Page 74 - Shakespeare in the Movie From the Silent Era to Shakespeare in Love

A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups / 63

"I11 Met by Moonlight"
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Warner Bros., 1935; Max Reinhardt

Though his name is forgotten by all but devoted theater buffs today,
Reinhardt was the Orson Welles of his time: flamboyant, fascinating,
and controversial. He mounted live productions of Shakespeare with
razzle-dazzle to spare. The public was overwhelmed by take-your-
breath-away effects, though academics wondered whether all the
theater magic overshadowed the Bard's poetry and purpose. Rein-
hardt's stage production of A Midsummer Night's Dream was a phe-
nomenal hit in Vienna and he was persuaded to bring the company
to America to stage the show at the Hollywood Bowl.
Among those in attendance was Jack Warner, the brother in charge
of determining which films Warner Bros, would produce. Mostly, he
opted for lucrative topical crime dramas and backstage musicals.
There was, however, the matter of prestige brought by the Oscars,
which gave M-G-M the premier position due to adaptations of literary
works such as Charles Dickens's Tale of Two Cities (1935) and David
Copperfield (1935). From the moment Reinhardt's production began,
all Warner could think about was what a wonderful motion picture
this fanciful production might make. Moreover, the Warner techni-
cians could assist Reinhardt in expanding his vision, creating remark-
able images, like characters dissolving into thin air. A Midsummer
Night's Dream became Jack's dream project, but shortly after, an esca-
lating budget and commercial failure would qualify it as a nightmare.
Years earlier, Reinhardt scoffed at cinema as an inferior second
cousin to live theater. He had reversed that position, announcing,
"The motion pcture is the most wonderful medium for the presen-
tation of drama and spectacle the world has ever known. The screen
has leaped further ahead in the last few years than the stage has
evolved in centuries." Reinhardt signed on, only to learn that
Warner would not consider importing stage players from New York;
he instead allowed his beloved stock company to try their hands at
Shakespeare. These popular stars had varied talent but were cast
nonetheless. Demetrius was played by Dick Powell, Hermia by
Olivia de Havilland, Puck by Mickey Rooney, Flute by Joe E. Brown,
and Oberon by Victor Jory. James Cagney, the king of the lot, was
allowed to pick any role; he decided on Bottom, sensing that the
ultimate challenge for a great actor is to play a bad actor.