I somehow managed to get through high school without being forced to read most of the classic stories that so many students dread and fear based on hand-me-down horror stories from siblings and friends. Later in life, natural curiosity drove me on several occasions to force myself to enjoy the great works of literature. Usually I was so lost in trying to translate the jargon or the author's intent, that I could never enjoy the story. My choice of watching A Midsummer Night's Dream was inspired by a recent trip to Barnes & Noble. As planned, I met my 14-year-old daughter at the checkout line carrying my usual stack of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Mystery stories, while she had chosen for her reading pleasure several Shakespearean works. I told her that I was very pleased with her fondness of reading. Regardless of the material, reading is generally better, i.e., thought provoking, than watching a movie. This delightful movie, however, made it possible to enjoy the Bard's magnificent story telling ability without a translator. There was sufficient Shakespearean dialogue to make me pause the DVD a few times for thought, but generally the story flowed with enough vitality to entertain as the thoughts and inspirations of human foibles were driven deeper into my subconscious for later analysis. The only shortcoming is I can't say, "I liked the book better than the movie."
Review of A Midsummer Night's Dream
