FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Twelfth Night [DVD] [1996]

Twelfth Night [DVD] [1996]
enlarge	Director: Trevor Nunn Actors: Helena Bonham Carter, Richard E. Grant, Imogen Stubbs, Steven Mackintosh, Nicholas Farrell Studio: Entertainment in Video Category: DVD List Price: ~~£12.99~~ Buy New: £2.80 as of 21/11/2009 22:46 GMT details You Save: £10.19 (78%) New (19) from £2.80 Seller: selectcheaper Rating: 30 reviews Sales Rank: 2529 Format: PAL Language: English (Original Language) Rating: Universal, suitable for all Region: 2 Discs: 1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 128 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5017239191213 ASIN: B00005S872 Theatrical Release Date: October 25, 1996 Release Date: October 29, 2001 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next » Laughter, Tears, and the Rain It Raineth Every Day! October 18, 2005 F. S. L'hoir (Irvine, CA) 49 out of 50 found this review helpful If this "Twelfth Night" is not the definitive "Twelfth Night," it comes close. Under the guidance of director Trevor Nunn, the superb cast plays Shakespeare not only for laughs but also for the dark pathos that underlies the comedy, as is evident in Feste's song, "Come away, come away death, and in sad cypress let me be laid." Ben Kingsley portrays Shakespeare's enigmatic clown, whose rendition of the charming, but usually conventional, "O mistress mine, where are you roaming?," is tinged with a tragic undertone. It not only complements the love-sick Duke Orsino's lament, "If music be the food of love, play on," but, as its last strains linger in the air, it suffuses its listeners with an inexpressible sadness. It is as if, with the final notes, the hitherto roistering Maria, Sir Toby, and Sir Andrew, have become painfully aware of the ephemeral nature of life.pImogen Stubbs is a delightful (and plausibly male) Viola, disguised as Cesario, who must act as a go-between for Orsino (an incredibly handsome Toby Stephens) and Olivia (Helena Bonham-Carter, who looks as if she has stepped out of a pre-Raphaelite painting). The scenes between Viola and Orsino, as she is falling in love with him and he is most definitely attracted to his young "man" and emissary, are fraught with an almost palpable sexual tension, which Nunn's direction nevertheless conveys with subtle artistry (A similar dynamic may well have been present in the original production when the audience knew that a boy was playing the part of a girl playing the part of a boy.). Viola and her twin brother Sebastian look reasonably enough alike so that the audience can easily suspend its disbelief and, along with the characters, enjoy the confusion about "Which one is Sebastian?."pThe production is reinforced by an ensemble cast. Nigel Hawthorne's pompous yet vulnerable Malvolio has the viewer laughing at one moment and crying at the next. The cruel pranks of Maria (Imelda Staunton), Sir Toby Belch (Mel Smith), Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Richard E. Grant) and Feste, the clown, bring Malvolio deservedly low, but as he leaves the household and his tormenters forever, the audience realizes that the comic conspirators may have humiliated him, but they have not robbed him of his dignity. Malvolio's exit is followed by the departure of the brooding Feste, who, "with a hey, ho, and the wind and the rain," strolls along the edge of a cliff above the shore. As he gazes out over the restless sea, he seems to be seeing beyond the play's comic narrative frame into the reality of a future that is ineffably dark.pNunn's "Twelfth Night" is fast-moving and suspenseful, even if one has seen the play dozens of times. There are so many delightful moments that it is difficult to single one out, but the duel in the orchard between the terrified Viola and the equally frantic Sir Andrew is hysterically funny. The Cornish settings make for a stunning "Illyria." And since the audience is readily transported to that fantastic country, the pre-Raphaelite / Ruritanian costumes and settings do not spoil the illusion. Outstanding November 25, 2005 Lili_K (Hungary) 35 out of 37 found this review helpful There have been many great Shakespeare drama adaptations, but Trevor Nunn#x27;s Twelfth Night is outstanding even among the greatest. It is wonderful how sensitively and excitingly he handles the issue of identity (girl disguising herself as a boy) and identification (male-female twins)problems. pThe major character is Viola, who after losing her twin brother (played by Stephen Mackintosh very convincingly), is forced to disguise herself as a boy to survive in a strange and hostile land (namely Illyria which is at war with her home county, Messaline). The introductory scenes (not included in the drama) showing how brother and sister, sharing a strong bond of affection, lose each other, how dangerous it is for a citizen of Messaline to set foot in Illiyra and how Viola is transformed into a boy give the story a very good frame. The