Watch Twelfth Night For Free

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

They mention male reproductive parts. I feel that this movie should be R. I showed this to my kids and they have told me that they still have nightmares today 87 years later. This movie has effected their life in a very bad way. I want to warn parents that this is a very inappropriate movie.It also contains drug use and people like Feste who are intoxicated at times. In conclusion this movie should not be PG because it contains mature content. The movie is outdated and so is its rating. THIS IS NOT PG!!!!!

At one time adaptors of Shakespeare for the cinema trended to concentrate more on his tragedies and history plays rather than his comedies. The 1990s, however, saw two very fine adaptations of Shakespearean comedies, Kenneth Branagh's "Much Ado about Nothing" and Trevor Nunn's "Twelfth Night"."Twelfth Night" is another name for the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6th, and the action of the play is supposed to take place around that date. Nunn, however, did not shoot this film in winter but in autumn; filming actually took place in November, but the crew were mostly lucky with the weather and the look of the countryside might suggest late September or early October. Although the setting is still officially "Illyria", an old name for Croatia, Nunn effectively updates the action to Victorian England. The film was shot on location in Cornwall, with St Michael's Mount standing in for Orsino's palace and Lanhydrock for Olivia's mansion. Unlike his contemporary Marlowe in "Edward II", Shakespeare never dealt directly with the subject of homosexuality, but "Twelfth Night" is perhaps the play in which he came closest to dealing with it by implication. The plot revolves around a curious love-triangle, A loves B, who loves C, who loves A. Orsino, Duke of Illyria, is in love with the beautiful countess Olivia. She, however, has no interest in Orsino, but has fallen for "Cesario", the handsome young man whom Orsino uses as his go-between. Unknown to both Orsino and Olivia, however, the supposed "Cesario" is really a disguised woman, Viola- who has fallen in love with her employer. An extra complication- and a possible solution to the problem- arises when Viola's identical twin brother Sebastian, whom she previously believed to be dead, arrives on the scene. (Yes, I know that in reality you cannot have identical opposite-sex twins, but Shakespearean comedies are not noted for their strict realism). The lesbian overtones to the Olivia/Viola relationship would probably have been rather muted in Shakespeare's day when all female roles would have been played by boys, but here Helena Bonham-Carter and Imogen Stubbs (the director's wife) make the most of them. Even with the assistance of a quasi-military uniform and a false moustache, the lovely Imogen never looks particularly masculine, so there is an implication that Olivia has fallen for someone she consciously believes to be male but subconsciously knows to be female. The gay overtones to the relationship between Toby Stephens' Orsino and "Cesario", and to that between Sebastian and Antonio, the sea-captain who has befriended him, are perhaps even stronger. Certainly, Orsino's conversations with "Cesario" seem remarkably intimate if he really does believe his young companion to be male.Along with the likes of "Much Ado…" and "As You Like It", "Twelfth Night" is sometimes described as a "joyous" comedy in contradistinction to more "problematic" comedies like "Measure for Measure" and "All's Well that Ends Well". It does, however, have its darker side; several characters, for example, have recently suffered bereavement, or believe themselves to have done so, and this production tends to stress the darkness underlying the play. The autumnal setting contributes to this feeling, as does the fact that most of the characters are seen dressed in black.The dark overtones are particularly pronounced in the sub-plot involving Olivia's steward, Malvolio. He is sometimes played simply as a narrow- minded Puritan and his adversary Sir Toby as a jovial, lovable old man whose only concern is to have his "cakes and ale". For Nunn, however, matters are not so simple. Nigel Hawthorne's Malvolio- the one character for whom there is no happy ending- is an essentially tragic figure, a dignified and dedicated servant who is tricked into making a fool of himself by a gang of people who have taken an irrational dislike to him. His name is derived from the Italian for "ill will", yet its significance here may be that Malvolio is not so much the perpetrator of malice as the victim of the malice of others. There is an excellent performance from Mel Smith, better known as a television comedian, as Sir Toby. Smith brings out both the nastiness and the sadness which lie at the heart of his character. Sir Toby is a man of wealth and noble family (he is Olivia's uncle) who has spent his whole life in feasting, drinking and womanising and who has a fondness for cruel practical jokes; besides his tricking of Malvolio he dupes his friend Andrew Aguecheek and "Cesario" into fighting a duel. (Both acquit themselves surprisingly well, given that one is really a woman and the other an arrant coward). Yet there is also an implied sadness about Smith's characterisation; Toby knows that his life has been a wasted one, but feels that it is too late to amend.Besides Hawthorne and Smith there are too many good contributions to single them all out individually. I must, however, mention Stubbs, who is able to suggest both a male persona and the underlying woman, and Ben Kingsley as Olivia's jester Feste, whom he plays less as a clown than as a sardonic old philosopher, an eccentric but also a man gifted with penetrating insights into human life. "Twelfth Night" is one of Shakespeare's best-known comedies, and like all well-known Shakespeare plays it has become very familiar in the theatre. A good director, however, whether in the theatre or on screen, will always be able to find something new to say about it, and that is what Nunn has done here. He and his cast have found new insights into this great play, enabling us to see it with new eyes. An excellent production. 9/10

