3/8/09
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Who best performs the "To be or not to be" soliloquy?
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Shakespeare shows that love can cause pain. Many of the characters seem to view love as a kind of curse. Various characters claim to suffer painfully from being in love.
ReplyDeleteThis film had a very interesting plot and was filled with humor and wit. Love is no simple matter in Twelfth Night, but rather something that torments all the characters. I think this plot is brilliant because it’s so painfully obvious what is going on and yet the characters act as if they don’t know what is happening. It gives the audience the upper hand and makes the story more comical. I really enjoyed this movie because it highlighted the fact that love is complicated and nothing is ever as it seems.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this movie was pretty funny. It reminded me of another film that I had seen a while back called "She's the Man" with Amanda Bynes. While reading the playb I was reminded of that film and then after watching this version I thought that all three went along with each other very well. The best part was when Olivia started to fall in love with Viola or who she thought was Cesario. Truth comes out eventually in all cases of love I guess.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was funny how Olivia didn't realize Sebastian wasn't the real Cesario even though he's Viola's twin. I just thought she'd be able to somewhat notice the difference, as in the voice and some face features. Regardless, the story reveals found love in the case of Olivia and Orsino, falling for the same character, who was really Sebastian and Viola. It was apparent that the theme evokes the need to love, as in Orsino wanting to marry Olivia, Olivia wanting to be with Cesario, Malvolio wanting to be with Olivia, and Toby wanting the maid.
ReplyDeleteAndria, She's the man is actually an adaption of Twelfth Night. Kind of like Ten Things I Hate About You is an adaption of Taming of the Shrew or West Side Story to Romeo and Juliet.
ReplyDeletei really enjoyed this movie, i thought it was really cute. the problem i had was how quickly people got over the fact that they were married to someone else or they previously thought one was a man. personally it would take me at least a few minutes to take in everything but it is a Shakespeare comedy so in this case it is OK. And to comment on other peoples, there are so many Shakespeare plays that have been made into teenybopper films. does anyone remember O? That was Othello. They also don't tend to be the best of films ether.
ReplyDeleteTo respond to LP, there were some subtle hints that Orsino was falling for Viola (or Cesario) during the play, even when he was dressed as a man, like in the part where they were almost kissing listening to the fool's song. Maybe a reason Orsino wasn't so upset to learn that Cesario was actually a woman is maybe because he was relieved he wasn't gay ;) Haha...perhaps...
ReplyDeleteThe whole woman dressed up as a man thing, in this movie as well as others, really relies on suspension of disbelief on the part on the audience. I agree that the disguise is easily seen through and the reactions would be a lot stronger if you suddenly realized a man you know is really a woman.
ReplyDeleteThis film's plot is twisted and allows the main characters to use the motif of disguise to their advantage. From beginning to end, characters were forced to assume personalities that were not their own, which eventually led to a happy ending.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, this film did a great job with the woman acting like a man. Most of the film that I've seen with exchange sex-role like this one, men didn't do so well if to act like women. No offense men, but, women seem to fit for acting as a men more. I guess they are just a little better.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree that the ending was weird because the Duke was absolutely fine with falling in love with the boy that turned out to be a girl. But that's theatre, not real life, so weird things like that happen. I love Helena Bonham Carter so it was fun to watch her. Overall it was a pretty entertaining movie, a little odd, a little quirky, but worthwhile to watch.
ReplyDeleteI think it was an amazing movie with a great choice of cast. I think Helena Bonham Carter played her role perfectly, she was hilarious. However i did not like how easily everyone got over what had just happened. I also thought it was interesting thinking about how this play would have been when only men were the actors. It might have gotten a little confusing.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this movie. I thought it was really funny and entertaining, an oddly cute plot that was fun to watch. I also that the actors did a very good job, especially Viola. Though she wasn't great at playing a boy, I think that aspect made the movie even funnier.
ReplyDeleteTwelfth Night was a very captivating movie. What held my attention the director’s use of letting the audience know exactly what was going on in the story while the characters in the story were left with misguided interpretations of the reality. I made the viewing more manageable because I felt like a esteemed V.I.P. while watching this movie. I was getting the inside scoop on the fact that Viola even the playing young man she was in fact a fine looking woman. It made the depiction of Twelfth Night comical to see Viola struggle with love.
