A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (1981)

BBC Release

A TRAGEDIE

In 1978, the BBC set itself the task of filming all of William Shakespeare’s plays for television. The productions, renowned for loyalty to the text, utilised the best theatrical and television directors and brought great performances from leading contemporary actors.

“Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind.”

In the woods of Athens, runaways couples, the King and Queen of the fairies, the impish sprite Puck, and a band of ‘rude mechanicals’ prove “the course of true love never did run smooth” as they play out a comedy of love and the confusion it sometimes brings.

This production highlights Shakespeare’s lyrical expressions of love, dreams, and imagination. The performance is star-studded, with Helen Mirren as Titania and Peter McEnery as Oberon, supported by a superb cast. As the New York Times wrote, “they are all accomplished performers, but the director has given the extra dimension of using them brilliantly in terms of television.”

CAST

First billed only

• Estelle Kohler ... Hippolyta
• Nigel Davenport ... Theseus
• Hugh Quarshie ... Philostrate
• Geoffrey Lumsden ... Egeus
• Pippa Guard ... Hermia
• Nicky Henson ... Demetrius
• Robert Lindsay ... Lysander
• Cherith Mellor ... Helena
• Geoffrey Palmer ... Quince
• Brian Glover ... Bottom
• John Fowler ... Flute
• Don Estelle ... Starveling
• Nat Jackley ... Snout
• Ray Mort ... Snug
• Phil Daniels ... Puck
• Helen Mirren ... Titania
• Peter McEnery ... Oberon
• Tania Bennett ... Fairy
• Alexandra Segal ... Fairy
• Louise Mason ... Fairy
• Lee Macdonald ... Fairy
• Bruce Savage ... Peaseblossom
• Massimo Mezzofanti ... Cobweb
• Dominic Martelli ... Moth
• Timothy Cross ... Mustardseed

• Directed: Elijah Moshinsky
• Produced: Jonathan Miller
• Adapted: William Shakespeare’s original play