarks, the incongruous, irony, the serious and the glib, the modern language in turn-of-the-century setting? Insight into persons, foibles? Intellectual language, philosophical implications? Psychology? Wit about the emotions, love, lust and marriage? The battle of the sexes, male-female roles? Casanova type?

5. The visual humour, the importance of the editing, ironic editing for one character commenting on another, special effects for the machines?

6. Woody Allen and his anxiety: the metaphysician as projecting his anxieties, the humour about anxiety about marriage, the various crises? Allen's preoccupation with anxiety and his greater calm in this film? The discussions about love and marriage, lust and personal love, passion? Allen's view of the academic world and its pretentiousness and his ability to mock it? His critique of the scientific world - explainers of the Cosmos, not creators? His belief in magic and another world? His personalism, ethical stances, responsibility? Honesty, guilt, forgiveness and healing?

7. The tone of the film with Mendelssohn's music, the focus on Leopold and his impositions on his students, his lecture and its content, his pompous style, science and metaphysics? The students and their reactions? The adulation of the faculty? Autographs and the remark about Carlisle's tomb, Tintoretto? The contrast with Andrew and Woody Allen's appearance, his attempting to fly and his crash? The contrast of the two? Aerial as the link between the two? Leopold and the present, Andrew and the past? The build-up to the clash? Andrew winning in terms of a vision of the world, Leopold losing but gaining insight? Leopold beginning the film with a speech, ending the film with a speech? The contrast of the speeches about science and passion, culture and civilisation and savagery, life and death, a world of the spirit?

8. Jose Ferrer's interpretation of Leopold: pomposity, his status, expertise, his controlling situations even at play, his explanation of meeting Aerial, his disdain of Max, his attraction towards Dulcie, his arranging to meet her and his rationalisation of the affair before his marriage, her beating him at chess, his walk and the encounter with Maxwell, the lies about his behaviour, the dinner talk, his scepticism about the machine, his singing Schubert's songs, his concern about Aerial walking with Maxwell, his explaining his dream to Dulcie, the jokes about the Katzenjammer Kids, his chasing of Maxwell, shooting him with the arrow, drawing blood and becoming savage, the sexual encounter with Dulcie, his death? His being rewarded despite his scepticism! The critique of the academic and pompous intellectual?

9. The contrast with Woody Allen's Andrew: small, balding, looking ridiculous, wearing his modern glasses even in bed, his '70s and '80s style of language? The background of his work and comments on Wall Street? His hobbies and the various machines and their illustration - flying, apple peeling, bone removing, the special globe for the spirit world? His relationship with Adrian and the breakdown of their sexual relationship? The attempts to remedy it? The irony of the truth about her behaviour and his? His anxiety about Aerial coming? Lies? The meeting and her exposing him? The lyrical scenes of play and his involvement - although unsuccessful e.g. with the fishing? His reminiscing with. Ariel and the importance of the lost opportunity, not understanding how he felt at the time? His comments on lust and love? His having to cope with Adrian? Advising Maxwell to visit Aerial at the lake, asking her in his flying machine, the flight and the crash? His lies about the walk? The dinner and his enjoyment of it, Max shooting himself? The listening to Schubert's songs? Max and the midnight walk? His going to meet Ariel, their fight over her? Leopold chasing and firing arrows? The off-screen sexual fulfilment, the on-screen regret and reality? Adrian and his guilt? Adrian and her explaining what happened with Maxwell? The reconciliation? His forgiving and saying he could heal? The little man and his pathos, wit, truth? The creative man?

10. Ariel as the focus: Mia Farrow's style and presence, Ariel's reputation, past meeting with Andrew and its effect on her, her going to marry Leopold and then wanting to get out of it, meeting the group, the recreations, Maxwell's kiss, his harassing her during the songs, her reaction to his shooting himself, the agreement to met, the discussions with Andrew and the reminiscences about the past and its meaning? The truth with Andrew? The arrow and the reconciliation with Maxwell? Her comparisons with Dulcie and her freedom, sharing with Adrian? The zaniness of her life, her feeling she was growing older, wanting to settle?

11. The comparison with Adrian and Mary Steenbergen's fey style: as wife. jealous, frigid, inhibited, worried, welcoming the guests, jealous of Ariel, sharing with Dulcie about sexual techniques, her lies to Andrew about preparing the meal? Her telling the truth, her feeling her guilt going and the reconciliation with Andrew?

12. Max and Tony Roberts' style as the medical Casanova? Seeing him in action with his patient, with Dulcie? His philosophy of life and taking the moment? His enjoyment of the games, love of nature, the walking, the talking, the mushroom episode and kissing Ariel, the walk and encountering Leopold, the lies about the bath, his tears at the meal and shooting himself, his harassing Ariel during the songs, the argument with Andrew over Ariel, the arrow and Ariel's looking after him? His wanting to settle down?

13. Dulcie and her modern style, freedom, knowledge, open talk, sexual lack of inhibition, beating Leopold at chess, smoking with the women, talking to Adrian about sex, the Katzenjammer Kids and Coney Island, the encounter with Leopold and his death?

14. The comic glimpse of the elegantly dressed patient and her liaison with Maxwell?

15. The students and their response to Leopold? The academic group and their flattery of Leopold?

16. The atmosphere with the house, summer, the pastimes and recreations, the meals and the sharing, the songs? Echoes of a civilised time - and the contrast with savagery? So many of the sequences with the group in tableau, walking and talking? The humour of the patterns of the lies about their behaviour in the afternoon?

17. What was the audience left with in terms of comedy, insight, humour and wisdom?