ReplyDeleteThis movie was a mixture of comedy and tragedy however it clearly focused on the comedy. The relationship between cesario and helen bonham carter was probably my favorite part of the film because the audience was able to understand the comical aspects of it while Bonham was left out of the loop. The location of the film was very different that many of Shakespeares other films and at time i even forgot that I was watching a Shakespeare film, but overall it was a good film.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the fact that this film brings you back to the traditional sense of Shakespearian plays and scripts where men played the lead roles of each character, man or woman based. I think that they added the sense of homophobic anotations between Orsino and Viola. I believe that back in that time it was considered the pristege privilige to go about you sex appeal either to a man or a woman. I think that it was considered a mans choice, and becuase men were so held up to their name, it wasnt considered wrong what choice they made.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a very funny film that made me a laugh a lot. I thought it was very funny how Olivia started to fall in love with Viola or who she thought was Cesario. Overall, good movie I thought.
ReplyDeleteHelena Bonham Carter is one of my favorite actresses of all time. I first saw this movie as a sophomore in high school and fell in love with both the script and this particular film adaptation by Trevor Nunn. The love triangles are hilarious as well as all of the cross-dressing! Quirky, funny, and twisted, I love this play!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed watching this movie. The cross-dressing is funny and i agree with Andria, this film does remind me of "She's The Man" with Amanda Bynes. I didnt know that it was actually based on the play Twelfth Night but now it makes sense. The duke is so dramatic and pathetic in this film i love him! I also recognized that Maid Mary is from Harry Potter so that kept me intrigued to the movie. I think Olivia is portrayed very well in this movie,the actress who plays her did a good job. This movie was hilarious!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my all time favorite movies and stories. I wish that there was a sequel to this one so we could see what happens after. I think it would be really interesting to see how the characters develop in their own relationships and as a group.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this was one of the best of Shakespeare's plays, especially with regard to the good feeling it left with the audience. What bothered me was how through the story as Viola started having feelings for Orsino, it seemed that Orsino began to feel something more than friendly for Viola- who he believed to be a guy. This sort of explains why the modern remake She's The Man, made the Orsino character have feelings for Viola, staying away from any gay vibes. But although this is sort of an uncomfortable topic, it makes the fact that Orsino wants Viola when he discovers that she's a girl more believable.
ReplyDeleteThis was a good movie because it shows love in a way where it causes pain. The characters all viewed love in a negative, violent and desperate way. They saw it as a outside uncontrollable force thrown upon them. The characters saw love as a plague and they were victims to it. We also saw shakespeares common elements of confusion, role reversal, and cross gender scenarios.
ReplyDeleteTwelfth Night was one of the harder films to follow for me. I found that the amount of characters confused what was going on. Although the film is confusing in the beginning it has the most entertaining ending. When Viola and Sebastian start interacting with the same people everyone is so confused with what's going on. My favorite scene is when Olivia marries Sebastian and then sees Viola immediately after, who denies that they have been married. Best ending by Shakespeare I have seen.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how each of the characters wanted something that they couldnt have. Everyone was in love with someone who could not love them back. It looked hopeless, but the brother and sister were united, which was the solution to everyone's problems, except Malvolio of course.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the brother and sister looked incredibly similar. The sister, Viola, did a great job on portraying a male character and it was quite funny watching the situations she encounters while pretending to be her brother. I thought the movie all together was a little slow and monotonous. The funniest part was the ending when Viola and Sebastian reunite and everyone finds out Viola’s secret of pretending to be her brother.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this movie, and I thought that it was really interesting for the story line and the costumes that everyone had throughout. I thought that it was interesting that even thought Count Orsino was in love with Olivia, he had Cesario do his wooing for him. It seems to me that that situation is just a set up for disaster and that Count Orsino should have just tried talking to Olivia himself.
ReplyDeleteThis film was not as enjoyable as Much Adu About Nothing but was still decent. What I think made it less enjoyable was the lack of subtitles. Shakespeare is hard to follow as it is. I think if with subtitles it would have been easier to follow and much more enjoyable being the overall story line of a woman dressing up as a man very entertaining.
