A Midsummer Night's Dream Film Analysis

Julie Taymor’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream film adaptation creates a fantastical spin on the well-known Shakespeare play. The director is able to create an effective dream-like setting with the use of projections, lighting, and puppetry. From the beginning, there is a sense of wonder created, as without word or introduction, Puck, played by Kathryn Hunter, glides onto stage and lays down on a mattress supported by branches. Puck is then lifted into the air and a large white sheet consumes the stage. Even for those familiar with the play, such as myself, it immediately commands your mind to travel to the dream world Taymor has created. Throughout, Taymor uses visual effects to her advantage. Repeatedly, the stage is overcome by a large sheet, and on occasions, there are images projected onto it. The title is the first thing that appears after Puck’s ascent into the sheet. The scenes following are of the characters from Athens, or a broader term, the mortals. It isn’t until after the first act has concluded that the sheet returns with tangled branches projected on it and Puck descending back to the stage. The sheet repeatedly blankets the stage, but only during

Theseus and Hippolyta are both dressed completely in black, which is then contrasted by the Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius, dressed in purple, blue, and green respectively. This is the only time any of the characters are wearing specific colors that are not some shade of black or white. Puck wears gray slacks and a white shirt for the duration of the play. Titania and Oberon are stark contrasts, as she is dressed in all white and he in dark ebony. Even the mechanicals only wear various shades of black, gray, and white. The lack of color in the other character’s clothing places an emphasis on the three lovers and allows for an interesting development as the play