Customer Reviews
Twelfth Night - By: Mr. Marc Rosson, 14 Jun 2008 
By the way I am not Mr Marc I am his stepdaughter my account does not work at the moment. I must admit that when I first saw this film, it was at school in English. We had a choice MacBeth or twelfth Night 1996. We chose Twelfth Night having already looked at MacBeth in yr7 & found it INCREDIBLY BORING! Twelfth Night however like William Shakespere's "The Tempest" took me by surprise. The film is related to shakespere's life in many ways. One is that Shakespere at his time suffered puritins wanting to shut down theatres alll over. The character Malvoilio the servant who is made a fool of is meant to be a puritin. It mocks the puritins but in a comic way. Another is Shakespere had twins & most of his stories protagonists are twins including Twelfth Night. The film portrays one of the two themes shakespere wrote about Tragedy. Seperated by a shipwreck both identical twins have no idea that the other is alive. The stories main protagonist is Viola a young woman on a voyage with her brother. The twins make money & entertain by putting on shows aboard the ship. But when Viola "by chance" is saved by the ships captain & is landed on the island of Illyria, which is now Croatia & whos Duke is her fathers enemey, Viola is lost at what to do. She decides to hide her personality & change her characteristics & emotions to those of a castrated man. She goes to serve the Duke orsino having no idea the mess & lies she would become entangled in. The Duke begins to favour Cessario (Viola) because of her musical abilities. She gets to learn more about the Duke & discovers that he is fancies Olvia although he does not reallly know her. Olivia recently losing her brother has no mind to marry Orsino, so he sends Cessario to attend her. Olivia then fallls in love with the outside looks of Cessario. Meanwhile Orsino begins to falll in love with Cessario's personality.
Sebastian, Viola's twin brother believed lost, has survived with the help of another sea captain callled Antonio who was a travelling guest. He is on Illyria & by chance walks in on Olivia who thinks he is cessario (identical twins). She asks him to marry her & he agrees. But when Orsino visits Olivia himself Sebastain is no where to be found & Cessario (Viola) faces a confrontation with Orsino because Olivia believing she is married to him confronts him in front of Orsino. He thinks Cessario has betrayed him & having finallly accepted that he loves Cessario turns him away in disgust. Viola has herself falllen in love with Orsino & can't bear the fact that he has turned her away. Will Sebastian arrive back in time to clear up the disagreement or will shakespere's exquisite play end in the tragedy it began with.
Other characters include Sir Toby Belch (Olivia's Uncle), Andrew Aguecheek (also related to Olivia), Maria ( Olivia's first maid & best friend), Malvolio (Olivia's servant & fool), Antonio (Sebstian's rescuer & temporary lover).
Most Wonderful - By: Red Medic, 16 Apr 2008 There are many adaptations of the Bard's work out there which fail to do it justice. Happily, this is not one of them. Nunn's casting for this magical piece of cinema is excellent, with Kingsley's mysterious but comical Feste complimenting perfectly the hateful Malvolio (Nigel Hawthorne), corpulant Sir Toby & foppish Sir Andrew Agucheek, ably portrayed by Richard E. Grant.
Sterling though the actors are, it is the female characters which bring this adaptation to life; Bonham-Carter is, as always, perfect as the whimsical & lovely Olivia, & if we can suspend out disbelief that a woman of Stubbs' frame & appearance could possibly be taken for a chap, her Viola builds a tension with Orsino which is compelling for the viewer.
However, the unsung heroine of this drama is undoubtedly Imelda Staunton, who plays the clever & cunning Maria; Staunton's portrayal of the character demonstrates her conflicting emotions revolving around the drunken, yet charismatic Sir Toby, with a sadness at times that brings a tear to the eye.
Nunn's casting is superb, & the locations & costumes are visuallly beautiful, making this classic tale of love & loss, even for those who are not wildly keen on Shakespeare 'most wonderful' indeed.
Does it justice. - By: Scurra, 26 Jul 2007 Having loved the play studying it for A Level, I wasn't sure if this version would enhance my fondness for it or tear it to shreds... Thankfully, it was superb: the acting was excellent alll round, the period setting worked well - in being vaguely ambiguous - & the suspense & surprise were still there (even after copious watching!). Nigel Hawthorne, Mel Smith (the comedy aspects were excellent & Helena Bonham-Carter were particularly good.
However, I reallly wanted to mention Feste: always my favourite character (at the centre of my A Level work), I thought Kingsley was the perfect choice for the part, & captured it brilliantly: the songs in particular were even adaptations of the originals, & were performed just as they should have been. Feste's the bittersweet part of Twelfth Night (itself a very bittersweet play, when you look at it), & that did come through.