ReplyDeleteHarrison 33:
ReplyDeleteI thought this film was bit different compared to the others I've watched thus far. The idea of a woman dressing up as a man surprised me. I never thought a woman of that era would consider attempting something like that. What I find quite funny and a bit ridiculous is the fact that no one could tell Viola(Cesario) was really a female. The movie was a bit slow and hard to follow at times, not necessarily my favorite.
Morgan,
ReplyDeleteIt's unfortunate that there aren't subtitles--or closed captions--for this DVD. We can hope that any new release will correct this.
This film was boring until the ending. I barely understood the dialogue so I could not understand what was being said. However, it is quite funny that no one knew she was a woman. This film also reminded me of a film called She's the Man. There was a woman named Viola and she dressed as her brother Sebastian. So there are difinite similarities. Overall, Much Ado About Nothing was a great film.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this was a very good film and that Nunn did a good job casting the actors and actresses.The resemblance between Viola and her brother was remarkable,I would have believed that they were brother and sister if someone would have told me that in the street. My favorite relationship was the one between Olivia and Sebastian. I thought it was funny how they fell in love so easily after Olivia knew the truth. I feel like Olivia is just desperate for someone moderately attractive. Overall, it was a great film.
ReplyDeleteThis has been my favorite film in this class so far. I thought the setting and costumes were wonderful, and the casting was fantastic, especially Helena Bonham Carter as Olivia. And the man who played Malvolio was terrific as well! I couldn't help but cover my face in horror as he tried to woo Olivia with that awful smile of his and wearing the yellow cross gartered tights!
ReplyDelete-GMW
I thought this movie was good but it was kind of hard to understand at the beginning but as it goes on it gets better. I thought that the two actors of the brother and sister did look fairly alike so I can see how back in that time they could be confused for each other even thought it wasn't exact. I liked the scene with the drunk men singing a fooling around.
ReplyDeletethis film i think actually parrellled the play quite well! i did take an interest in this play so i was excited to watch the film. the torture to the characters caused by love was made very apparent and easy to understand. the characters in this film i think cast wonderfully chosen and did a very good job. i think the costumes in this film also added a refreshing element in going perfectly with the story, almost making it something so much more that it would be without the costumes, almost like in a midsummer nights dream.
ReplyDeletenicole r
This play was much easier to understand in movie form. I really liked Malvolio and Olivia's interactions when he thought she was in love with him. Feste was by far my favorite character. And who knew Ben Kingsley could sing?
ReplyDeleteI feel like the movie was hard to follow. Generally the movies for me are not that hard to follow but this one was a little bit harder to follow. I thought it was a bit confusing to follow with all the different love triangles.
ReplyDeleteOlivia was an interesting character in the film. I thought it was interesting that she still went through with the marriage to Sebastian even though see fell in love with Viola. I know the two are identical twins, but that was a little to crazy for me.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed watching this film, as it was comical and easy to follow. I am a huge fan of a movie which parallels this plot, the more recent 'She's The Man', so I'm familiar with what goes on in the movie, but to see an accurate rendition following the actual script was interesting. I think the director did a very good job of finding charachters which were very versitile and did look quite similar, I'm always just so confused as to how the charachters don't catch on to the deceptions that are occuring right before their eyes! And how easily, after discovering who they thought they were in love with, is actually NOT their lover, yet they so simply agree to marry the person! The way our societies differ today and back then blows my mind.
ReplyDeleteThis movie was a good one to watch for a college class. The humor was understood and although the plot was implausible, like most of Shakespeare plots, it was a still a lot of fun to follow. I noticed that to movie cut a lot of scenes but we still got the general flow of the play.
ReplyDeleteThis play seems to go along with Shakespeare's favorite subject of love and turmoil and how love creates turmoil. He seems to have a serious fascination with love and hate and how love is painful.
ReplyDeleteThis was not my favorite Shakespeare film. I thought the acting was really bad, and I was confused if the girl was trying to be a girl or a guy because she did not change her voice at all. I thought it was creepy how Olivia fell in love with the "guy" so fast and how once she found out he was a guy, she just agreed to marry her brother. Also, when Sebastian found out who Viola really was and still married her, that as unusual. The whole story line was very unrealistic and once again there was a theme with cross dressing.
