I have seen this film over and over again Its wonderful
Its could be considered a dress rehersal for the wizard of oz with some of the effects ,
Olivia rocks and Cagney Is an Interesting Suprise
dont be but off by the black and white or Its slightly out of focus look
Its (for a better word) Dreamlike
For me, anyway, the world within "Midsummer" has always sort of demanded that it be in color. I'd be fine with almost any other Shakespeare adaptation being in B&W, but this one almost seems like an exception.
shareI can understand your desire for bright color in a story about fairies, but the effects used in this film would have been lackluster in color. For me, the soft yet glittery look is enhanced, not diminished, by the black & white.
___________________________________
Those who study history are doomed to watch others repeat it.
It wouldn't be the same in color ... you could never get the same effect ... this is a well made black and white film.
shareCouldn't agree more - the "out of focus" style is but one of the reasons this is a visual masterpiece. I found the costumes marvelously innovative (can't decide which is my favorite - the white fairy tinsel wig/gowns, or Oberon's crown!).
________________________________
Those who study history are doomed to watch others repeat it.
The write-in nomination for the Oscar for Best Cinematography was certainly well-deserved.
shareAgree completely. When I thnk of this movie, I regard it as the absolute farthest anyone could go with special effects in black and white.
I tend to make a game out of looking for goofs, or more tactfully, looking for clues as to how the effects were done. For some films it is all too easy, but with this film I fail to find any imperfections at all. Actually, I have never seen the screen used so masterfully.
I completely agree! This film is positively magical--a magical work of art, and whenever I watch it, it takes me completely out of my problems, out of my pain, and I fly away with the fairies! For most of my life, The Wizard of Oz was my go-to escape. But now this movie has surpassed The Wizard in its ability to tickle my soul. While the acting is a little over-the-top at times, it has a rhythm to it that allows me to get lost in Shakespearean language that ordinarily is very difficult for me to follow for long. Here I have no problem and escape right into it. Dreamlike is right! If only I could spend every night inside this movie with these fairies, sprites, and others....
The women characters are ethereal beauties, each and every one of them. The queen of the fairies sparkles so--one of the prettiest characters ever in a film. All the fairies really seem to fly, weightless, gossamer beings of a dream. And the men are such handsome romantic characters as well as real guys--so comfortable with the humor.
But my favorite character is the forest! The set designer was such an artist--the glitter is amazing, but even the water sparkles, as does every leaf and every breath. The gossamer costumes are out of a perfect dream---the fairies are as light as birds and seem to dance on the breeze. The animals (a unicorn!) and characters like Mustard Seed bring us back to Earth, till the next sparkly pair of characters lifts us to the clouds again. The beds of leaves and whatever they used to make it look so fluffy and soft, I swear I could sleep there and dream of these romantic pairs in love and laughter....