Twelfth Night (1996)

A once-in-a-lifetime cast shines in this hilarious version of the beloved Shakespeare comedy! When a shipwreck separates siblings Viola and Sebastian in a foreign land, each thinks the other is dead, and both embark on a series of romantic misadventures involving deception, cross-dressing, dashing counts, obese alcoholics and a perceptive fool who presides over the entire madcap affair. A delight from start to finish, this dazzling treat is British comedy at its best!

When a shipwreck separates siblings Viola and Sebastian in a foreign land, both think the other is dead and embarks on a series of romantic misadventures.

Loved it

I should acknowledge, first of all, that this is probably my favorite of Shakespeare's plays; therefore, I'm inclined to be biased. Still, I loved this movie.

In particular, I was delighted to see Ben Kingsley as Feste the Jester and was impressed that he could sing so well.

I also really enjoyed the scenes wherein Olivia (Helena Bonham Carter) is being wooed by Viola (Imogen Stubbs) for the Duke (Toby Stephens). I liked the banter and the irony of the first scene in particular.

July 15, 2008

Splendid!

Many people might be compelled to see this film after seeing Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Collector's Series). This is certainly not a bad thing, and there are in-fact allusions to 12th Night in SIL w/all the gender-switching that is goes on in both. Of course, you don't realize you're being "set up" until the end of SIL, but that's part of the fun!

This is a very well-done Shakespeare on-screen production. While plays are all well & good, there is something to be said to seeing Shakespeare filmed outside, inside of castles & w/lavish sets. While some purists may not like it, I think it's good for his plays to be displayed thus.

The acting in this film is top-notch. You can never go wrong w/Ben Kingsley, and he is stellar as the sort of "rudder" character of the story. Thankfully, there are no "gimmick" actors (such as Keanu Reeves in Much Ado About Nothing.

The center stage, however, belongs to Imogen Stubbs. She is absolutely perfect as Viola. She has a appealing screen presence, and she's way sexy even while she's dressed up as a boy. Men dressing up as women is bizarre, but women dressing up as men is quite erotic. There are many scenes of lustful tension in the film, and Stubbs pulls them off wonderfully!

If you're in the market for Shakespeare on DVD, this one is a must-have. While it's not nearly as funny as Much Ado About Nothing, there are a few amusing scenes. Overall, however, this is much more of a drama than a comedy. The soundtrack is subtle but eloquent. I'm sure that Shakespeare himself gave this one a viewing from somewhere beyond the grave, and I've no doubt he was pleased with the effort!

May 18, 2008

I couldn't sit through this

I love Shakespeare, but I have to say, this is one of the dullest efforts I've ever seen, despite the usually delightful Ben Kingsley as the fool. This adaptation d-r-a-g-s. Shakespeare should be about the language and the action, not the setting and mise-en-scene, and I kept waiting for the actors to talk and the camera to turn from scenery to faces. Perhaps my expectations were overly high, since the cast and director come with excellent pedigree. Try the "Midsummer Night's Dream" with Kevin Kline and that skinny girl who played Ally McBeal -- it's a hoot! May 16, 2008

great rendition of this play

Love the way they did this one! One of my favorite Shakespeare plays. TE May 16, 2008

Toby Stephens fan

I have recently discovered the talent of Toby Stephens after seeing Jane Eyre. I wanted to see some of his early work and discovered this Shakespeare comedy. This was a very entertaining movie not to mention the other cast members of Ben Kingsley, Helena Bonham Carter, and Imogen Stubbs. I highly recommend this movie for it's comedy, music and yes a little drama too. I loved it. May 12, 2008

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