ReplyDeleteThis film incorporated several of Shakespeare's popular themes. Love was of course the most popular theme. It was interesting how important love was. It was an essential thing for all characters. The most mind blowing thing to me was the end to this film. When everyone found out that Cesario was really Viola, it wasn't as big of a deal as I would have thought it would be. It was quickly blown over and Orsino was able to forget the fact that he had thought Viola was a man for so long. It's almost like everyone's a little desperate for love and obtaining it is all that really matters.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this film. I thought the complications of the sexes was very interesting. This was very similar to As you Like it where she, too, dresses as a boy and tries to slyly win her love without revealing her true self. She, too, dresses as a boy in for the purpose of safty and hiding.
ReplyDeleteI liked how the movie puts the audience in a place where we seem to have more power in knowing what was obviously going on but the characters dont have any idea. The main them i noticed was how love wasn't always the positive. Love tortured the characters as if it were poison. That is what made the story so interesting.
ReplyDeleteI found this film to be a bit of an oddity. I was not at all too familiar with the play, and I'm sure that contributed to my confusion. The film seemed to hurry from one portion of the play to another, and didn't really give us a chance to catch up. Before I knew it, Viola was marrying Sebastian and her brother was marrying Olivia. It just didn't seem to make sense to me.
ReplyDeleteNunn's film holds true to Shakespeares own text, and the acting in the film makes it a good movie. Ben Kingsle's Feste's songs are important backgrounds to the actions of the other characters, and Kingsley does well as Feste. I also like Viola and Sebastian's interactions, which some very effective comic relief.
ReplyDeleteThis story I found very enjoyable and comical. I love the casting of Helena Carter as Olivia. She was my favorite character. I did find it strange how she married Sebastian at the end of the film despite the fact that they were complete strangers. It was an interesting film for sure.
ReplyDeleteIn the day and age of simple love stories I guess I found the ending to this film and story a bit to abrupt. All the characters seemed fine with being duped and perfectly OK with falling in love with complete strangers. It was sort of a dues ex machina ending where the story tellers went "oh well, there you have it. That's just the way it is going to be."
ReplyDeleteTwelfth night was very interesting but i found pretty good. I didnt find the acting to be that great in it like some of the other films we have watched. Feste was my favorite character, he was kind of behind the scenes running the whole show. I thought he was pretty funny some times with his sarcasm and dry humor.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. The situations Olivia got herself into because she was in love with Cesario were comical and entertaining since we, as the audience, knew what was going on but she was still in the dark about Cesario’s true identity. Overall, the cast came together to deliver an amusing, delightful take on Shakespeare’s play by playing each character with dimension which makes us not only laugh but also feel sorry for them at times.
ReplyDeleteI think I liked this movie better because one of my favorite movies is "she's the man" which made it more interesting to me and I liked comparing the characters and situations to one another while watching The Twelfth Night.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this movie, because it was easy to follow because of the more modern version that is now watched by girls everywhere, "She's the Man." I really enjoyed shes the man and the humor in Twelfth Night seemed to match up to that of Shes the man. Very good to watch in class, not my favorite film but still nice to watch since I knew what was going on because of Shes the man.
ReplyDeleteI found Twelfth Night to be a very interesting Shakespeare play and Trevor Nunn did a fantastic job of directing it into a movie. Nunn set the play in the Nineteenth century which really brings to life the William Shakespeare’s play. I found the setting to be a perfect adaptation to this great play; it brings a new spin to it.
ReplyDeleteTwelfth Night was definitely one of the most interesting plays i have seen by Shakespeare. This film did a good job portraying Shakespeare's original thoughts and ideas for the play.I felt like this play was a big spirit booster. It had some pretty funny and ironic parts in the play. i liked the ending of the play the most because the brother and sister both meet again and are able to find love also. this was a good Shakespeare play.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this film and, i thought it was very comical and easy to follow. Although the ending was a little unrealistic and hard to believe considering it is probably one of the most important scenes in the film was a little disappointing, other wise it was well done. The character choice was well done, Viola played a very good man, I loved how detailed it was, including a mans walk. Overall it wasn't one of my favorites but it was well done.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this film most because the relationships that were involved this it was exremley comical. They made the movie funny and easy to follow
ReplyDeleteNicola Lore said...
