A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935) Blu-ray Review: Cagney Pounds the Boards

Although Shakespeare’s evergreen comedy has been adapted to the screen many times, Max Reinhardt’s lavish 1935 production was the first feature film attempt. Interestingly, Reinhardt’s vision didn’t originate as a film project, instead coming about only in the wake of his hugely successful live staging of the play at the Hollywood Bowl. This is no mere film of a stage show though, with Reinhardt and co-director William Dieterle completely retooling the tale for the silver screen with expansive sets, hundreds of extras, stunning costumes, eye-popping special effects, and innovative cinematography. The play’s the thing, but Reinhardt’s production is entirely cinematic and epic in scope.

The version presented on Blu-ray is the 143-minute original roadshow cut, including a 7-minute overture and exit music. Once the film gets underway, it’s immediately clear that Reinhardt is taking a big swing, particularly with the inclusion of ballet numbers. They’re visually stunning, however they grind the plot momentum to a complete stop. Elsewhere, the effects are so astonishing that it’s still not clear how they pulled them off, particularly during scenes with shimmery, hovering fairies. Shakespeare’s story gets told, but with such visual aplomb that it’s hard to focus on the interconnecting subplots.

Reinhardt assembled an amazing cast for the film, including Olivia de Havilland in her screen debut, teen Mickey Rooney, Dick Powell, and James Cagney. De Havilland is regal in her debut as Hermia, in love with the sorely miscast Powell’s Lysander, with the glib, breezy Powell well out of his depth surrounded by stage-trained thespians. That’s nowhere more obvious than in comparison to the impressive Cagney exercising his superb stage acting chops as the head of an acting troupe. Cagney is no Shakespearean actor, but he’s clearly comfortable commanding a stage, even when that stage has been expanded to monumental scale. Meanwhile, Rooney also excels as a feral, manic Puck.

Warner Archive’s new Blu-ray presents the film in 1.37:1 aspect ratio with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 sound. While the images are mostly clear, some soft focus issues and overly busy blocking hinder precise details at times. Sound is passable but fairly thin. 

Bonus features include a commentary track by a film historian, early screen tests of de Havilland, a handful of teaser trailers highlighting individual cast members, a teaser of the Warner Bros. Studio Cafe, the original trailer, a vintage musical short, and the best: a vintage featurette specifically about the Hollywood premiere and production of the film.