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Plot

This 1961 adaptation of Shakespeare's magical comedy of errors was performed entirely by puppets. Let's qualify that: the puppets are of the stop-motion variety, expertly manipulated into "humanity" by Czech animator Jiri Trnka. The adaptation is faithful to the text, while the technique allows a wider range of visual delights than any previous movie Midsummer--and an eminently convincing man-to-jackass transformation for vainglorious amateur thespian Bottom. The English-language version of this Czech animated feature was directed and adapted by Howard O. Sackler, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Great White Hope. Richard Burton provided the narration for this version, which was issued in 1963 and is still in circulation.
MPAA Rating:
Genre(s):
Comedy,Fantasy,Romance
Run Time:
111min.
Director(s):
Themes:
Mistaken Identities,Wedding Bells,Unrequited Love
Tone:
Bright,Gentle,Humorous,Light,Madcap,Quirky,Summery
Keywords:
fairy,fantasy,forest,king,mistaken-identity,puppet [doll],romance,wedding
Language:
English