A Midsummer Night's Dream (1959 film)

Lore & Background

Trnka, operating under the Czech communist regime who had previously been denied in his wish to adapt Don Quixote, worked for a number of years on his adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The film established a new pinnacle of craftsmanship. Beyond the artistic aspects the film was technically advanced. Trnka used expensive Eastmancolor stock. Every scene was shot with two cameras simultaneously—one shooting Academy ratio, and one shooting in the then new CinemaScope format, effectively producing an in-camera pan-and-scan version—all so Trnka could ensure that his widescreen production would not be presented letterboxed. The film thus exists in two definitive editions. Garik Seko, a Georgian born animator from Zlin worked in the movie as an assistant. This is because the film cooperated with Czech animator Vlasta Jurajdova and co-existed with another work from Hermina Tyrlova namely Vláček Kolejáček (The Little Train). They returned in 1976 for the short film, O mistru Hanusovi. The score was composed by Václav Trojan.

Reader's Guide

The film received an indifferent initial response, but was entered into the 1959 Cannes Film Festival where it tied for the (the selection of the Technical Committee) alongside Vojtěch Jasný's Desire. It also won an Honourable Medal at the 20th Venice International Film Festival in 1959; first prize for best film in Bucharest in 1960; second prize in Montevideo in 1960; and first prize—the 'Golden Mercury'—for music in Valencia in 1962. Time magazine included the film in the Top 10 foreign movies of 1961. Cerise Howard, discussing the film in a retrospective on Trnka for Senses of Cinema, describes the puppet animation as 'more liquid, more balletic than ever'; the scenes between Nick Bottom and Titania are 'achingly tender'; Titania's train is 'an especially astonishing, luminous creation... constituted of tens of fairies, individually animated amidst reams of gorgeous, extensive coral garlanding'. Overall the film is 'distinguished by exquisite design throughout'. An English-language version was made with narration by Richard Burton and voice work by Alec McCowen. Voice cast includes Hugh Manning as Theseus, Laura Graham as Hippolyta, Jack Gwillim as Oberon, Barbara Jefford as Titania, Roger Shepherd as Puck, Alec McCowen as Nick Bottom, Ann Bell as Hermia, Barbara Leigh-Hunt as Helena, Joss Ackland as Peter Quince, Michael Meacham as Demetrius, Stephen Moore as Francis Flute, Tom Criddle as Lysander.

Did You Know?

• The film was Trnka's last feature-length film before his death in 1969.
• It tied at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival for the selection of the Technical Committee.
• The film was shot simultaneously in Academy ratio and CinemaScope using two cameras.
• An English-language version features narration by Richard Burton.

Forging a Masterpiece Under Constraint

Jiří Trnka labored for years to bring his Shakespeare adaptation to life, a project shaped in part by the political climate of Czechoslovakia. Having been denied the opportunity to adapt Don Quixote under the communist regime, Trnka channeled his creative ambitions into this puppet feature, which would ultimately become his final full-length film before his passing in 1969. The production set a new benchmark for craftsmanship in animated cinema. Technically, the film was remarkably ambitious for its era: Trnka invested in costly Eastmancolor stock and employed a dual-camera shooting method, capturing every scene simultaneously in both Academy ratio and the then-novel CinemaScope widescreen format. This in-camera approach to pan-and-scan ensured the widescreen version would never be compromised by letterboxing, yielding two definitive editions of the film. The project also brought together a collaborative crew, including Georgian-born animator Garik Seko from Zlin in an assistant role, alongside Czech animator Vlasta Jurajdova. The production coexisted with Hermina Tyrlova's work Vlacek Kolejacek, and Seko and Jurajdova would later reunite in 1976 for the short O mistru Hanusovi. Václav Trojan composed the musical score, adding another layer of artistry to an already extraordinary undertaking.

A Slow-Burning Critical Triumph

Despite an initially muted response upon release, the film's international festival run proved remarkably rewarding. At the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, it shared the Prix de la meilleure sélection—the Technical Committee's selection award—with Vojtěch Jasný's feature Touha (Desire). That same year, the 20th Venice International Film Festival bestowed upon it an Honourable Medal. The following year brought further recognition: a first prize for best film at the Bucharest festival in 1960 and a second-place finish in Montevideo, also in 1960. The film's musical dimension earned particular acclaim when it claimed the Golden Mercury first prize for music at the Valencia festival in 1962. Perhaps most notably for a mainstream audience, Time magazine selected the film among its Top 10 foreign movies of 1961, a testament to its broad appeal beyond the animation specialist community. This constellation of honors across multiple continents and years underscored the work's lasting impact on the global film landscape, validating Trnka's years of painstaking labor and establishing the production as a landmark achievement in puppet animation that continued to gather prestige long after its initial theatrical run.

Balletic Puppets and Exquisite Design

As Trnka's final feature-length work, completed a decade before his death in 1969, the film represents the apex of his artistic evolution. Writing in a retrospective for Senses of Cinema, critic Cerise Howard characterized the puppet animation as more fluid and balletic than anything Trnka had previously achieved. She singled out the sequences between Nick Bottom and Titania as achingly tender, capturing an emotional depth that puppetry rarely conveys. Titania's procession, in particular, struck Howard as an astonishing and luminous spectacle, composed of tens of individually animated fairies moving through vast, gorgeous coral garlands. The overall impression, Howard concluded, is one of a film distinguished by exquisite design from beginning to end. This assessment aligns with the production's reputation for establishing a new pinnacle of craftsmanship in animated cinema. The adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy into the medium of handcrafted puppets, rendered in rich Eastmancolor and presented in both Academy and CinemaScope formats, gave audiences a visual experience that married literary fantasy with tangible, tactile artistry—each puppet, each set piece, each frame a testament to meticulous handcraft and visionary staging.

Bringing Shakespeare to English-Ear Audiences

To extend its reach beyond the Czechoslovak and European markets, an English-language version of the film was produced, featuring narration by the legendary Richard Burton and voice work by Alec McCowen. The dubbing cast assembled a distinguished ensemble of British actors to bring the characters to life for Anglophone viewers. Hugh Manning voiced Theseus, while Laura Graham brought gravitas to Hippolyta. Jack Gwillim lent his voice to Oberon, and Barbara Jefford embodied Titania. Roger Shepherd provided the mischievous voice of Puck, and McCowen himself took on the role of Nick Bottom. Ann Bell voiced Hermia, Barbara Leigh-Hunt spoke as Helena, and Joss Ackland brought Peter Quince to life. Michael Meacham voiced Demetrius, Stephen Moore took on Francis Flute, and Tom Criddle completed the ensemble as Lysander. This full-cast English adaptation ensured that the film's wit, romance, and physical comedy could be appreciated by a far broader audience, carrying Trnka's masterful puppetry into living rooms and cinemas across the English-speaking world and cementing its place in the international canon of animated cinema.