Twelfth Night or What you will (1996), is one of the 4 film adaptations of Twelfth Night, one of the most famous comedies by William Shakespeare. The film was first adapted in 1933 as a short colour film. Then in 1955, a Russian adaptation of Twelfth night was made. In 1986 an Australian adaptation was made however it was not very popular. There was a film based on Twelfth night made in 2006, however, it received very mixed ratings. However, the most well-known adaptation of Twelfth night by far is this film made in 1996. It received a relatively good reception with a rating of 7.2 on IMDB and 76% on rotten tomatoes. The film was directed by Trevor Nunn and featured an all-star cast with actors such as Ben Kingsley and Helena Bonham Carter. However, making an interesting adaptation is no simple feat. There were many changes made to the script and scenes to make it more interesting and eye-catching. So, how was this done?
Changes to scenes — to begin, probably one of the most obvious changes in the movies is the time setting. While the play is set in the 1600’s, the movie is set in a more modern victorian sort of setting. There are also major changes toward the chronology of the events. The first change is right at the start of the movie. Instead of beginning in Orsino's palace as the play does, the movie instead begins on the ship, before the shipwreck and the crash on Illyria. It begins with Sebastian and Viola singing on the boat, however, the people on the boat are laughing at the performance as although they are both dressed as women, one of them has a man's voice. then they both reveal their faces to show that they both have mustaches, however, Viola’s mustache is torn off to reveal that she is indeed a woman.
This allows an introduction to the cross-dressing theme, as well as the idea of Viola and Sebastian being Identical twins. Then following this, it also shows the shipwreck, another part that isn’t shown in the play. The film then proceeds to switch scenes 1 and 2, showing Viola and the captain on the shore together. however, an interesting addition is added to scene 2 in this play. As they are on the shore they quickly have to hide, as a group of cavalry, ride their horses onto the shore before quickly leaving. This is an interesting addition to the scene as in the play it is only implied that there is a war going on between Illyria and Messaline. This is implied in Act 3 scene 2 where Antonio says -
“ Once, in a sea-fight, ‘gainst the count his galleys
I did some service; of such note indeed,
That were I ta’en here it would scarce be answer’d.”
However, it is shown and confirmed very quickly in the movie. Another interesting addition to the scene is that Feste is shown watching them. It introduces us to Feste, with an over the shoulder shot watching the people on the shore. After this, Viola and the captain are in the forest, and see Olivia mourning for the death of a brother, as the captain explains the situation to her. It also sees her dressing up as a man, getting ready to go to Orsino's court. This scene is very important towards the film as it introduces the main characters Orsino, Feste, Viola, and Olivia, as well as painting a picture of where the plot is going. Then in scene 1(which is swapped with scene 2), Cesario (Viola) is seen playing the piano to Orsino. This shows that Cesario has already begun to serve Orsino in his court. This would be impossible in the play as Orsino listening to music is introduced in Scene 1, while Viola is introduced in scene 2. In the movie, Orsino is also shown with a broken arm. other than changes at the start, there are very minor changes to the script, such as some lines being removed or changed to make the movie make more sense. In various scenes, there are also cuts between scenes, for example in the scenes with Malvolio in jail as well as Toby and Maria. However, these changes remain true to the plot of Twelfth night and don't change the story.
Camera shots — Another thing that Director Trevor Nunn capitalizes on, is the fact that since it is a move, different camera angles and viewpoints can be used to convey certain emotions and messages. This would be impossible during a play as while on a stage, the audience is always watching from the same place, and are only able to see the play from one viewpoint. For this reason, Trevor Nunn employs many clever camera angles to give the film a certain feel
For example, this shot at the start of the movie shows Feste watching Viola on the shore from the cliff above. The film uses an over the shoulder shot. It gives us a sense like we are watching from Festes viewpoint. This shot also fits very well with his character in the film, as compared to the play, Feste is seen to see more and know more than people think. this is shown in the fact that he is present in the background in almost every major scene. It gives him an almost omniscient feel. Another example is this scene between Viola and Sebastian
This shot gives a sense of balance, as Viola's identity is finally revealed. It works well as in the background, you can also see the symmetrical gate. In the movie, Viola is shorter than Sebastian, however in this scene, it is most likely they used a box or stool to make Viola look as tall as Sebastian to continue the theme of symmetry. This works as well with the identical twins as well as the cross-dressing theme as in the shot they look almost identical. It is used through many of the scenes however these are the most apparent examples.