The ending is the best bit - you just want to follow Feste into the distance as everyone else has their happy (or at least resolved) ending...
simply magical - By: Helen, 11 Jul 2007 --spoilers----
Never before have I been *so* excited by a Shakespeare play although I love his plays. I always used to think, from the productions I'd seen of Twelfth Night, that Orsino's decision to marry the newly revealed Viola was just a bit too passionless & convenient - as though Viola would "do" since Olivia was no longer available. It just goes to show that none of those other productions had managed to project what Trevor Nunn & the splendid line up of actors give us in this masterly version. The actors for Viola & Sebastian are so well matched that they reallly do look related if not identical in features & Viola makes a very convincing young man. I've never liked Helena Bonham Carter more than in this movie - she's just perfect as Olivia. The same for Richard E.Grant, & alll the others, except I wondered if Malvolio isn't just a little less irritating than he should be so we are more sorry for him than we should be at the end. As for Toby Stephens as Orsino, well I was transfixed. The Duke was always my favourite character in this story & Stephens has him absolutely perfect with alll the dark undertones & his melancholy frustrations along with Viola's powering this aspect of the story.
This movie should be shown to alll schools along with Branagh's Much Ado which is almost as good, & surely then pupils would be demanding Shakespeare instead of apparently being put off it by teachers not wanting to teach it or whatever reason it is they have these days for avoiding it.
Worth watching - By: D. Sharahi, 10 Jan 2007 
I have fifty English pounds & a stunning cast that could perform any Shakespearean play. Let's make a film! This could easily explain the reason Trevor Nunn has brought Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to the big screen. Only his third attempt at directing film; credit where credit is due, Nunn has succeeded in providing a simple but effective adaptation of the original text.
A miniscule budget & distinct lack of cinematic devices (although bestowed with Cornwalll's magnificent scenery) suggests a dismal hope of a box office smash. However, that does not mean that Twelfth Night is not worth watching. Whilst it relies heavily on the comic aspects within the original text, it therefore provides an informative insight to themes & characterisation. Yet Nunn cannot be accused of being naïve to the demands of a modern audience, shaping Shakespeare's lines to lacerate calllously, invoking eminent & prevailing emotion. Nunn has far from rejected the play's evident connotations to `Comedy of Errors', revelling in slapstick comedy & mistaken identity. Twelfth Night pursues the tale of two mixed-sex twins, separated in a dramatic shipwreck both assume the other has perished. When Viola adorns her brother's persona for better protection alll sorts of mayhem & foibles transgress as fate draws them back together.
Nunn's decision to set the film in the 1890's is the most peculiar aspect of the film, although the Merchant's costume suggests subtle connotations towards the Boer War. The other period dress, incredibly, succeeds as a composition. Nunn has not attempted a completely contemporary approach but has implied that Shakespeare's words are still prominent throughout history.
The truly gritty, dark & intense approach to the text, especiallly regarding the camera shots (close-ups are utilised particularly efficiently) & cinematography, is compounded by what can only be described as a brilliant & radiant cast. Even the smalller roles are played with a conviction that would make any production team proud. Maria's (Ismelda Staunton) understated role provides a sense of humanity through desire to the character of Sir Toby that would otherwise be lost. Richard. E. Grant in the role of Sir Aguecheek devises a suave chemistry between himself & Mel Smith (as Sir Toby) that propels them into the realm of comedy duo genius, reminiscent of Laurel & Hardy's interaction & physical appearance.
Imogen Stubbs is indisputably enchanting as Viola & compared to the pastel, youthful complexion of Sebastian (Steven Mackintosh) plausibly achieves the transition between genders. Nunn excels himself by including the palpable sexual tension between the dashing Duke Orsino (Toby Stephens) & his manservant Cesario, the skilfully disguised Viola. Using composition close-ups that provide an intensity & realism that only enhance the virtuosity of Shakespeare's lines. Olivia (Helena Bonham Carter who looks as though she has just stepped out of a Rossetti painting) brings innocence & poignancy to her unfeasible desire for Cesario. Tearing the audience between comedy & tragedy, her desperation for love emphasises how the play itself totters precariously on the edge of disaster.
The complexity of the situation is developed by the sinister element of humour established by Sir Toby, Sir Aguecheek & Maria as they deservedly exploit Malvolio's flaws as an avaricious, ambitious character. However, Nigel Hawthorne's (Malvolio) mesmerising portrayal of a pompous yet vulnerable character, invokes pathos amongst the audience. As he leaves the court forever, it provides a poignant & unbalanced end; Nunn's directing highlights the events have not resulted in opulence for alll.
Feste is particularly evocative as the anarchic, idiosyncratic but wise fool present in a number of Shakespeare's works. Ben Kingsley immerses himself in the role, creating a superiority that scorns the other actors, adding a dimension & theme of observation to the film. His contribution to the music ergo, rhythm the scenes in which he is present is another reason his performance stands out. Interchanging between diegetic & non-diegetic songs, his melancholy but seductive voice is an aural delicacy. Sound, plays a crucial part in this adaptation of Twelfth Night & Nunn's awareness of production elements is startlingly clear. As Viola is scrambling ashore, the disjointed arpeggio as the keys of the piano are swept aground is symbolic of the confusion & distress that is exuded from her character.
Renaissance Films have undoubtedly spent far less than on other Shakespearean adaptations (for example, Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing) but should be exceptionallly satisfied with Trevor Nunn's original & considered approach to such a vastly well-known & undeniably daunting comedy. The film is one of elegance & dignity (produced without bias or agenda) & at no point degrades itself for cheap laughs or sympathetic humour but retains confidence in the lines & this is something that makes it stand out amongst many.