scenes where Viola is being transformed are great, showing how sensitive this girl is, how difficult it is for her to pretend, yet she musters all her courage to hide her pain over the supposed death of her brother. But struggles are not over as she also has to hide her passionate love from Orsino, the Duke of Illyira whom she serves. pHer position is twofold difficult: she soon becomes Orsino#x27;s confident, they get really close to each other so she finds more and more difficult to hide her feelings from him; but to ease Orsino#x27;s sufferings, she undertakes to act as a "courier" for pursuing his hopeless love, the Countess Olivia. brThen comes another Shakespearean turn of the screw: Olivia, who won#x27;t hear of Orsino#x27;s passion, falls for Cesario/Viola. In the meantime, Sebastian, thinking her beloved sister, Viola is dead, sets for Illyria as well ... pAs it is a comedy all things messed up will sort themselves out at the end, however, this is not a light comedy, the shadow of the tragic is hovering over the whole drama shaped in one of the subplots. The whole film seems to balance at the very narrow edge of tragedy and comedy all the time despite the many hilarious moments. pThe most wonderful scenes are the ones of Cesario/Viola and the Duke Orsino (a very sexy Toby Stephens)being together. Nunn is actually showing the emotional and subtle sexual attraction the Duke feels for his "manservant". Absolutely brilliant! brImogen Stubbs personificates Viola superbly: an upright woman, who, despite the disguise she is forced to wear, is the most honest of all, especially compared to the characters of Orsino and Oliva, both of whom are deluding themselves by imaginary feelings. pThe whole cast is wonderful from Helena Bonham-Carter to Ben Kingsley. Music and costume all fit in amazingly with the whole atmosphere of the drama. this is a glorious production October 18, 2006 ian waddell (london, uk) 19 out of 20 found this review helpful the comedy is funny: the romantic scenes are moving: the shipwreck is scary... br /this is a great translation into film. film's capacity for clear story telling makes this more realistic and believable than shakespeare's gender-confused comedies can sometimes seem. br /and the realism only seems to highlight shakespeare's magic: the dialogue is laugh out loud funny: the scenes between viola and olivia take your breath away; the dialogue between toby belch and malvolio bring a darker, crueller comedy. ben kingsley's feste has the magical, anarchic quality of the wise fool, and the gender mix-ups are just a wee bit transgressive. br /an outstanding, intelligent, humane, and above all funny production of this great comedy. Surpassing Glory September 28, 2003 19 out of 22 found this review helpful I saw Trevor Nunn's Twelfth Night for the first time last night, on wide-screen DVD by the way, and I have never seen a film more beautiful. I don't know which to praise most - the cast, the acting, the settings and camera-work, the exquisite music or the play itself! It is pure magic from start to finish and I can't wait to see it again - truly an inspiring masterpiece and a delight for the senses. Compared to this film Hollywood blockbusters fade into tawdry insignificance. simply magical July 11, 2007 Helen (England) 8 out of 9 found this review helpful --spoilers---- br / br /Never before have I been so excited by a Shakespeare play although I love his plays. I always used to think, from the productions I'd seen of Twelfth Night, that Orsino's decision to marry the newly revealed Viola was just a bit too passionless and convenient - as though Viola would "do" since Olivia was no longer available. It just goes to show that none of those other productions had managed to project what Trevor Nunn and the splendid line up of actors give us in this masterly version. The actors for Viola and Sebastian are so well matched that they really do look related if not identical in features and Viola makes a very convincing young man. I've never liked Helena Bonham Carter more than in this movie - she's just perfect as Olivia. The same for Richard E.Grant, and all the others, except I wondered if Malvolio isn't just a little less irritating than he should be so we are more sorry for him than we should be at the end. As for Toby Stephens as Orsino, well I was transfixed. The Duke was always my favourite character in this story and Stephens has him absolutely perfect with all the dark undertones and his melancholy frustrations along with Viola's powering this aspect of the story. br / br /This movie should be shown to all schools along with Branagh's Much Ado which is almost as good, and surely then pupils would be demanding Shakespeare instead of apparently being put off it by teachers not wanting to teach it or whatever reason it is they have these days for avoiding it. Showing reviews 1-5 of 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next »

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