In the piazza before a grand renaissance
house in the Tuscan countryside, preparations are underway for Duke Theseus' wedding.
Unremarked, two small figures mingle with the townspeople, collecting odd treasures to be
carted off to an unknown destination . . .
As if his bride Hippolyta weren't skittish enough at the approach of their wedding, the
Duke is obliged to listen to the complaints of opposing sides in a dispute over an
arranged marriage: Crusty old Egeus has promised his daughter Hermia to Demetrius, but
Hermia loves Lysander and wants to marry him.
Ordered by the Duke to obey her father, Hermia plans to elope with her true love, using a
new-fangled invention: the bicycle. But Hermia's best friend Helena, who is in love with
Demetrius, warns him of their plot. That night, when the lovers flee into the forest,
Demetrius takes after them on his own bike, with a determined Helena pedaling in hot
pursuit.
Bound for the same woods are a band of amateur thespians: five workmen from the village in
search of a secluded spot to rehearse "The Most Lamentable Comedy, and Cruel Death of
Pyramus and Thisbe." Even though their star, Bottom the Weaver, is the ham of hams
and a comical figure in the village, they hope to perform the play before the Duke on the
day of his wedding and be handsomely rewarded for their efforts.
Unknown to lovers and thespians alike, their journey into the dark forest has brought them
near the secret home of the fairies, where the fairy trickster Puck administers a powerful
love potion that causes the lovers to mix and match with outrageous results. As for the
workmen, their rehearsal is about to be interrupted when Bottom, succumbing to Puck's
spells, becomes a pawn in the love games of Oberon and Titania, the King and Queen of the
fairies.
A splendid cast brings this enchanting new version of Shakespeare's most magical play to
life, headed by Michelle Pfeiffer ("Up Close & Personal," "One Fine
Day") as the fairy Queen and Kevin Kline ("The Ice Storm," "In &
Out") as Bottom, her unlikely lover. Rupert Everett ("My Best Friend's
Wedding," "The Madness of King George") is the jealous Oberon, Stanley
Tucci ("Big Night," "The Impostors") is his lieutenant Puck, David
Strathairn ("L.A. Confidential," "Simon Birch") is Duke Theseus and
French star Sophie Marceau ("Braveheart," "Firelight") is Theseus'
hesitant bride, Hippolyta.
Calista Flockhart plays Helena, obstinately pursuing the object of her affections,
Demetrius, played by Christian Bale ("Velvet Goldmine," "Little
Women"). Entangled with them in Puck's web are Dominic West ("Surviving
Picasso") and Anna Friel, whose film career recently took off after three years as
the girl England loved to hate on the popular BBC soap "Brookside." Seconding
Bottom in his theatrical effusions are Tony Award-winner Roger Rees ("The Adventures
of Nicholas Nickleby") as the troupe's writer/director Peter Quince; Sam Rockwell
("Box of Moonlight"), in the double role of Flute and "Thisbe";
Broadway mime and performance artist Bill Irwin ("Fool Moon") as Snout; Max
Wright as Starveling; and Gregory Jbara as Snug.
Representing the older generation, long-time Kenneth Branagh collaborator John Sessions
plays Philostrate and Bernard Hill (last seen going down with his ship in
"Titanic") plays Hermia's killjoy father Egeus.
Director Michael Hoffman ("One Fine Day," "Restoration") has
transposed Shakespeare's most popular play to the golden sunlight and green terraces of
northern Italy near the end of the nineteenth century, where it was shot on location by
cinematographer Oliver Stapleton ("One Fine Day," "The Grifters").
Demetrius............................... CHRISTIAN BALE Oberon.................................. RUPERT EVERETT Helena.................................. CALISTA FLOCKHART Hermia.................................. ANNA FRIEL Nick Bottom............................. KEVIN KLINE Hippolyta............................... SOPHIE MARCEAU Titania................................. MICHELLE PFEIFFER Theseus................................. DAVID STRATHAIRN Puck.................................... STANLEY TUCCI Lytsander............................... DOMINIC WEST Directed by............................. MICHAEL HOFFMAN
