A Night’s Dream

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1985

Production year

1985

Premiere

1 September 1986

Runtime

72 min

Category

film

Genre

ballet

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Sen noci...

Czech title

Sen noci...

English title

A Night’s Dream

Summary

William Shakespeare’s classic play A Midsummer Night's Dream has served as an inspiration for countless projects spanning many genres – including this 1985 ballet film featuring music by Václav Trojan. Director Vladimír Sís shifts a performance of the Brno State Theatre to theatrically stylised interiors at Prague's Barrandov film studios. The story tells the tale of the betrothal of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, to Theseus, Duke of Athens. It also relates the escapades of two love-struck couples – Lysander and Hermia, and Demetrius and Helena. With the aid of mischievous servant-elf Puck, Oberon, the King of the Fairies, and his wife Titania have fun with the longings and identities of the lovers. Alongside the dancers of Brno’s ballet scene, Sen noci… (Night’s Dream) also boasts a sensitively delivered narration by actor Josef Kemr.

Synopsis

The amazon queen Hippolyta gets engaged to the Athens' ruler Theseus. The celebration is also attended by a young couple, Lysander and Hermia. They are in love but Hermia's father has already mortgaged the girl to Demetrius who is in turn hopelessly loved by Helen. Theseus decides that Hermia should either obey her father or die. The lovers escape, pursued by the jealous Demetrius who is pursued by Helen. Amateur actors from the ranks of the local craftsmen study the drama about Pyramus and Thisbe to the tribute of the ruler's betrothal. They are ordered out from the courtyard and have to rehearse in a forest. The ruler of the forest realm is Oberon, whose orders are carried out by the elf Puck. Oberon is jealous of his wife Titania because she is too consumed by the puppet of a black page. Puck gets two magic flowers for Oberon, one red and one yellow. Those who in sleep smell the red flower, fall in love with the first creature they see when they wake up in the morning. The magic spell can be revoked by smelling the yellow flower. Oberon uses the red flower for Titania and Puck for Lysander by whose side Helen has fallen asleep. When Lysander wakes up, he falls in love with Helen while Puck, on Oberon's order, turns the actor Nick Bottom the Weaver into ass and takes him to the bed of the sleeping Titania. She falls in love with him after waking up. The mischievous Puck continues pranking with the flowers, enchanting other love couples. Oberon interferes. Lysander returns to Hermia while Demetrius falls head over heels in love with Helen. Titania is appalled at falling in love with an ass who turns back to Bottom the Weaver. The sleeping lovers are woken up by a vociferous hunt. Hippolyta is chasing a wild bull. She is saved by Theseus from the dangerous situation. Egeus vainly asks the ruler to punish his daughter who does not want to obey him. Theseus decides that Lysander will marry Hermia and Demetrius Helena. During the wedding evening, Hippolyta performs a passionate dance and the amateur actors present their theatre show. The wedding guests then line up in a festive procession together with the inhabitants of the forest realm and the craftsmen. Reality mingles with dream and no one knows how everything really happened.

Note

The movie, filmed on the occasion of the International Music Day, is introduced by paintings by Jan Souček from the cycle Protect the Landscapes of Your Dreams. The opening and closing commentaries include quotation from Saudek´s translation of William Shakespare´s play A Midsummer Night´s Dream. The basis for the ballet was Trojan´s music for the 1959 puppet movie A Midsummer Night´s Dream, created by Jiří Trnka.

