It seems she feels the same about England's national poet like I do feel about Germany's "national" poet, Goethe - overrated. Both had their moments, of course, and things that people use to quote, but all in all I see both as - well, overrated I mean. I saw several Shakespeare pieces, at school, at TV, even in cinemas, but many of them have one thing in common: a lot of people running around with a heavy mind, and in the end they all are dead.
However, this is something that they also made of Shakespeare, and I love it. I have seen it three times now within one year, and every time I was laughing tears. It also is wonderfully filmed, and has some very excellent actors who obviously did truly enjoy to play their parts.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/William-Shak...0884029&sr=1-5
Set in the beautifully filmed Toskana, this is how I always thought the Summer Night's Dream must be performed: humourous, beautiful, light and with an easy hand and a twinkling eye, and with bright, almost boisterous colours - perfect! The images and locations it offers to the eyes are simply beautiful.
Kevin Kline was a great choice to cast. I also love that guy playing the Puck, an Australian, I think. Best Puck I have ever seen - and I saw him in four different versions. there is one scene in the middle, a mud-bath, that one simply has to ignore, for it is too exaggerated, but it is over after 30 seconds, and then the pleasure continues to unfold.
For those who usually have difficulties to approach Shakespeare in general, and the Midsummer Night's Dream in special, this is the one version that could make you change your mind. And it illustrates why this piece is rated as a comedy - in no other version I ever laughed. In this one, at the end I always have tears in my eyes from laughing.
I love it!
It's also the only version where you see Puck finding a bicyle in the forest and wondering what it is before having plenty of fun with it! :rotfl: