TWELFTH NIGHT: OR WHAT YOU WILL (PG)
Directed by Trevor Nunn Running Time: 134 minutes Originally Released: October 25, 1996 (USA)
Reviewed by E. Benjamin Kelsey
* * ½ (out of four)
Shakespeare's plays are some of the hardest to follow for us here in modern times. With odd, lengthy character names, a busy hustling of events, and loquacious dialogue spoken swiftly and fluently in thick English accents, us Americans generally ain't got no clue what's going on. That's what makes the actors (or players to sound more authentic) so very important whenever a Shakespearean production is presented, whether it be for the big screen, the small screen, or the stage. It is up to them to convey to us what they're saying and feeling, and a good actor can make the most complex character easy to understand and follow.
Sadly, TWELFTH NIGHT: OR WHAT YOU WILL is one of the poorer examples of such. This is one of the hardest to follow Shakespeare adaptions of recent memory, but I do admire anyone who attempts to tackle such a feat, and the effort here is credible even if the overall result needs a bit of a tune up. An otherwise mediocre film, TWELFTH NIGHT is saved by a few, *very* few, commendable touches, particularly Helena Bonham Carter who stars as the Countess Olivia. Olivia has recently suffered the death of a brother, and is using the tragedy to ignore the repeated efforts of Duke Orsino (Toby Stephens) to swoon her. Orsino has enlisted the aid of Cesario (Imogen Stubbs) to assist him in his efforts by sending the young man to profess of the Duke's love. As common Shakespeare would always have it, however, nobody loves who they're "supposed" to, and Olivia ends up falling for the messenger instead. There's just one catch . . .
Cesario is in reality a young *woman* named Viola who washed to shore after a terrible storm wrecked the ship she was traveling on with her almost identical brother, Sebastian (Steven Mackintosh). Both survived and drifted to different shores, but both assumed the other to be dead. With nothing left, Viola took the disguise of a young man and became a servant to the Duke, a man she would come to love without revelation due to her male semblance.
Also coming into play is a barrage of comic relief characters who flail about to our amusement in yet another typical attribute of any Shakespearean comedy. This time around, they consist of Olivia's steward Malvolio (Nigel Hawthorne), Olivia's drunken uncle, Sir Toby Belch (Mel Smith) and waiting gentlewoman Maria (Imelda Staunton), and Orisno's jester of sorts, Feste (Ben Kingsley). While these characters are meant to lighten up the film, they are quite dizzying and confusing, and although they do play somewhat of an important role in the overall story, the focus on them may have been a bit excessive.
It is by far Carter who shines and lures you into the story, but unfortunately she is the one whose character is used less than we'd like, proving a bit ironic when she is such an important element in the story. Stubbs is almost annoying, but handles her transvestite role well enough to satisfy, and it's true that her scenes with Carter are some of the best the movie has to offer. It is these scenes that make the film worth watching, even if it means wading thru the boringly hectic scenes carried by the more mundane cast of actors.
It is crucial to note that the time frame of this story has been moved up to the 19th century, which leaves no need for adaption from Carter, who has spent a great amount of screen time reveling in both Shakespearean films and period pieces set in the 1800's (think 1990's HAMLET and HOWARDS END as well as the current WINGS OF THE DOVE). Shakespeare being set in futuristic (as far as the time they were written is concerned) settings seems to be the latest trend, with a present day ROMEO + JULIET and a RICHARD III set in the 1930's being recent examples. It's a bit off-kilter when they rely heavily on the original dialogue, such as with this film and ROMEO + JULIET, but it's also an interesting transposition of the classics that make it interesting to watch. In fact, this is one to be seen simply for the fact that it's Shakespeare if for nothing else.
Shakespeare movies definitely require the right audience. He is definitely not everybody's taste. This adaption of TWELFTH NIGHT is perhaps a bit too sophomoric for loyal enthusiasts, and yet too luxurious for those better suited with a high-caliber action flick. Finding the right middle ground will be a definite chore as this one doesn't hold the class of such "elegant comedies" as EMMA, and yet doesn't resemble silly farces that best accompany a pajama party. What that means is that this film will likely dwindle away in mediocrity, but if it's any consultation, not too much will be lost.
December 27, 1997
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