Max Reinhardt Movies
German director Max Reinhardt had a tremendous effect on early filmmakers the world over. Some of his protégés include F.W. Murnau, Paul Leni, Ernst Lubitsch, and Otto Preminger. He was born Maximilian Goldman in Baden, Austria. He first gained notice as a producer and director of plays and during the early 20th century was one of German theater's most influential figures. His innovative stage work had great effect on early directors. Reinhardt's greatest contribution was his role in the development of both Kammerspiel (chamber dramas done in a minimalist and naturalistic style) and expressionist cinema following WWI. But despite his effect on films, Reinhardt only actually directed a handful of silent and sound films, notably the American version of A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), which he directed with William Dieterle. At one point he owned a large chain of theaters in Austria and Germany, but lost them all when the Nazis took over Germany. Shortly after their rise to power, Reinhardt left Germany and after touring Europe, settled in the U.S. where he spent the rest of his life. There he continued working on-stage as a director and producer. He also founded a Hollywood-based theater workshop and an acting school in New York. His son, Gottfried Reinhardt, became a movie producer. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Max Reinhardt's legendary Hollywood Bowl production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream was transferred to the screen by Warner Bros. in 1935. Like most of Shakespeare's comedies, the story contains several seemingly unrelated plotlines, all tied together by a single unifying event, in this instance the impending wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta. One story thread concerns the mistaken-identity romances of four young Athenians; another involves a group of "rude mechanicals" who plan to stage a production of "Pyramus and Thisbe" in honor of the wedding; and third plot strand is motivated by the mischievous misbehavior of invisible fairies Oberon, Titania, and Puck. While one of the members of Reinhardt's original stage cast, Olivia De Havilland (Hermia) was retained for the film version, the remainder of the roles went to Warners' ever-reliable stock company. Some of the casting is inspired: James Cagney is brilliant as vainglorious amateur thespian Bottom, while Joe E. Brown is ideal as the reluctant female impersonator Flute. As the four lovers, De Havilland and Jean Muir far outshine the smirking and simpering Dick Powell and Ross Alexander. In the dominion of the fairies, Mickey Rooney is a bit too precious as Puck, but Anita Louise is a lovely Titania and Victor Jory a suitably menacing Oberon (his opening line "Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania!" still sends shivers down our spines). Cagney and Brown's fellow "mechanicals" are an odd mixture of the sublime (Frank McHugh) and the just plain silly (Hugh Herbert). While the performances and direction (by Reinhardt and William Dieterle) are uneven, the art direction and special effects (especially the nocturnal dance of the fairies) are breathtakingly beautiful. Mendelssohn's "Midsummer Night's Dream" incidental music is masterfully orchestrated by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, while the cinematography by Hal Mohr earned the first write-in Academy Award in Hollywood history (Mohr had not been nominated due to hostilities arising from a recent industry strike). Considered a brave failure at the time of its first release, on a purely visual level A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of the more satisfying Shakespearean cinemadaptations of Hollywood's golden age. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ian Hunter, James Cagney, (more)
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