Twelfth Night: Or What You Will (1996 film)
Encyclopedia
Twelfth Night or What You Will is a 1996 British
film adaptation of William Shakespeare
's play
, directed
by Trevor Nunn
and featuring an all-star cast. The adaptation is given a northern Central Europe
an feel, set in the late 19th century, with Orsino and his followers shown wearing Czapka
headgear, often associated with Prussia
n or Polish
army officers of the time. It was filmed on location in Cornwall
including scenes shot at Padstow and Lanhydrock House
, Bodmin
.
) and Sebastian (Steven Mackintosh
) are young twins and entertainers who use their likeness to tease their audiences. During a journey by sea, they are caught in a storm, shipwrecked and separated. Viola and other survivors end up on the shore of Illyria. A devastated Viola believes her brother dead. She later takes his appearance in order to join the court of the local Duke Orsino (Toby Stephens
). Viola becomes a page
, using the name "Cesario".
Orsino is madly in love with the lady Olivia (Helena Bonham Carter
), who is in mourning due to her brother's recent death. She uses the tragedy as an excuse to avoid seeing the Duke, whom she does not love. He sends "Cesario" to do his wooing and Olivia falls in love with the messenger, unaware of "Cesario"'s real gender. Realising Olivia's feelings for her alter ego
, Viola is caught in even more of quandary in that she is in love with Orsino.
Meanwhile, elements of Olivia's household plot against her pompous steward
Malvolio
(Nigel Hawthorne
) by tricking him into believing that Olivia loves him. (Malvolio even wears a toupée
to appear younger than he is.) His attempts to woo her, however, are met with bewilderment by Olivia who has him committed
, where he is subjected to further humiliations by Maria
(Imelda Staunton
), Feste
(Ben Kingsley
) and Sir Toby Belch
(Mel Smith
).
Sir Toby, Olivia's uncle and a notorious drunk, is also trying to encourage his friend, the idiotic Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Richard E. Grant
) to court Olivia, but she purposely ignores him. Sir Toby pushes Sir Andrew into challenging "Cesario" to a duel
, which goes very badly for Aguecheek.
Furthermore, Viola's twin, Sebastian, has in fact survived the wreck and has also arrived in Illyria, accompanied by Antonio (Nicholas Farrell
), who saved him from drowning. Antonio, who has "many enemies in Orsino's court", is forced to flee when he is recognised and comes across "Cesario", whom he mistakes for Sebastian, and is outraged when "Cesario" fails to help him out.
Arriving at her estate, Sebastian meets Olivia, who, mistaking him for "Cesario", talks him into marrying her. When he learns of this, Orsino is furious and dismisses his page, whom he had made a friend and confidante. However, the matter is soon cleared up when Sebastian and "Cesario" come face-to-face and the latter reveals her real nature and identity of Viola. Orsino marries Viola.
The film ends with both couples holding a party to celebrate their marriages, while the supporting players, including the humiliated Sir Andrew and Malvolio, leave the estate their heads held high and Feste sings his song, "The Wind and the Rain".
narrating the events surrounding the shipwreck and the separation of the twins and of a conflict between Viola's native country and Orsino's.
Viola and the other survivors hail from Messaline and when they end up in Illyria they are forced to hide and live like fugitives since "Messaline with this country is at war" over some trading disputes: the Captain (Sydney Livingstone) mentions "The war between the merchants here and ours" while hiding in the cave from Orsino and his men. In the original play the Captain claims to have been "bred and born not three hours' travel from" where they got washed ashore.
The conflict is not mentioned again in the film (though it could be connected to Antonio's past as "Orsino's enemy") and the Captain appears openly at the party at the end where he is embraced by Viola.
reports that 70% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 30 reviews, with an average score of 9/10. Online film critic James Berardinelli
writes, "With Twelfth Night, director Trevor Nunn (Lady Jane
) follows in Branagh
's footsteps by adapting one of the comedies for the screen. However, while this picture doesn't have quite the same level of style or energy evident in Much Ado About Nothing
, solid performances and a lucid interpretation keep it afloat." Berardinelli calls it "solid entertainment."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
film adaptation of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's play
Twelfth Night, or What You Will
Twelfth Night; or, What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–02 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season...
, directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Trevor Nunn
Trevor Nunn
Sir Trevor Robert Nunn, CBE is an English theatre, film and television director. Nunn has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed musicals and dramas for the stage, as well as opera...
and featuring an all-star cast. The adaptation is given a northern Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
an feel, set in the late 19th century, with Orsino and his followers shown wearing Czapka
Czapka
Czapka is a Polish and Belorussian generic word for a cap. However, it is perhaps best known to English speakers as a word for the 19th century Polish cavalry headgear, consisting of a high, four-pointed cap with regimental insignia on the front to which feathers or rosettes were sometimes...
headgear, often associated with Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n or Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
army officers of the time. It was filmed on location in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
including scenes shot at Padstow and Lanhydrock House
Lanhydrock House
Lanhydrock is a civil parish centred on a country estate and mansion in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The parish lies south of the town of Bodmin and is bounded to the north by Bodmin parish, to the south by Lanlivery parish and to the west by Lanivet parish. The population was 171 in the 2001 census...
, Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
.
Plot
Viola (Imogen StubbsImogen Stubbs
Imogen Stubbs, Lady Nunn is an English actress and playwright.-Early life:Imogen Stubbs was born in Northumberland, lived briefly in Portsmouth, where her father was a naval officer, and then moved with her parents to London, where they lived on an elderly river barge on the Thames...
) and Sebastian (Steven Mackintosh
Steven Mackintosh
-Personal life:Mackintosh was born in Cambridge, the son of Dorothy and Malcolm Mackintosh. He has a sister, Lynda Ellingham .He is married to the actress Lisa Jacobs and the couple have two children, Martha and Blythe.-Film:...
) are young twins and entertainers who use their likeness to tease their audiences. During a journey by sea, they are caught in a storm, shipwrecked and separated. Viola and other survivors end up on the shore of Illyria. A devastated Viola believes her brother dead. She later takes his appearance in order to join the court of the local Duke Orsino (Toby Stephens
Toby Stephens
Toby Stephens is an English stage, television and film actor who has appeared in films in both Hollywood and Bollywood. He is best known for playing megavillain Gustav Graves in the James Bond film Die Another Day , Edward Fairfax Rochester in the BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre and Philip...
). Viola becomes a page
Page (servant)
A page or page boy is a traditionally young male servant, a messenger at the service of a nobleman or royal.-The medieval page:In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire...
, using the name "Cesario".
Orsino is madly in love with the lady Olivia (Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter is an English actress of film, stage, and television. She made her acting debut in a television adaptation of K. M. Peyton's A Pattern of Roses before winning her first film role as the titular character in Lady Jane...
), who is in mourning due to her brother's recent death. She uses the tragedy as an excuse to avoid seeing the Duke, whom she does not love. He sends "Cesario" to do his wooing and Olivia falls in love with the messenger, unaware of "Cesario"'s real gender. Realising Olivia's feelings for her alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
, Viola is caught in even more of quandary in that she is in love with Orsino.
Meanwhile, elements of Olivia's household plot against her pompous steward
Butler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
Malvolio
Malvolio
Malvolio is the steward of Olivia's household in William Shakespeare's comedy, Twelfth Night, or What You Will.-Style:Malvolio's ethical values are commonly used to define his appearance.In the play, Malvolio is defined as a "kind of" Puritan...
(Nigel Hawthorne
Nigel Hawthorne
Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne, CBE was an English actor, perhaps best remembered for his role as Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary in the 1980s sitcom Yes Minister and the Cabinet Secretary in its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. For this role he won four BAFTA Awards during the 1980s in the...
) by tricking him into believing that Olivia loves him. (Malvolio even wears a toupée
Toupee
A toupée is a hairpiece or partial wig of natural or synthetic hair worn to cover partial baldness or for theatrical purposes. While toupées and hairpieces are typically associated with male wearers, some women also use hairpieces to lengthen existing hair, or cover partially exposed scalp...
to appear younger than he is.) His attempts to woo her, however, are met with bewilderment by Olivia who has him committed
Involuntary commitment
Involuntary commitment or civil commitment is a legal process through which an individual with symptoms of severe mental illness is court-ordered into treatment in a hospital or in the community ....
, where he is subjected to further humiliations by Maria
Maria (Twelfth Night)
Maria is a fictional character in the play Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. She is a servant in Olivia's household.-Role in the play:...
