Switch back to 19th centurt Monte Athena (the village of Athens) where “necklines are high” and “parents are rigid”. Adjusted to the time warp? Okay, open your eyes now, to a feast - quite literally - being prepared in celebration of the grand Duke Theseus’s marriage to a very charming Hippolyta (played by Sophie Marceau). At this auspicious time, the Duke’s attention is diverted from his soon-to-be wife by Hermia and Lysander, who are madly in love but cannot marry because Hermia’s father wishes her to marry Demetrius. However, so does Helena - want to marry Demetrius, I mean. So, what happens next? Who marries whom?
In the town square, we encounter Nick Bottom, played by Kline, rehearsing a play alongwith fellow amateur actors. This play is to be staged for the Duke’s pleasure on his wedding day. Back in the forest surrounding the village, a very beautiful and bewitching Pfeiffer is at loggerheads with her suave husband Oberon over an Indian boy who looks very much like Krishna. Who wins? And how does this tangled web connect and unfold?
I’ll leave it to you to find out, because this movie is worth a peep. It’s light and airy, so becoming the perfect cure to a boring day.
Lastly, here are a few C’s to guide the movie enthusiast through the flick.
Capers - what the movie is full of.
Caprice - what Titania, the Queen of Fairies is full of.
Calista - of “Ally Mcbeal” fame, is one who plays her role well.
Cute - “Puck”, Oberon’s right-hand fairy, played by Stanley Tucci.
Colourful - the costumes and the scenery.
Cupid - the hero in the film.
Chaotic - the plot.
Contagious - the laughter generated by the action on-screen.
Carefully - that’s how you should listen to the dialogue.
All in all, one cannot help but feel that Shakespeare would not turn in his grave to see this rendition of his play, but rather, would like to sit up and watch it…if he could!
This article was first published on 08 May 2000.