Summaries

Lovers' lives are complicated by city law, feuding faerie royalty, and... love.

Shakespeare's intertwined love polygons begin to get complicated from the start--Demetrius and Lysander both want Hermia but she only has eyes for Lysander. Bad news is, Hermia's father wants Demetrius for a son-in-law. On the outside is Helena, whose unreturned love burns hot for Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander plan to flee from the city under cover of darkness but are pursued by an enraged Demetrius (who is himself pursued by an enraptured Helena). In the forest, unbeknownst to the mortals, Oberon and Titania (King and Queen of the faeries) are having a spat over a servant boy. The plot twists up when Oberon's head mischief-maker, Puck, runs loose with a flower which causes people to fall in love with the first thing they see upon waking. Throw in a group of labourers preparing a play for the Duke's wedding (one of whom is given a donkey's head and Titania for a lover by Puck) and the complications become fantastically funny.—Lordship <[email protected]>

Shakespeare's comedy about two couples in love with the wrong partners, and how they are finally brought together rightly, thanks in part to the bungling work of Puck. It is completely in the language of the Bard, with Pfeiffer as the Fairy Queen and Kline as the one turned into her evening's lover with donkey ears.—BOB STEBBINS <[email protected]>

Details

Keywords
  • transformation
  • unrequited love
  • love potion
  • fairy
  • shakespeare's a midsummer night's dream
Genres
  • Comedy
  • Fantasy
  • Romance
Release date May 13, 1999
Motion Picture Rating (MPA) PG-13
Countries of origin United States Italy United Kingdom
Language English Italian Latin
Filming locations Caprarola, Viterbo, Lazio, Italy
Production companies Fox Searchlight Pictures New Regency Productions Taurus Film

Box office

Budget $11000000
Gross US & Canada $16071990
Opening weekend US & Canada $4285620
Gross worldwide $16071990

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 56m
Color Color
Sound mix DTS Dolby Dolby Digital SDDS
Aspect ratio 2.39 : 1

Synopsis

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