Twelfth Night

Trevor Nunn's Twelfth Night is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's comedy about Viola, who is shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria and separated from her twin brother, Sebastian. Believing him lost, she disguises herself as a young man called Cesario and enters the service of Duke Orsino, who is courting the wealthy Olivia. Orsino sends Cesario to plead his case, but Olivia falls for the messenger instead, while Viola herself has fallen for Orsino. Bound by her disguise, she cannot reveal her feelings to either of them. Around this triangle move Olivia's household and her pompous steward Malvolio, along with the jester Feste and the revellers Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek.

The film was released in 1996 and runs 134 minutes. Nunn wrote the screenplay and directed, working from a Shakespeare comedy he knew well from his long stage career; it stands second in the chronological list of films he directed, between Lady Jane and Cats. Helena Bonham Carter plays Olivia, with Nigel Hawthorne as Malvolio, Ben Kingsley as Feste, Richard E. Grant as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Mel Smith as Sir Toby Belch and Imelda Staunton as Maria. The production, made across the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States at a modest budget of around 5 million dollars, drew 7.1 out of 10 on IMDb from roughly 6,800 votes and 7 out of 10 on TMDB.