Product Details

• Actors: Judi Dench, Donald Eccles, Derek Godfrey, Ian Holm, Michael Jayston
• Directors: Peter Hall
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Water Bearer Films,
• DVD Release Date: March 10, 2005
• Run Time: 124 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007CNXV4
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,481 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars See Them At the Outset of Their Careers!, May 18, 2005

By 

F. S. L'hoir (Irvine, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Midsummer Night's Dream (DVD)

Although the scratchy unrestored color makes this DVD it look as if it had been pirated in a movie theatre thirty years ago, it is well worth buying if only to see the delightful performances of young Helen Mirren as Hermia, Diana Rigg (taking a break from Emma Peel) as Helena, Judy Dench as Titania, Ian Richardson (who gives a preview of his "House of Cards" sardonic smile) as Oberon, and even the husband of Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Bouquet) as Snug the Joiner. The production (with its pink-lipped green fairies and hairy-chested Puck) may have been misguided, but the actors shine as future stars of British stage and cinema.

Because of the poor quality and the faded print, I'd actually give it three and 1/2 stars. I still recommend it, however, as a piece of historical interest.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Overwhelming Star Power., April 27, 2006

By 

Mike Simonsen (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Midsummer Night's Dream (DVD)

The film source materials start off looking battered, but the image cleans up pretty quickly.

More importantly, the performances are uniformly strong, without a weak link to be found. If you are familiar with Ian Richardson and Judy Dench only from their recent work, this movie will be an eye-opener. Bill Travers' Snout is a treasure, and Paul Rogers leaves behind his usual kings and bullies to give a vocally astonishing performance as Bottom.

Most productions of this play have trouble balancing the scenes of the confused lovers in the forest with the Pyramis and Thisbe farce at the end - usually one or the other gets out of control, but this one gets it right for once. There is a little self-conscious film editing a la Richard Lester and the New Wave that has dated, but doesn't really kill the occasion. The language and atmosphere are magical, as good as it gets.

Some of the whining in these reviews is silly. There is no other Midsummer Night's Dream so evenly and superlatively cast, and it's worth putting up with less than optimal print quality to watch and listen to them.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yes, the quality is poor, but......!, March 5, 2008

By 

J. Lynne "Teacher and Author" (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Midsummer Night's Dream (DVD)

Yes, the quality is poor, but as an English teacher, who has watched almost every available video version in the past three weeks, this was the most faithful representation by far! I can't show it in class, but there is nothing more satisfying than seeing young Dame Judy brazen and lovely enough to pull off a nude Titania and seeing the lovely, elegant woman she is now. This is also the only version I have seen, so far, that portrays Hippolyta as the strong, amazon she is supposed to be! Hurrah for the brits, who don't have any problem keeping the complexity of the relationship between Theseus and Hippolyta! The trappings of the sixties just made it more of a romp! I would really rent this, the quality is absolutely terrible. I am sure I have caught snippets of a much better copy on television at some point, if I had known what a must see it was, I would have recorded it then. Rent it, watch it, love it for its kookiness and know that the Bard would have really appreciated it!