(Imelda Staunton
Imelda Staunton
Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton, OBE is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the British comedy television series Up the Garden Path, the Harry Potter film series and Vera Drake...
), Feste
Feste
Feste is a jester in the Shakespeare comedy Twelfth Night or: What You Will. He is attached to the household of the Countess Olivia. Apparently he has been there for some time, as he was a "fool that the Lady Olivia's father took much delight in"...
(Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
) and Sir Toby Belch
Toby Belch
Sir Toby Belch is a character in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. He is considered one of William Shakespeare's finest comic characters, an ambiguous mix of high spirits and low cunning. He first appears in the play's third scene, when he storms onto the stage the morning after a hard night...
(Mel Smith
Mel Smith
Melvin Kenneth "Mel" Smith is an English comedian, writer, film director, producer, and actor. He is most famous for his work on the sketch comedy shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Griff Rhys Jones.- Early life :Smith's father, Kenneth, was born...
).
Sir Toby, Olivia's uncle and a notorious drunk, is also trying to encourage his friend, the idiotic Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Richard E. Grant
Richard E. Grant
Richard E. Grant is a Swaziland-born British actor, screenwriter and director. His most notable role came in the film Withnail and I. He holds dual British and Swazi citizenship.-Early life:...
) to court Olivia, but she purposely ignores him. Sir Toby pushes Sir Andrew into challenging "Cesario" to a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
, which goes very badly for Aguecheek.
Furthermore, Viola's twin, Sebastian, has in fact survived the wreck and has also arrived in Illyria, accompanied by Antonio (Nicholas Farrell
Nicholas Farrell
Nicholas Farrell is an English stage, film and television actor. His early screen career included the role of Aubrey Montague in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. In 1983, he starred as Edmund Bertram in a television adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, Mansfield Park...
), who saved him from drowning. Antonio, who has "many enemies in Orsino's court", is forced to flee when he is recognised and comes across "Cesario", whom he mistakes for Sebastian, and is outraged when "Cesario" fails to help him out.
Arriving at her estate, Sebastian meets Olivia, who, mistaking him for "Cesario", talks him into marrying her. When he learns of this, Orsino is furious and dismisses his page, whom he had made a friend and confidante. However, the matter is soon cleared up when Sebastian and "Cesario" come face-to-face and the latter reveals her real nature and identity of Viola. Orsino marries Viola.
The film ends with both couples holding a party to celebrate their marriages, while the supporting players, including the humiliated Sir Andrew and Malvolio, leave the estate their heads held high and Feste sings his song, "The Wind and the Rain".
Cast
- Imogen StubbsImogen StubbsImogen Stubbs, Lady Nunn is an English actress and playwright.-Early life:Imogen Stubbs was born in Northumberland, lived briefly in Portsmouth, where her father was a naval officer, and then moved with her parents to London, where they lived on an elderly river barge on the Thames...
as ViolaViola (Twelfth Night character)Viola is a fictional character from the play Twelfth Night, written by William Shakespeare around 1599 or 1600.Viola's actions produce all of the play's momentum. She is a young woman of Messaline, a fictional country invented by Shakespeare, although some believe that this country really did exist... - Toby StephensToby StephensToby Stephens is an English stage, television and film actor who has appeared in films in both Hollywood and Bollywood. He is best known for playing megavillain Gustav Graves in the James Bond film Die Another Day , Edward Fairfax Rochester in the BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre and Philip...
as OrsinoOrsino (Twelfth Night)-Character:Orsino is the ruler of Illyria. In the play, he is sometimes referred to as a duke, and at other times as a count. At the beginning of the play, Orsino is in love with Olivia, but his love is unrequited, and Olivia, mourning for the death of both her father and her brother, refuses to... - Helena Bonham CarterHelena Bonham CarterHelena Bonham Carter is an English actress of film, stage, and television. She made her acting debut in a television adaptation of K. M. Peyton's A Pattern of Roses before winning her first film role as the titular character in Lady Jane...
as OliviaOlivia (Twelfth Night Character)Olivia is a fictional character from William Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night, believed to have been written around 1600 or 1601. She is at the center of the various plots, both the comedic and the romantic. She has various suitors, but ends the play with Sebastian, the brother of the... - Steven MackintoshSteven Mackintosh-Personal life:Mackintosh was born in Cambridge, the son of Dorothy and Malcolm Mackintosh. He has a sister, Lynda Ellingham .He is married to the actress Lisa Jacobs and the couple have two children, Martha and Blythe.-Film:...
