HIDING away in a shadowy corner of the Odeon multiplex lurks A Midsummer Night's Dream, which if you can tear yourself away from the blockbusters and horror feasts currently on offer, is a rare and entertaining treat, writes Stephen Jansen.

Director Michael Hoffman has forgone the computer animation technology that was easily available for this flight into a Tuscan fantasy in favour of delivering an honest costume drama complete with sewn-on wings and imitation foliage.

Shakespeare's play unfolds on the eve of a wedding as we see two pairs of lovers (Rupert Everett and Anna Friel, Christian Bale and Calista Flockhart) switch their affections due to the intervention of the mischievous Puck, a wood spirit played brilliantly by Stanley Tucci. Into this relationship chaos springs a zealous troupe of second rate actors led by the larger than life Bottom (Kevin Kline). This unfortunate thespian becomes the brunt of the Fairy queen's (Titania) love war with her king (Oberon), as the troupe rehearse their play for the wedding the next day.

Those unfamiliar with Shakespeare will probably lose the plot somewhere in the complex dialogue and the director's unwillingness to let the uninitiated catch up.

After a while the obvious lack of money spent - although a brave gesture in these effects-laden times - begins to wear thinner than Michelle Pfieffer's costume and the desire to return to the film's reality becomes overwhelming before total belief sets in.

But overall this is a fair effort and quite enjoyable if, like me, you are not fully brushed up on the Bard.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is now showing at Odeon screen 2 and has a PG certificate.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.