Music — The music used in the film, is mainly orchestral and used for emphasis on emotion, it is used in scenes such as when Cesario (Viola) tells Orsino that all her brothers and sisters are dead as well as when Malvolio is put in jail. However, the Play itself has 3 songs within it. The first one, of course, is ‘O mistress mine’ A love song sung to Sir Toby as well as Sir Andrew. The song is quite slow and has both a happy and melancholic feel at the same time. The song is used as a sort of symbolism, as during the song it cuts to Olivia sleeping in her bed, as well as later Cesario (Viola) and Orsino listening to a piano version of the song, Before later cutting back to Sir Toby and Maria. This is used as symbolism as these are the three main love interests caught in a love triangle with each other. The song can almost be classified as a sort of foreshadowing of the plot of the story.
O mistress mine
O mistress mine, where are you roaming?
O, stay and hear! Your truelove’s coming,
That can sing both high and low.
Trip no further, pretty sweeting.
Journeys end in lovers meeting,
Every wise man’s son doth know.
…
What is love? ’Tis not hereafter.
Present mirth hath present laughter.
What’s to come is still unsure.
In delay there lies no plenty,
Then come kiss me, sweet and twenty.
Youth’s a stuff will not endure.
The next song sung is ‘Come Away Death’. It is played at the request of Orsino. It is a very slow and sad song. Orsino Says that it did relieve him, before sending Cesario back to Viola. It is a tortured love song for an obsessed lover
Come Away Death
Come away, come away, death,
And in sad cypress let me be laid.
Fly away, fly away, breath,
I am slain by a fair cruel maid.
My shroud of white, stuck all with yew,
O, prepare it!
My part of death, no one so true
Did share it.Not a flower, not a flower sweet
On my black coffin let there be strown;
Not a friend, not a friend greet
My poor corpse, where my bones shall be thrown.
A thousand thousand sighs to save,
Lay me, O, where
Sad true lover never find my grave,
To weep there.
However perhaps the most important song is the final song sung by Feste ‘ The wind and the rain’. This song is both used during the starting sequence of the film as well as at the ending sequence. The song is purely upbeat, however, it does have a slightly sad feeling as the song is played as Feste leaves Illyria, watching Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Antonio leaving Illyria. It later also shows Malvolio, now with grey hair in a jacket and suit. It is good to note that it only shows those leaving Illyria, before showing Feste himself leaving. It gives off a message that it is a happy ending but not for all, for example, Andrew didn’t get what he wanted and Antonio is forced to leave Sebastian as he is now married to Olivia. It is also very interesting as the film ends where it started with Feste watching over the shore, where he saw Viola and her crew. All in all, I think the music is used very well within the film to convey what the characters are feeling
The Wind and the Rain
When that I was and a little tiny boy,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
A foolish thing was but a toy,
For the rain it raineth every day.But when I came to man’s estate,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
’Gainst knaves and thieves men shut their gate,
For the rain it raineth every day.But when I came, alas, to wive,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
By swaggering could I never thrive,
For the rain it raineth every day.But when I came unto my beds,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
With tosspots still had drunken heads,
For the rain it raineth every day.A great while ago the world begun,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
But that’s all one, our play is done,
And we’ll strive to please you every day.
Conclusion — In conclusion, I think the film is very well done, There are many things that the play does better than the movie, for example, the humour. However, there are many things that the movie has done differently that make it interesting and make it feel different from the play.
Sources:
The Bill / Shakespeare Project. (2019). Twelfth Night: Songs — The Bill / Shakespeare Project. [online] Available at: https://thebillshakespeareproject.com/2015/02/twelfth-night-songs/ [Accessed 17 Nov. 2019].
Online.clickview.com.au. (2019). Sign In — ClickView. [online] Available at: https://online.clickview.com.au/libraries/categories/e3a5bd35-549f-0cd7-6ad7-d303c392ab88/videos/cd633b53-2b70-b931-2f2d-5e7ac7107eb2/twelfth-night-globe-theatre- [Accessed 17 Nov. 2019].
En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Twelfth Night (1996 film). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Night_(1996_film) [Accessed 17 Nov. 2019].
