TeenzTen An action-packed slog

Whitech It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

Chonesday It's one of the most original films you'll likely see all year, which, depending on your threshold for certifiably crazy storylines, could be a rewarding experience or one that frustrates you.

Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

cruelestmonth-394-48265 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.

dkmce I must disagree with the positive comments this has received. TWELFTH NIGHT is my favorite of Shakespeare's comedies, and when you see that Alec Guiness, Ralph Richardson, and Joan Plowright are in it, you expect the best. Not so. I taped it when it was broadcast, and still have it. Joan is too old for Viola, and is LUDICROUS as Sebastian. Her male impersonation doesn't work at all. It's the worst thing I've ever seen this normally-great actress do. I was surprised that Ralph Richardson wasn't very funny as Sir Toby, as it seemed a good role for him, and I've seen him be very funny in other roles. Not here. Guiness is okay as Malvolio, but I've seen the role done better, once superbly on stage by THE THING'S Robert Cornithwaite. Worst of all is the horrible Tommy Steele, who is UNBEARABLE as Feste, giving good evidence of why his overpraised career was so short.There are much better TWELFTH NIGHTs out there to see. Hunt up the recent televised version with Helen Hunt and Paul Rudd. It was excellent! This one is a disappointment that, given the cast, has no excuse.

green4tom I could not disagree more with the one and only comment so far to appear here. A wonderful version of the play, and Lady Joan Plowright is absolutely outstanding. I love the beginning, when she is shipwrecked--she has this amazing feminine way of expressing both hope and fear--a utopian moment. I am frantically looking through my VHS collection because I know I taped this sucker and can't find it now, and there is neither a VHS nor DVD version now available. And this cad's comments don't help getting this show DVDized--GRRRRRRRRR! Pearls before swine! And why then did this show garner 7+ votes! And it was made during the golden era, of 1969! And Tommy Steele is great, singing, accompanying himself on the lute--how many pop stars from the 1960s could do that? And so is everybody else. I really liked this film (how many more lines do I need?--LOL!) Make this available on DVD, NOW!

travel-3 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.