A first-rate cast directed by Trevor Nunn, the premier Shakespeare interpreter of our era, makes this version of Twelfth Night a must-see for anyone who loves Shakespeare. The action appears to take place in the 18th or 19th century but the interpretation is otherwise straight-forward. While reduced from the Shakespearean original to a little over two hours, the script contains all of the essential elements. Nunn takes full advantage of the rugged setting to eliminate the proscenium and draws excellent performances from his cast of British-trained stars led by Helena Bonham Carter as Olivia, Imogen Stubbs as Viola (posing as Rosario), Ben Kingsley as Feste, the clown, Nigel Hawthorne as Malvolio, the proud steward, Mel Smith as Sir Toby Belch who combines with Maria, played by Imelda Stuanton, to reduce Malvolio to ridicule and tears. Viola and her twin brother, Sebastian (Steven MacIntosh), are matched in height and coloring but, as is invariably the case in Twelfth Night, it requires the audience to be blind to the fact that there is no way they could be mistaken for one another. "Suspension of disbelief" is what is required and anyone accustomed to Shakespeare's mistaken identities readily provides it. Sebastian, Viola's twin, has a lesser role, of course, but Steven McIntosh fills it nicely as does Nicholas Farrell as Antonio, who rescues Sebastion from the sea when the ship carrying the twins breaks apart, leading each to believe that the other is dead. The lone weak spot in the cast is Toby Stevens as Orsino, too weak a personality to inspire Viola's love (though his spurning as a suitor by Bonham Carter's Olivia is easy to understand). The plot leading up to Malvolio's fall is stylishly executed and his downfall, in Nigel Hawthorne's extraordinarily capable hands, nearly reaches the level of tragedy.

I was introduced to this delight in the 10th grade during World History as an implementation of my teacher's favorite instructing method- stick in a movie and assign an outline. Dark room, people whispering or making out in the corner, dull movie: this class was normally known as Nap Time, but not that day. In went the tape and out came a story full of vivacity, charm, hilarity and heart.The story is of a girl, Viola, who loses her brother and disguises herself as him to find work. She falls in love with the Duke, who has sent her to woo a countess by the name of Olivia, who has lost her brother as well. Of course, Olivia falls in love with Viola, thinking she is a young man. Viola now must reject one love because she is a woman and be rejected by another love that believes she is a man. What to do? Throw more people into the mix! Olivia, being a countess and therefore rich as anything, has no lack of other admirers from the insanely stupid Sir Andrew Aguecheeck that her uncle encourages for sport to her pious steward, Malvolio. Each person vies for her attentions while she goes insane over the one "man" she cannot have. Enter Sebastian, Viola's twin brother who *gasp* didn't die after all. Much confusion and laughter later, Viola is finally able to shed her "masculine usurped attire" and profess her love for the now-frazzled Duke. Don't worry about Olivia, she gets to keep a copy, the ever-willing Sebastian.Watching this movie the first time, I could hardly believe it was written 400 years ago. The story relates flawlessly to a modern audience. Watching it for the hundredth time after I bought it, I am still captivated by the genius adaption. The script is so funny and intertwines plot lines seamlessly. The actors actually know what they are trying to say, which is half of conveying the meaning of the "difficult" language. Even if I did not understand every word, I would get the meaning with help from the incredible acting.Imogene Stubbs is beautiful as Viola- she really makes a very cute, albeit effeminate "boy." I felt the most for her, especially when she tells the Duke the story of her love for him under the guise of a "sister." Toby Stephens as the Duke was quite handsome, and made the character more likable. If it had been another person, I would have wondered what in the world Viola saw in the whiny, fanciful man, but he was quite suave and charming.Olivia-Bonham-Carter shone as the almost bi-polar Olivia. She snapped from the pit of despair to the heights of love within a scene, but invited you to laugh with her in giddiness rather than snort in disbelief.Ben Kingsly was perfection as Feste, probably the best performance of the movie. He was a fool, but he knew it. He gave a performance of simple farce with a current of keen insight underneath.The others, Mel Smith, Imelda Staunton, Nigel Hawthorne, Richard Grant, Steven Mackintosh and Nicholas Farrell all provided excellent comedic support, tinged with the faintest hint of melancholy that brought just the right mix.Whether you're a fan of Shakespeare or not, Twelfth Night is without a doubt an amazing experience. It brings laughter, excitement and maybe even a misty eye with each viewing. Go rent it if you haven't seen it and if you have, pull it out and treat yourself tonight. I know I will.