A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy

One of the many ironies cast over the films of Woody Allen is that, despite having established one of the most recognizable voices in American film, his movies have always been deeply indebted to whatever set of influences he was working from in a given year. As Julie Kirgo outlines in the essay included with the new Blu-ray release of "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy," the influences in this case are quite clear: There are the comedies of Shakespeare (particularly the one referenced by the title), the comedies of Bergman (particularly "Smiles of a Summer Night"), and maybe even Sondheim, too. In other words: A lot of partner-swapping, and a bit of poetry to go along with it.

That slyly promiscuous lineage provides a canvas entirely attuned to Allen's voice, given one of the other ironies attached to his work: He's never filmed a sex scene, but almost everything he's written is singlemindedly obsessed with the act. In this case, he's stationed six pawns out in a country house in the early 20th century, and his script takes great pleasure in dashing them to and fro across the board. Andrew (Allen), a frustrated stockbroker/failed inventor, owns the home with his wife Adrian (Mary Steenburgen), though they haven't consummated anything in months. Their guests for the evening include the professor Leopold (Jose Ferrer), who offers a snooty and self-aware platform for Allen's atheist beliefs; Ariel (Mia Farrow), his date, who had a brief but unforgotten fling with Andrew years prior; Maxwell (Tony Roberts), a self-proclaimed ladies' man; and Dulcy (Julie Hagerty), his co-worker and most recent partner.

Andrew finds himself announcing love for Ariel, then so does Maxwell; Leopold holds out hope for one last bachelor's fling with Dulcy, while Adrian hopes she can keep the lid on a secret of her own. Allen uses this criss-crossed web of attraction and revulsion to spring the sort of zingers promised by the title. Sample: "Have you ever made love with an older man," Leopold asks, propositioning Dulcy. "Yes." He presses further: "Illicitly? In the woods?" She doesn't even blink. "Yes."

Twilight Time's Blu-ray release of the film provides the aforementioned essay, as well as an isolated score track -- it's mostly classical cues, though there is a bit of opera sung by Leopold during an evening rest. The only other extras (per a longstanding Allen tradition) are the theatrical trailers for the film, but the high-definition transfer of the film -- shot by the great Gordon Willis -- is reason enough to upgrade your old DVD. The films that Willis shot for Allen ("Annie Hall," "Manhattan," "Zelig," and "The Purple Rose of Cairo," among others) are marked by a willingness to experiment that's sorely missed in many of the author's other film.

One of the photographer's trademarks is his tendency to station the camera as far back as he can within a room, catching the actors within silhouettes or reflections. The early, indoor sequences of "Midsummer" are laden with his influence: A workplace conversation ducks behind a blurred door, and we wait outside, only listening. Or a flirtation in the kitchen is captured from another room entirely, with the two characters involved revealed to us via a mirror that takes up only a fraction of the frame. Allen's biggest influences always shouted over the works he created -- and when he was working with a talent like Willis, his collaborators could make their voices heard just as clearly.

"A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy"
Blu-ray
Screenarchives.com
$29.95