A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy
I think the “Midsummer Night’s Dream” is the story I have seen the most films about. There were the 1935 and the 1999 version, there’s “Smiles of a Summer Night” by Bergman and now this film. Considering that Woody Allen loves Bergman and based this film on “Smiles of a Summer Night”, this is the second movie I am seeing which references a film referencing something else (see 12 Monkeys -> La Jetée -> Vertigo).
This makes it even more fascinating for me to see all these different facets of the same topos going through these different directors. If only it weren’t Mia Farrow but Diane Keaton in this pivotal role, I think the film could potentially have become one of the greatest Woody Allens.
Ultimately I think what was truly missing in this film is the chemistry between the characters. Apart from that though, the film was brilliantly written. I love the way all these Shakespearean elements are put in: A rather romantic nature, this little device that creates a fairytale picture everybody finds himself in and all those love misunderstandings. I had much fun trying to figure out who is going to end up with whom beforehand, and even though I turned out to be wrong, I liked the conclusion it came to. Absolutely lovely, and so like Woody Allen.
This is definitely one of the best Woody Allen films, especially with Woody Allen’s own wonderful role, and I must admit that I had it even more fun with it than with “Crimes and Misdemeanors”.