Cast

Lubomír Večeřa

Lysandr

Soňa Zejdová

Hermie

Zdeněk Kárný

Demetrius

Eva Trnková (2)

Helena

Zdeněk Hanzlovský

Oberon

Jarmila Bařinková

Titanie

Antonín Michna

Puk

Milan Potůček

Klubko/Hejkal

Stanislav Olbricht

Štěbenec/Hejkal

Nikola Pecháček

Okápek/Hejkal

Petr Přibyl

Pevný/Hejkal

Ivan Příkaský

Hladoled/Hejkal

Vladimír Mrkvička

Poříz/Hejkal

Josef Kubálek

Egeus

Jaroslav Šimek

Filostrates

Jiří Šimek

Býk/Hejkal

Stáňa Zapletalová

Elf Titanie

Jarmila Dostálová

Elf Titanie

Alena Nechvátalová

Elf Titanie

Vanda Skopalová

Elf Titanie

Renata Poláčková

Pavouk/Kytička

Marta Bursáková

Žába/Můra

Eva Roučková

Amazonka

Štěpánka Králová

Amazonka/Keř

Šárka Pecháčková

Amazonka

Magdalena Hrnčálová

Amazonka

Pavel Trčka

Hejkal/Plivník

Marie Šlezingerová

Laň/Kytička

Ivana Císařová

Keř

Dana Dvořáková

Keř

Eva Janečková

Keř

Ivana Kašparová (2)

Keř

Ludmila Plíhalová

Keř

V. Podhrázká

Keř

Miluše Doležalová

Kytička

Eva Dvořáková

Kytička

Julie Kubaláková

Kytička

Libuše Ovsová

Kytička

A. Kolegarová

Kytička

A. Pánková

Kytička

Zdeňka Hanzlovská

Můra

Henriette Holešovská

Můra

Miroslava Klemsová

Můra

Jarmila Kopecká

Můra

Vlasta Prášilová

Můra

Boris Hanák

Jelen

Petr Klubal

Plivník/Hejkal

Vlastimil Kolegar

Plivník/Hejkal

Ivo Lepold

Plivník/Hejkal

Pavel Ploch

Plivník/Hejkal

Juraj Dubovec

Hejkal

Antonín Schuster

Hejkal

O. Skopal

Hejkal

Commentary

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Milan Klacek

Assistant Director

Kryštof Hanzlík

Based on

William Shakespeare (Sen noci svatojánské /A Midsummer Night's Dream/ – divadelní hra), Václav Trojan (Sen noci svatojánské – hudba k baletu), Alena Hoblová (Sen noci svatojánské – libreto k baletu)

Screenplay

Vladimír Sís

Shooting Script

Vladimír Sís

Director of Photography

Jan Kališ

Camera Operator

Tomáš Hampl, Stanislav Šťastný

Production Designer

Jan Zázvorka, Karel Vacek

Assistent Production Designer

Štěpán Exner, Miloš Preclík

Art Director

Jan Souček

Set Designer

Miroslav Fára, Jaroslav Česal, Vladimír Ježek, Karel Kočí, Petr Průša

Costume Designer

Alena Hoblová

Make-Up Artist

Rudolf Kurel, Jana Dolejší, J. Kurelová, Libuše Beranová, J. Guttová, Jaroslav Šámal, Petr Fadrhons

Assistant Film Editor

Anna Mejtská, Eliška Willigová

Sound Designer

Ivo Špalj, Jiří Zobač

Production Manager

Jaromír Lukáš

Unit Production Manager

Milana Melcerová, Dagmar Pitráková, Jiří Synek

Unit Production Manager

Martina Petrů, Ondřej Sláma

Cooperation

Helena Friedlová (klapka), Yvona Limberská (klapka), Jiří Kučera (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Václav Trojan

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Jan Štych)

Choreographer

Luboš Ogoun

Production info

Original Title

Sen noci...

Czech Title

Sen noci...

English Title

A Night’s Dream

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

ballet

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1985

Production Year

1985

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 14 November 1984
start of filming 10 December 1984
technical Screenplay approved 25 January 1985
end of filming 28 October 1985
projection approval 21 December 1985

Premiere

premiere 1 September 1986 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

2. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Josef Císař (vedoucí 2. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

72 min

Original length in metres

2 064 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Intertitles languages

Czech

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Event: Komise pro posuzování a hodnocení technické kvality filmů

1987
Praha / Czechoslovakia