Taglines: Never send a boy to do a man’s job, especially if he’s a girl.
Twelfth Night movie storyline. Brother and sister Viola and Sebastian, who are not only very close but look a great deal alike, are in a shipwreck, and both think the other dead. When she lands in a foreign country, Viola dresses as her brother and adopts the name Cesario, becoming a trusted friend and confidante to the Count Orsino. Orsino is madly in love with the lady Olivia, who is in mourning due to her brother’s recent death, which she uses as an excuse to avoid seeing the count, whom she does not love. He sends Cesario to do his wooing, and Olivia falls in love with the disguised maiden.
Things get more complicated in this bittersweet Shakespeare comedy when a moronic nobleman, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and a self-important servant, Malvolio, get caught up in the schemes of Olivia’s uncle, the obese, alcoholic Sir Toby, who leads each to believe Olivia loves him. As well, Sebastian surfaces in the area, and of course there is Feste, the wise fool, around to keep everything in perspective and to marvel, like we the audience, at the amazing things happening all around.
Twelfth Night (also known as Twelfth Night: Or What You Will) is a 1996 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play, directed by Trevor Nunn and featuring an all-star cast. Set in the late 19th century, it was filmed on location in Cornwall, including scenes shot at Padstow and at Lanhydrock House near Bodmin, with Orsino and his followers wearing uniforms that evoke the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Twelfth Night (1996)
Directed by: Trevor Nunn
Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Richard E. Grant, Nigel Hawthorne, Ben Kingsley, Mel Smith, Imelda Staunton, Toby Stephens, Imogen Stubbs, Tim Bentinck
Screenplay by: Trevor Nunn
Production Design by: Sophie Becher
Cinematography by: Clive Tickner
Film Editing by: Peter Boyle
Costume Design by: John Bright
Set Decoration by: Marianne Ford
Art Direction by: Ricky Eyres, David Hindle
Music by: Shaun Davey
MPAA Rating: PG for mild thematic elements.
Distributed by: Fine Line Features
Release Date: October 25, 1996
Hits: 214
