Twelfth Night (1970)

After watching this Twelfth Night, I vaguely remembered having seen it when it originally aired back when I was a teenager. I know it made an impression: I've had a tune in my head close to the one Michael Steele uses for Feste's closing song ever since (I recently sang it with that tune to a student, in fact, saying I had no idea where I'd gotten the melody from). My husband and I enjoyed the film VERY much. I think almost everyone involved acted wonderfully--and, of the films of TN I've seen, most fully in the spirit of the play. Most of the characters in Shakespeare's Illyria--ironically, minus the fool--are primarily GOOFY. The name of the town--a kind of portmanteau word crossing illusory with delirium--tells us what these characters are like--and how could that not be so with its kooky plot of crossed loves and crossed garters. Play it too seriously and the thing sags under its own weight. Viola and Sebastian are counterpoints to this when they first arrive in this mad world, but first she and then he enter into the spirit. Richardson (Sir Toby Belch), Moffat (Sir Anthony Aguecheek), and Alec Guinness (Malvolio) played the goofiness like veterans--trying to look anything but goofy and totally nutty as a result. Orsino and Olivia were not as polished, but not at odds with the play. Joan Plowright was tough to look at--and listen to--as Sebastian--but Viola and Sebastian were written to have been played by men (the former in drag), so it's no wonder the ladies can't quite pull it off. The greatest surprise was Tommy Steele--who was properly sly and clever through most of the play, and perfectly wistful in that final, haunting song (I grant that his transition to that wistfulness was a bit abrupt, but so is Shakespeare's). All in all I thought it a thorough romp, well worth the time it takes to watch and watch again.

This fine staging of Shakespeare's gender-bending comedy is finally available on DVD! I've seen many productions of "Twelfth Night," and Joan Plowright is by far my favorite Viola/Cesario. She's convincing in both roles (and, compared to many other Violas, she might conceivably pass for a teenage boy). She is even more impressive in the final act, which requires her to add still more subtleties to her performance.In the broader comedy roles, it's hard to beat a production that includes Alec Guinness, Ralph Richardson and Tommy Steele. Steele's leering persona serves him very well here as Feste.The outstanding script adaptation abridges the play to about 100 minutes. The decision to reverse the order of scenes 1 and 2 was ingenious: it makes for a more dramatic opening and allows a type of exposition that television can do well but which could not have been done easily on Shakespeare's stage.The video on the R1 disc is slightly grainy (presumably a function of its age), and some minor glitches in the quad tape were not corrected. But these are trifles, and the production is very enjoyable.Be aware that this is a stage-like television production: a play produced on videotape. If you want something more cinematic, Trevor Nunn's 1996 film version is very good.

Stellar cast is excellent in the bard's whimsical confection...don't expect to see it better done anytime soon. As one would expect, the principle actors are wonderful. However,I must note the equally enchanting presences of two of the supporting players: Gary Raymond as the handsome, somewhat loftily arrogant prince, and Tommy Steele as a his minstrel who performs a lovely medieval ballad accompanying himself on a lute. They both added a great deal of character and romance to this delightful work. This is a prime example of what television is capable of presenting if only there were more producers interested in elevating the tone. I haven't seen anything this enjoyable or star studded since Hallmark Hall of Fame's presentation of another Shakespeare favorite "The Tempest", which boasted Richard Burton, Lee Remick, and Tom Poston in its cast.

This is a good adaptation of the Shakespearean play, Twelfth Night, a romantic comedy. Although a few scenes and some dialogue from speeches are missing, the acting is superb with Alec Guinness and Tommy Feste giving brilliant performances as Malvolio and Feste the fool. Joan Plowright also gave a strong performance in her two parts, Viola and Sebastian, the long-lost siblings. I highly recommend this movie to anyone. It has comedy-you cannot help but laugh when Malvolio puts on yellow stockings and struts done the walkway-and love triangles that everyone should enjoy.