A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1935 (Grade B-)

Director:William Dieterle & Max Reinhardt
Awards: Nominated for Academy Award --but I don't know if it won any awards. I'd be surprised if it didn't.
Stars: James Cagney, Joey E Brown, Dick Powell, Mickey Rooney, Olivia de Haviland, Victor Jory, Ian Hunter, Verree Teasdale, Jean Muir

sez says: what a wonderful old movie.  It is long--but it is gorgeous.  They must have used thousands of yards of cloth --in ever so clever ways, both for costumes and for special effects.  And the special effects - for a film of this age- are spectacular.  Yes this is Shakespeare--the tale is told in his language.  Meanwhile there is a ballet going on around the play.  I do have to admit to getting lost with the language a couple times--but it didn't matter one bit. The vast majority of it is clear and of course famous lines are presented in context, which I enjoy.  But no matter the language, the story is easy to follow and even when one gets lost with the dialogue there is still plenty to watch and enjoy.  No surprise that deHaviland was up to the task of her part--but surprise, surprise Cagney and Rooney (still a boy) were truly effective in their parts too.  Powell was a little awkward. (Grade B-)