A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
A collaboration of Hollywood director William Dieterle (who directed the actors) and German film-maker Max Reinhardt (who handled the visuals) this early version of A Midsummer Night's Dream remains one of the best film adaptations of a Shakespeare play. Although the performances are by and large less interesting, this 1935 effort is a far-more visually inventive film than its 1999 counterpart. Fifteen-year-old Mickey Rooney almost single handedly carries the film in the role of Robin Goodfellow. Rooney is the quintessential fairydiminutive, impish, and mischievous. Running a close second is James Cagney as Nick Bottom. Although remembered mainly for playing gangsters and psychotics, Cagney's gift for more subtle, restrained characterization is made obvious here, and he is captivating in the role.
Otherwise, the performances, while serviceable, are not especially memorable. Set against Felix Mendelssohn's vibrant incidental music (adapted by Erich Korngold), the film's imagery is finally its greatest asset. Reinhardt offers a slew of amazing visuals which put The Wizard of Oz to shame. The introduction to the faerie realm is an extended montage / ballet sequence, which literally shimmers. The costumes are exquisite; a curious (but convincing) blend of Greco-Roman and Elizabethan. Again with the exception of Rooney and Cagney, A Midsummer Night's Dream is not a tour-de-force of performance, but Shakespeare has rarely been as impressively realized on the screen.
Paul Andrew MacLean
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LadyJanet@RenaissanceMagazine.com