ReplyDeleteNot my favorite Shakespeare film, but definitely a good one. I thought there was a great amount of irony throughout the film which made it quite enjoyable. I think the casting was also very good for the film. Viola was my favorite character in the film.
I thought this movie had great structure and really built up to something great. The middle seemed a bit boring but the way the plot thickened really made it something interesting to pay attention to. Ben Kingsley's character was awesome, because he was the quiet, yet musically charismatic wise-man of the movie. All the parts were done very well, making this my probably my favorite movie so far.
ReplyDeleteThis movie had great wit, and an unbelievable love triangle that actually becomes a square. the build up of characters helps in the end, but does make the middle a little slow.
ReplyDeleteL.
This film was harder for me to follow the whole time. I thought that it jumped around a lot, and would show a minute of one scene, and then jump to another ten minute clip from another scene. This was supposed to be in Shakespeare's comedy films, but I didn't find it at all funny. I thought that the constant chase for love in this film was really the only thing I found easy to follow. It left me a little confused, and not very satisfied
ReplyDeleteThis film was very comical and full of love. It was a little boring and hard to follow in the middle, but the ending was the best part when they finally met up again.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the film I knew that movie was going to be good. It reminded me a little bit of titanic with the ship wreck. It was a hard movie to follow but once I read the play after I realized who was who and why the girl dressed up as her brother to try and get closer to the man. It was weird how when the girl was acting like a guy she would scrub the gentlemen's back, must have been very awkward for her.
ReplyDeleteThis movie was very odd with the girl dressing up like a guy but it was impressive that she had everyone believing her. It was funny to see Olivia so in love with Cesario because as an audience we knew that Cesario was actually a girl. I liked this movie because it was funny and fairly easy to follow.
ReplyDeleteI liked this movie more than I thought I would. I usually am not a fan of Shakespeare comedies, but I thought this movie was funny. I especially liked the scenes where Malvolio was being tricked into acting and dressing ridiculously. I also thought that the drunk Sir Toby was a very funny character.
ReplyDeleteI was pleasantly surprised by this film. It was original and entertaining. This movie seemed more mellow than other Shakespeare adaptations we have seen, but still very good. The woman playing Viola did a great job pretending to be a man, and it was fun to watch the strange love plot come together. Helena Bonham Carter is always a fun actress to watch as well.
ReplyDeleteWatching this film was a lot different then the past films that we have seen, there was no real tragedy and there didn't seem like there was any real passion in the movies for somebody to change their status. I thought that it was funny at the end when nobody knew what was going on with the mix match between brother and sister.
ReplyDeleteThis film has characteristics of Shakespeare's plays but is more fun than many of his serious tragedies. The twisting and turning love triangles and confusion among who is male or female seems to be a recurring theme in many of Shakespeare's stories. The play is enjoyable to easier to comprehend than many of his works that focus on history and war rather than love and relationships. Similar to Romeo and Juliet, the story shows struggles for people to be with the right person, but without a tragic ending.
ReplyDeletethis was the funniest movie of Shakespeare's i have seen thus far. i thought it was funny that not one person could tell viola was actually a man, however she did play the part very well. i like how the movie ended, and how Viola and Sebastian realized they were related.
ReplyDelete-slightlystoopid
This was a very interesting playing from my point of view. I did not like all the different relationships that where happening throughout the play. It was a confusing play but it wasn't a realistic play. Even though a lot of the plays aren't realistic this one to me was very unrealistic. Viola turning into a man is just not realistic because a girl can't look that much like a guy to fool so many people. The play was an easier play to follow but it did not intertain me enough for me to like it.
ReplyDeleteThis play was one of my favorite ones. Viola and her brother got in a shipwreck and no one could find her brother anywhere. Viola then dressed up as a boy and entered a whole new world. To me this is a story of blind love. Four people fell in love without exactly knowing the person they were with. This film was one of the most entertaining and easiest to follow.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, watching this film was a lot different then the past films that we have seen, because there was no real tragedy. Usually, in Shakespeare’s plays, he portrays some type of tradgedy, whether it is love, revenge, or death.
