Customer Reviews

Twelfth Night/Macbeth

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

These are British TV productions of two of Shakespeare's best plays, each cut to fit in a 110-minute time slot. The cutting isn't bad, actually--you barely notice, and there's plenty of visual material to cover the gaps.

The problem is the interpretation. I have no problem with setting Shakespeare plays in the modern era, and "Macbeth" in this collection works well in a limited sort of way. But "Twelfth Night" is one of the dreariest productions I've ever seen. Including live and filmed productions, I've seen seven different versions of this play, and this is the only one to treat the humour in such a heavy-handed way. A comedy that feels like a tragedy. In fact, even "Hamlet" isn't this heavy. The multiracial cast is interesting but, in a sense, a little too gimmicky, as are the subliminal edits of Olivia during Orsino's opening speech, "If music be the food of love..." And the poor actress playing Viola--I think she could probably act, but the director's heavy-handedness is evident in every portrayal, especially in hers. Her expression never changes. She always looks sullen. When she's reunited with her brother at the end of the play she looks almost resentful.

The director of this production of "Macbeth" is Michael Bogdanov, whose version of the history plays I admire very much. Some of his "Macbeth" works, for my money--Macbeth's reaction to the ghostly Banquo is quite chilling, the portrayal of the Weird Sisters as bag ladies is a lot of fun, and most of the actual performances are splendid. I also enjoyed seeing Macbeth shouting out his final lines whilst blasting away with an Uzi. It doesn't actually excel in any way--the Ian McKellen/Judi Dench production from the mid-1970s works better overall, I think. But this is not bad.

Tim Supple's Twelfth Night is my favorite adaptation of Shakespeare to film -- and I've watched dozens of adaptations. The look of the film is brilliant, the acting outstanding, and the pacing superb. I've shown it to college freshmen who have loved it -- a highly uncharacteristic response to Shakespeare. Yes, the subplot with Malvolio is not played for sheer comedy but his imprisonment takes on new import in this age of hostages. I have probably watched this film 20 times because I show it in classes (including one just on Shakespeare) and I am certain of its brilliance. It is flawless and only gains strength with repeated viewings.

This version of Macbeth makes a great classroom film! There aren't many good Macbeth films, and this is the best I've found for teaching Macbeth at the high school level. Others may be more critically-acclaimed, but Polanski's is rated R and the Ian McKellen/Judi Dench is a slow-moving film of a stage production. This film is fast paced and visually interesting. It's also a great way to teach students about different ways of imagining a Shakespeare production as it is set in a contemporary/futuristic period. The special effects are a bit low-budget, and some appearances are becoming a bit dated. However, my students are always intrigued and want to see more. I recommend it. My greatest frustration with the DVD is that the chapters do not correspond to acts and scenes. I have not used Twelfth Night, but I am happy this is a double feature.

Tim Supple appears to have confused Twelfth Night, one of the best of the Bard's comedies, with King Lear. The pace is lethargic, the dialogue is straight out of the Cliff's Notes version, and the mood is funereal. The cast ranges from very good to adequate, but the direction butts in on virtually every scene. Given that Viola and Sebastian are played by Indian actors, the use of mixed English and Hindi in their scenes ranks as one of the few intelligent innovations by Supple. Chiwetel Ejiofor, plays Orsino as an icon, giving no motivation other than his physical appearance, for Viola (Parminder Nagra) to fall instantly in love with him. Michael Maloney, as Malvolio, likewise does little to explain the animosity shown towards him by Maria, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Feste. The latter, played by Zubin Varla, could as well be playing Moriarity, the undertaker. One senses that each of the characters could easily handle his or her role, but were squelched by inept and misconceived direction. While this production is, granted, supposely in a series of abbreviated Channel 4 productions of the works of Shakespeare, it is played more akin to Dr. Frederick Bronski's "Highlights From Hamlet" (from Mel Brooks' "To Be Or Not To Be" than any genuine effort at producing the actual play. Indeed, even many of the generally accepted highlights from Twelfth Night are omitted - along with ALL of the comedy. Regretably, if you want to see Twelfth Night, this is all that appears to be currently available. Skip it.

The 12th Night side of this package is a bit hard to follow, with actors that are difficult to understand and a story that drags and drags. That being said, it has wonderful cinematography, and goes to great pains to set up the characters even as the plot suffers from being quite foggy. Were it not for Parminder, I don't know how I would have sat through 3/4 of it. However, it has been deemed a compelling version by many. So more power to them.

The Macbeth side is more to my liking, though it seems to suffer from the exact opposite problem. This version of Macbeth is extremely rushed, without even offering so much as the breathing room needed to feel the despair that overtakes Macbeth and his Lady as they descend into darkness. There is no real sense of pause or hesitation. Macbeth hears the hags speak, and almost immediately snaps, jumping at the call to be evil. Nothing, not even the scenes that require some dramatic pauses, seem to contain them. Everything is delivered like a speed train out of hell. And a play that calls for darkness and mist somehow becomes a movie filled with very brightly-lit scenes that painfully cancel out the darkness of plot. If not for Greta Scacchi's very convincing portrayal of the Lady, then this play would completely fall apart. Sean Pertwee does not deliver on what this film's original VHS artwork promised. Gritty, yes. Urban, yes. But more IRA than LA thug. A good tool for use in schools, and mildly entertaining in its own right. But I do believe that the Bob Jones version works better, at least atmospherically.

I thought this version of Twelfth Night correctly portrayed the serious aspects of the play. It didn't put in the humor Shakespeare intended in some of the scenes, and I think that didn't make the play as interesting. The end was cleverly done and showed the surprise when all the secrets wre revealed.

This is a good movie and for the most part acted out well, but it is supposed to be Shakespeare's funniest play and they cut alot of the funny lines from the original play. It is done in a more serious way. For the origal play i would have given it a 4 or 5 but for this version of the movie i only gave it a 3 because its not nearly as funy as it could have been.