IMDb > Twelfth Night (1996)
Twelfth Night
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Twelfth Night (1996) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 2 NEW)
Twelfth Night (1996) -- Open-ended Trailer from Fine Line
Twelfth Night (1996) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   2,813 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 16% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Trevor Nunn
Writers:
William Shakespeare (play)
Trevor Nunn (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Twelfth Night on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 October 1996 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
Before Priscilla crossed the desert, Wong Foo met Julie Newmar, and the Birdcage was unlocked, there was... more
Plot:
Brother and sister Viola and Sebastian, who are not only very close but look a great deal alike, are in a shipwreck... more | add synopsis
Awards:
2 nominations more
User Comments:
Lively more (56 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG for mild thematic elements.
Runtime:
134 min
Country:
UK | Ireland | USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Company:
BBC Films more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In Twelfth Night, the character of Orsino is several years older than Viola. However, at the time of the film's release, Imogen Stubbs (Viola) was 35; 8 years older than Toby Stephens (Orsino), who was 27. more
Goofs:
Continuity: During one of the final scenes, when Malvolio reenters, it can be seen that his left shoe is missing. However, as he is walking up the stairs, you can clearly hear both heels clicking on the steps. more
Quotes:
Maria: But that he have the gift of a coward he would quickly have the gift of a grave. more
Movie Connections:
Version of "ITV Saturday Night Theatre: Twelfth Night (#2.44)" (1969) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful.
Lively, 23 April 2007
7/10
Author: Dan from Chicago

A lively, bubbly production of one of Shakespeare's more difficult plays. It's hard to know just what Shakespeare was getting at with this story. The text doesn't always seem to make sense. That's reflected in this, as well as any other, production. At times, one wonders what the expressions on characters' faces are meant to indicate. Just after Feste has fooled Malvolio with his imitation of the curate, for instance, Maria has a perturbed look on her face. As if the joke that she herself so elaborately designed now troubles her. There's nothing in the text to indicate that her expression should show remorse; and yet Sir Toby soon after says that he's sick of the whole thing. Why? That's one example of the difficulty of the text (which may have been corrupted over the centuries), and how it is manifested in this particular production's choices. I don't know why Sir Toby remarks at this point that he's sick of the joke, nor do I know whether Maria should share his feelings.

Another difficulty is the role of Feste. Ben Kingsley fills this role, and because Ben Kingsley is a major star, he magnifies this character (in my opinion) out of all proportion. He becomes a sort of Zen master, pompous and oppressive. His jokes aren't funny (maybe we can't find Shakespeare's jokes funny today, but Kingsley's heavy delivery precludes humor), and his last confrontation with Malvolio comes off as a sort of thundering divine retribution. The entire play, the entire cast, stops dead and Feste takes over as if the whole point of the play has been his apotheosis at the expense of the degraded Malvolio. This surely cannot be what Shakespeare had in mind. Throughout the play he has a disconcerting habit of staring at other characters or the camera with what almost be described as a leer.

Maybe Shakespeare would have sighed and commiserated with the producer of this film, because the clowns in his day were also big stars who demanded a lot of meat in their roles. The trouble is that there just isn't much meat in Feste's role according to the text, so we're stuck with leers and thundering retribution and other inventions. Shakespeare had to accommodate his clowns with ever-more important roles, climaxing with characters like Touchstone and Lear's fool. Kingsley is just inventing his own character. At times his work is interesting, but his weight in the production is, as I said, oppressive.

Still, his screen time is relatively small, and much of the rest of the play is a joy, even if the point of the story isn't always clear. Bonham-Carter was never more alluring, Hawthorne is priceless as Malvolio (he was born for the role), and Smith and Grant are the perfect combination of Belch and Aguecheek. I suppose you might object that all four of them put their eyebrows to such prodigious use that their acting might be characterized as hamming. But I don't see how any of these characters can be played straight if the play is to work.

One thing is for sure, no one would ever accuse this production of bogging down. The pace is lively, the sets and the cinematography are always striking, the score is invigorating, and I suspect that I could watch this film dubbed in Swahili and it would still be a lot of fun. Visually arresting is perhaps the best description.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Twelfth Night (1996)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
It blows my mind... green_Swedish_car
Why does Antonio leave? vox-sane
Did Kingsley do his own singing? HappyGuy779
the remake..... about_a_princess
song help ohiowaslovers
question about Maria jytc922
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