A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

16 July 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Six characters in search of love [Video]

Plot:

A wacky inventor and his wife invite two other couples for a weekend party at a romantic summer house in the 1900s countryside.

Plot Keywords:

Inventor | Summer | Doctor | Love | Remake

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Woody Allen	...	Andrew
Mia Farrow	...	Ariel
José Ferrer	...	Leopold (as Jose Ferrer)
Julie Hagerty	...	Dulcy
Tony Roberts	...	Maxwell
Mary Steenburgen	...	Adrian
Adam Redfield	...	Student Foxx
Moishe Rosenfeld	...	Mr. Hayes
Timothy Jenkins	...	Mr. Thomson
Michael Higgins	...	Reynolds
Sol Frieder	...	Carstairs
Boris Zoubok	...	Purvis
Thomas Barbour	...	Blint
Kate McGregor-Stewart	...	Mrs. Baker

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Columbia University - Broadway & 116th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Based on Sommarnattens leende (1955), which also inspired Stephen Sondheim's musical "A Little Night Music".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: About thirteen minutes into the movie, a crew member is visible crouched by a tree, as a deer runs through the woods.

Quotes:

Andrew: I wonder if geniuses have problems with their sex lives.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Horrors of Spider Island (#11.11)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Die schöne Müllerin, D795 No.2: 'Wohin?

Perhaps lesser known, but not lesser quality woody film

Almost a hidden gem, except that no one has an excuse for not knowing about any Woody film. The cast is delightful. Every line of dialog is laced with wit and humor. No New York angst here, just the usual relationship muddle, mixed with the usual existential questions of the the meaning of love and life and ...

Not a message movie. As the title indicates, the point of all this is comedy. My favorite bit, which didn't make it into the quotes section goes something like this:

<Andrew is hovering outside Maxwell's window in his self-propelled helicopter>

Maxwell: Andrew! What do you think you're doing?

Andrew: Its an invention of mine. I think I've got most of the bugs worked out. What do you think?

Maxwell: Andrew, don't be silly. You can't fly.

Andrew: I can't?

Maxwell: Of course not! You're a mammal!

Andrew: Oh.

<Andrew crashes to ground>

Tony Roberts is the perfect straight man. Its a pity that Woody hasn't used him in some of his later films. This is one of those handful of films that can be watched over and over again. One to own. Sadly, this (and several other Woody masterpieces) are out of print.