A Midsummer Night's Dream
starring: Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stanley Tucci, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart
directed by: Michael Hoffman
directed by: Michael Hoffman
List Price: $9.98
Prices subject to change.
You Pay Only: $6.99
You Save: $2.99 (30%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: EVERETT,R/PFEIFFER,
EAN: 9786305622871
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 6305622876
Label: 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Region Code: 1
Release Date: April 15, 2003
Running Time: 120 minutes
Sales Rank: 4765
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Theatrical Release Date: May 14, 1999
Related Items:
- Much Ado About Nothing
- Twelfth Night
- Hamlet
- William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
- Romeo & Juliet
- see more
Editorial Review:
Description:
A stellar cast, headed by Michelle Pfeiffer and Kevin Kline, bring Shakespeare's romantic comedy to life. When two pairs of star-crossed lovers, a feuding pair of supernatural sprites and a love potion gone awry all come together in an enchanted moonlit forest, the result is a delightful mix of merriment and magic. Also starring Calista Flockhart, Stanley Tucci and Rupert Everett.
Amazon.com:
Imagine a work by Shakespeare reduced to one of those pretty, glossy coffee-table picture books that have only a dollop of text alongside its sumptuous photographs, and you might have Michael Hoffman's adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. This all-star version of Shakespeare's comedy is gorgeously shot in Tuscany, complete with a magical forest, breathtaking landscapes, beautiful villas, picturesque villages, stunning period costumes--oh wait, there's supposed to be a story here, too! Hoffman hijacks Shakespeare's basic premise but doesn't instill it with much more than surface shine and transplants it to turn-of-the-century Italy. Ergo, it's left up to the actors to find the heart and soul of this classic play, in which the fairies of the forest play mix and match with four young lovers, courtesy of a magical love potion. Hoffman couldn't ask for better (or better looking) actors to play Shakespeare's dreamlike love games--Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart, Christian Bale, Stanley Tucci, Kevin Kline, Anna Friel, Dominic West, the list goes on and on--but he sure as heck doesn't know what to do with them, aside from putting them in various states of undress. Only Flockhart (as the lovestruck Helena), Tucci (a sprightly Puck), Pfeiffer (dazzling and funny as the queen of the fairies), and especially the sublime Kline (as weaver-turned-donkey Bottom) seem to connect with their characters in ways that make this adaptation occasionally soar; the rest are inexplicably left to flounder. Hoffman does seem to set himself right with the film's climax, when Bottom's amateur acting troupe hilariously enacts the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe (it helps that the troupe includes Roger Rees, Sam Rockwell, and Bill Irwin). Those searching for a more in-depth exploration of Shakespeare's farce might do better to look elsewhere, but if it's gorgeous actors and scenery you're in the mood for (along with an evocative opera soundtrack), and an all's-well-that-ends-well ending, this Midsummer Night will give you pleasant if weightless dreams. --Mark Englehart
Average Rating: 
Rating:
- Come on, carpers! Let Shakespeare be fun!First, the stars. No, not the astrologer's stars, the movie stars, goofy! Some of those high priced ... Read More
Rating:
- Very EnjoyableShakespeare would probably roll over in his grave but we both really enjoy this version of the classic. ... Read More
Rating:
- Great Late Summer Night Mood MovieI know this version gets panned all the time. And I have seen better versions, (the 1935 version with, ... Read More
Rating:
- Very funIt took me a couple of tries to make it through the movie, but once I did, I ended up watching it again ... Read More
Rating:
- midsummer night's dream dvdnot bad...ther was a skip at the end, it left out a chunk of the film. that sucked.
Browse for similar items by category:
- Italy - By Country - Art House & International - Genres - DVD - Video - General AAS
- British Cinema - By Country - Art House & International - Genres - DVD - Video - General
- British Cinema - By Country - Art House & International - Genres - DVD - Video - General AAS
- Comedy - Genres - DVD - Video - General
- By Theme - Comedy - Genres - DVD - Video - Showbiz
Copyright ©2003, Mark Carey.