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A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
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Wikipedia article
'A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy' is a 1982 American science fiction sex comedy film written, directed by Woody Allen and starring himself.
The plot is loosely based on the 1955 Swedish comedy film 'Smiles of a Summer Night', written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. It was the first of 13 films that Allen would make starring Mia Farrow. Her role was originally written for Diane Keaton, another Allen lead actress, but she was busy promoting her film 'Reds' and preparing to begin production on 'Shoot the Moon'. Julie Hagerty, Mary Steenburgen, Tony Roberts and Jose Ferrer co-starred. It also marks the first appearance of Allen as an ensemble performer in his own film, as previously he had either been the lead character or did not appear in his films.
'A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy' received moderately positive reviews but was nominated for one Razzie Award: Worst Actress, for Farrow – the only time a Woody Allen film has been nominated for a Razzie.
Plot
It is 1906 in upstate New York. Distinguished philosopher Leopold and his much younger fiance, Ariel, are going to spend a weekend in the country with Leopold's cousin Adrian, and her crackpot inventor husband Andrew. Also on the guest list is womanizing doctor, Maxwell, and his latest girlfriend, a free-thinking nurse, Dulcy. Over the course of the weekend, old romances reignite, new romances develop, and everyone ends up sneaking off behind everyone else's backs.
Cast
Background
Allen explained the inspiration for the film:
Soundtrack
* Symphony No.3 in A Minor (1842) - Written by Felix Mendelssohn - Performed by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic
* Violin Concerto in E Minor, Opus 64 (1844) - Written by Felix Mendelssohn - Performed by Vasil Stefanov and the TVR Symphony Orchestra
* Piano Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Opus 40 (1837) - Written by Felix Mendelssohn - Performed by Eugene Ormandy and The Philadelphia Orchestra
* A Midsummer Night's Dream (1826) - Written by Felix Mendelssohn - Performed by Eugene Ormandy and The Philadelphia Orchestra
* Die schne Mllerin, D795 No.2: 'Wohin? (1823) - Written by Franz Schubert - Played on piano by Mary Steenburgen
* Dichterliebe, Opus 48, No.7: Ich grolle nicht (1840) - Written by Robert Schumann - Played on piano by Mary Steenburgen
* The Lord's Prayer (1935) - music by Albert Hay Malotte - Played on piano by Mia Farrow
Box office
The film opened on July 16, 1982, at 501 North American theaters, and made $2,514,478 ($5,018 per screen) in its opening weekend. It grossed $9,077,269 in its entire run.
Reception
The film has a 74% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 27 reviews with the critics' consensus being "It may not [be] Woody Allen's best work, but the frothy, fun 'A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy' is still worth a look."
Janet Maslin of 'The New York Times' wrote, "Whatever Mr. Allen is doing in constructing this pretty, slight, gently entertaining movie, he isn't doing the thing he does best. 'A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy' gives the impression of someone speaking fluently but formally in a language not his own."Maslin, Janet (July 16, 1982). "Film: A New Woody Allen". 'The New York Times'. C4. Roger Ebert gave the film two stars out of four and explained, "I don't object to 'A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy' on grounds that it's different from his earlier films, but on the more fundamental ground that it's adrift. There doesn't seem to be a driving idea behind it, a confident tone to give us the sure notion that Allen knows what he wants to do here." Gene Siskel awarded two-and-a-half stars out of four, calling it "a nice picture, but insubstantial."Siskel, Gene (July 16, 1982). "A wistful Woody Allen comedy aims low, and hits the mark". 'Chicago Tribune'. Section 3, p. 1. 'Variety' called the film "a pleasant disappointment, pleasant because [Allen] gets all the laughs he goes for in a visually charming, sweetly paced picture, a disappointment because he doesn't go for more.""Film Reviews: A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy". 'Variety'. July 14, 1982. p. 27. Sheila Benson of the 'Los Angeles Times' wrote, "What's most disappointing about 'Sex Comedy' is that for all its incessantand anachronistictalk, there's a serious shortage of new ideas from writer-director Allen. The film's fullest idea is that opportunity, once lost, can never again be recaptured. We might have hoped for this bittersweetness and a great deal more from one of the screen's nerviest innovators."Benson, Sheila (July 16, 1982). "Woody's Would-Be 'Sex Comedy'". 'Los Angeles Times'. Part VI, p. 8. Gary Arnold of 'The Washington Post' stated, "The crucial problem with 'Sex Comedy' is that one detects no persuasive sexual chemistry in any of the alleged, three-cornered mating games. It's impossible to believe that anyone's susceptibilities are deeply stirred or anyone's feelings likely to be hurt. Allen can't establish the basic sense of attraction and the emotional gravity that underscores the frivolity of the romantic hide-and-seek."Arnold, Gary (July 16, 1982). "'A Midsummer Night's' Flirtation With Farce". 'The Washington Post'. C1. Pauline Kael of 'The New Yorker' wrote, "The group is rather amusing, and for a while the film seems saucy and fairly promising (when we learn, for example, that the prof and his fiance met at the Vatican). Viewers may feel that everything must be building toward a big, explosive joke. But nothing really developsnot even the clashes that are prepared for. Nothing busts loose."Kael, Pauline (July 26, 1982). "The Current Cinema". 'The New Yorker'. 63.
References
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