as Sebastian - Imelda StauntonImelda StauntonImelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton, OBE is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the British comedy television series Up the Garden Path, the Harry Potter film series and Vera Drake...
as Maria - Mel SmithMel SmithMelvin Kenneth "Mel" Smith is an English comedian, writer, film director, producer, and actor. He is most famous for his work on the sketch comedy shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Griff Rhys Jones.- Early life :Smith's father, Kenneth, was born...
as Sir Toby BelchToby BelchSir Toby Belch is a character in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. He is considered one of William Shakespeare's finest comic characters, an ambiguous mix of high spirits and low cunning. He first appears in the play's third scene, when he storms onto the stage the morning after a hard night... - Richard E. GrantRichard E. GrantRichard E. Grant is a Swaziland-born British actor, screenwriter and director. His most notable role came in the film Withnail and I. He holds dual British and Swazi citizenship.-Early life:...
as Sir Andrew Aguecheek - Nigel HawthorneNigel HawthorneSir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne, CBE was an English actor, perhaps best remembered for his role as Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary in the 1980s sitcom Yes Minister and the Cabinet Secretary in its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. For this role he won four BAFTA Awards during the 1980s in the...
as MalvolioMalvolioMalvolio is the steward of Olivia's household in William Shakespeare's comedy, Twelfth Night, or What You Will.-Style:Malvolio's ethical values are commonly used to define his appearance.In the play, Malvolio is defined as a "kind of" Puritan... - Ben KingsleyBen KingsleySir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
as FesteFesteFeste is a jester in the Shakespeare comedy Twelfth Night or: What You Will. He is attached to the household of the Countess Olivia. Apparently he has been there for some time, as he was a "fool that the Lady Olivia's father took much delight in"... - Peter GunnPeter GunnPeter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The show's creator was Blake Edwards...
as FabianFabian-People:*Fabian Månsson, , Swedish socialist*Fabian , , 1950s American teen idol and singer*Fabian Bachrach, an American photographer*Fabian Cancellara, , Swiss professional road cyclist... - Nicholas FarrellNicholas FarrellNicholas Farrell is an English stage, film and television actor. His early screen career included the role of Aubrey Montague in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. In 1983, he starred as Edmund Bertram in a television adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, Mansfield Park...
as Antonio
Adaptation
For purposes of length, Shakespeare's original script was subjected to considerable cuts. Extra dialogue was added at the beginning with FesteFeste
Feste is a jester in the Shakespeare comedy Twelfth Night or: What You Will. He is attached to the household of the Countess Olivia. Apparently he has been there for some time, as he was a "fool that the Lady Olivia's father took much delight in"...
narrating the events surrounding the shipwreck and the separation of the twins and of a conflict between Viola's native country and Orsino's.
Viola and the other survivors hail from Messaline and when they end up in Illyria they are forced to hide and live like fugitives since "Messaline with this country is at war" over some trading disputes: the Captain (Sydney Livingstone) mentions "The war between the merchants here and ours" while hiding in the cave from Orsino and his men. In the original play the Captain claims to have been "bred and born not three hours' travel from" where they got washed ashore.
The conflict is not mentioned again in the film (though it could be connected to Antonio's past as "Orsino's enemy") and the Captain appears openly at the party at the end where he is embraced by Viola.
Critical response
Twelfth Night: Or What You Will received generally positive reviews from film critics. Review aggregate Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 70% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 30 reviews, with an average score of 9/10. Online film critic James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
writes, "With Twelfth Night, director Trevor Nunn (Lady Jane
Lady Jane (film)
Lady Jane is a 1986 British costume drama romance film directed by Trevor Nunn, written by David Edgar, and starring Helena Bonham Carter as the title character in her first major film role. It tells the story of Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Days' Queen, on her reign and romance with husband Lord...
) follows in Branagh
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing , Hamlet Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from...
's footsteps by adapting one of the comedies for the screen. However, while this picture doesn't have quite the same level of style or energy evident in Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing (film)
Much Ado About Nothing is a 1993 British/American romantic comedy film based on William Shakespeare's play. It was adapted for the screen and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also played the role of Benedick....
, solid performances and a lucid interpretation keep it afloat." Berardinelli calls it "solid entertainment."