KFL There are several good reasons to spend an evening with this production of a standard Shakespearean tale of gender confusion and romantic comedy. The lush scenery and attention to period detail, top-notch performances, and Ben Kingsley's rightly acclaimed turn as Feste, the wise and knowing Fool.Nonetheless, the move from play to the big screen has its drawbacks, foremost among which are the great suspension of disbelief the viewer must attempt when Viola is taken seriously as a man, and still moreso when brother and sister, essentially unchanged in appearance, do not immediately recognize each other. Suspension of disbelief is more commonly expected in a stage production, where the circumstances of the confined surroundings necessitate empathetic participation of the audience. In cinema, however, such constraints are generally not present, and standards are correspondingly higher. But if the screenplay includes elements that demand audience empathy, as is the case here, the production will fare badly at just those places.Hamlet and other more "serious" works in the Shakespearean canon have few such elements. Plays such as TN, of a more playful nature and which revolve around improbable plot elements, will bear up less well under the close scrutiny of big-screen cinema.

TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews Viola and her twin brother Sebastian are divided and both believe the other to be dead. On unfriendly land, she has to become a servant to Orsini, whom she falls for. To work for him, she has to dress up like a boy(thus commenting on the differences between the genders, and how we relate to the same or the opposite sex). And he wants to be with Olivia, who can't imagine being with her(who she thinks is male), when he sends her to court her. Confused? Then I won't go into the subplots. There is enough unrequited love to go around, and that situation is described well. This is kept in Shakespeare's language(with all it's delicious constructions, several of which have become common sayings today), and whilst I have not read the original play and thus cannot say with absolute certainty, it would appear that the story is intact as far as the roughly two hour running time would allow. Nothing set up is denied pay-off. The jokes and gags are obviously aged, as humor has gone through immense changes over time. However, drunkenness and mix-ups are the basis of a lot of them, and those remain sources of laughter today. The prank played on Malvolio seems harsh and uncalled for today, or at least, by some standards. Fine, by those of mine and my girlfriend, then. The characters are memorable and distinct, in spite of there being about a dozen. Dialog is amazing. The acting is great, and a lot of the funniest moments come from this aspect(Imogen Stubbs in particular). Pacing is reasonable. The editing is well-done, interweaving parallel scenes with one another to strong effect. Whether this is true to the source material, I could not say. This is slightly visual, if the filming is never above average(and at times clumsy). I find the best adaptations of this sort are the ones most based on the verbal content, and that does tend to be the approach here. I recommend this to fans of the excellent writer's comedies. 7/10

[email protected] A first-rate cast directed by Trevor Nunn, the premier Shakespeare interpreter of our era, makes this version of Twelfth Night a must-see for anyone who loves Shakespeare. The action appears to take place in the 18th or 19th century but the interpretation is otherwise straight-forward. While reduced from the Shakespearean original to a little over two hours, the script contains all of the essential elements. Nunn takes full advantage of the rugged setting to eliminate the proscenium and draws excellent performances from his cast of British-trained stars led by Helena Bonham Carter as Olivia, Imogen Stubbs as Viola (posing as Rosario), Ben Kingsley as Feste, the clown, Nigel Hawthorne as Malvolio, the proud steward, Mel Smith as Sir Toby Belch who combines with Maria, played by Imelda Stuanton, to reduce Malvolio to ridicule and tears. Viola and her twin brother, Sebastian (Steven MacIntosh), are matched in height and coloring but, as is invariably the case in Twelfth Night, it requires the audience to be blind to the fact that there is no way they could be mistaken for one another. "Suspension of disbelief" is what is required and anyone accustomed to Shakespeare's mistaken identities readily provides it. Sebastian, Viola's twin, has a lesser role, of course, but Steven McIntosh fills it nicely as does Nicholas Farrell as Antonio, who rescues Sebastion from the sea when the ship carrying the twins breaks apart, leading each to believe that the other is dead. The lone weak spot in the cast is Toby Stevens as Orsino, too weak a personality to inspire Viola's love (though his spurning as a suitor by Bonham Carter's Olivia is easy to understand). The plot leading up to Malvolio's fall is stylishly executed and his downfall, in Nigel Hawthorne's extraordinarily capable hands, nearly reaches the level of tragedy.

Kelli Griffis Trevor Nunn's adaptation of Twelfth Night is exceptionally beautiful, well acted, and emotionally engaging. Ben Kingsley's performance as the Fool stands out as magnificent, but the entire ensemble comes off very well. The film nails both the joy and the darkness of Shakespeare's play - and the play, make no mistake, contains plenty of dark and strange moments when things go, as the drunken uncle Sir Toby Belch says, "Out of tune, sir." The filmmakers deserve credit for not glossing over the shades of sadism in Toby's treatment of Malvolio or the shallow fickleness of Orsino's character. The wintry Cornwall setting dovetails perfectly with the mood of the play, half sun and half shadow, and the costume design (roughly Edwardian, though I am not an expert on fashion history) creatively evokes the luxury of Orsino and Olivia's courtly world, while allowing for - even necessitating - the brilliant re-imagining of the Fool as bohemian vagabond.