Recent years have seen a splurge in the amount of works by English playwright William Shakespeare being made into film. From "Hamlet" to last year's "Romeo and Juliet," there seems to be no end to the number of times the Bard is rewritten for the silver screen.
One of the newest films to make the transition is "Twelfth Night."
The film is directed and scripted for the screen by Trevor Nunn, best known for his stage work in England.
The cast is composed of many of Great Britain's best Shakespearean actors, including that perennial favorite, Ben Kingsley ("Gandhi").
One of Shakespeare's favorite dramatic devices, mistaken identity, is used in this story -- a twin brother and sister, Sebastian (Stephen Mackintosh) and Viola (Imogen Stubbs of "Sense and Sensibility") are separated during a storm at sea.
Viola disguises herself as a man to gain an audience with the Lady Olivia (Helena Bonham Carter), who has recently lost her brother.
To highlight this device in the script, the poster for the movie makes references to such recent works as "To Wong Foo" and "The Birdcage." The reference to transvestitism overplays Viola's efforts.
Viola, now disguised as a man, enters the service of Duke Orsino (Toby Stephens), who is in love with Olivia. He sends Viola to entreat Olivia, but Viola speaks so effectively that Olivia falls in love with her, thinking she is a man.
Meanwhile, Orsino's distraught, unrequited passion soon wins over Viola. Viola is now faced with trying to dissuade Olivia's advances and to control her emotions in the presence of Orsino, whom she loves.
Then Sebastian resurfaces, causing much confusion, because he looks much like his sister's male disguise.
The typical complexity of Shakespeare's work is well-executed in this film, and audience members are able to follow the several plot twists with relative ease.
The numerous sub-plots, including a humorous one in which several characters attempt to make Olivia's steward Malvolio (Nigel Hawthorne) appear insane, are treated with the subtlety that Nunn has gained through his years of experience in the theater.
The acting is excellent, and Ben Kingsley once again does wonderfully, this time as Feste, the minstrel/clown who acts as the bond between the sub-plots of the film. After having seen Kingsley's serious side in "Gandhi" audiences now have the chance to see him in a comedic role.
The costumes have a Victorian era flavor about them. With a little imagination, one can see that these might be lingering effects of the recent heightening of interest in Jane Austen.
Underlying all this is an excellent musical score. Shaun Davey utilizes one melody in both dark and happy moments in the storyline, with only a slight change in color. He also provides the melody for several songs that Shakespeare had written for Feste to sing. He employs the minstrel style of the Rennaissance.
All in all, the film is extremely good, mixing farce and love story very well, and essentially preserving the greatness that makes Shakespeare's appeal continue to this day.