ReplyDeletedylan keller said...
ReplyDeleteIn this film a huge role is based on gender and how each person is perceived. Viola is thought of as two people depending when and who you ask. The constant falling in and out of love shows that the characters were somewhat superficial and were easily drawn in by "new" or disguised characters that entered the play.
I was really intrigued on the gender roles issue that was presented in this play. As you can conclude from the play, gender roles are crucial to a story and when altered or forged, can have a great effect on a play or movie.
ReplyDeleteI think this film is hilarious particularly when Sebastian arrives on the scene and there is confusion particularly in terms of hte sword fight and then whether or not Cesario married Olivia. The final part when both Sebastian and Viola/Cesario see each other is emotional and funny when all the faces of the various other characters and their reaction to this turn of events is shown to the audience.
ReplyDeleteThis movie was a fun twist of things. It was funny, yet emotional. The relationship between the siblings is a strong one. I think the gender role was portrayed well in this movie. Half way through the movie I realized this same story line is the same they used in "She's The Man," which was a recently made movie with Amanda Bynes. Watching this movie made me realize how strong Shakespeare's stories are in all movies today.
ReplyDeleteAlong with this film, I felt that it was also another very confusing film to fallow along with. It was very interesting though. With the different role plays between the actors is what made it confusing. I felt that there were alot of funny parts int he film, which is what kept my interested. Going along with what Amanda A said I agree with the part about the siblings strong relationship. It was enjoyable to see that. It was a very good film none the less though.
ReplyDeleteA very funny film. I liked that they showed Viola and Sebastian as actors on the ship in the beginning. It makes the rest of the story more believable, because the audience knows Viola had experience playing her brother and vice versa. While the twins were great, I thought that Duke Orsino could have been portrayed as a little less pathetic...
ReplyDeleteThis reminded me of the movie, "She's the Man," which was obviously made to resemble this film. Actually, seeing this modern movie made the Shakespeare movie much easier for me to understand. This had to have been my favorite film, because there was a lot going on, it was funny, and very enthusiastic!
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Shakepeare used Illyria as the main setting in The Twelfth Night was to show the romantic side of the story. Shakespeare decied to make Viola pretend to be a boy and has a women fall in love with her. I think he does this to show humor in the fact that a female has fallen in love with another female. This film was entertaining and hilarious.
ReplyDeleteMP said...
ReplyDeleteI thought that twelfth night was absolutely hilarious! Just all of the confusion of feelings between Viola/Cessario,Olivia and Orsin is a classic example of the love triangle.My favorite part was at the end when everyone is confused about who the real Cessario is, and Orsino's feelings for Viola are revealed! It was a true romantic scene. I also liked how Viola and Sebestain were reunited since they both thought that the other was dead. I think that the confusion and love triangles added great humor to the play and movie that most people of any age can enjoy and laugh about it!
Toby Stephens stole the show for me. His portrayal of the love-sick Count was completely believable and his growing feelings for Viola were subtly expressed. This versions emphasis on the ambiguity of the character's sexuality brought an extra element to the play.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a great movie, it stayed true to Shakespeare, had good acting and was quite comical.
ReplyDeleteThis was another enjoyable movie to watch of Shakespeare. i really enjoyed the plot of the play and how it was brought to life on film. the movie was very well done and knowing as an audience member that Viola was really a boy kept the movie interesting and kept us wondering what was going to happen next.
ReplyDeleteThe movie Twelfth night was easy to follow because it was almost identical to the modern day film She's the Man. The names, plot, and everything was exactly the same. There were obviously some modern twists such as Illyria was a school and not the town but other than that it was pretty much the same. It so intersting how Shakespeare is in so many plays and movies, but you would never know if you had never read or seen any of Shakespeare work.
ReplyDeleteThis film was enjoyable because of the mass confusion of the characters within the story. This confusion also made for a great plot climax. I also found the film to be comical especially the character Sir Toby Belch.
ReplyDeleteThis was one of my favorite Shakespearean comedies. I loved the irony, and the themes of disguise and love in this rendition of the play. The mass confusion (caused in part by Viola pretending to be Cesario and Olivia falling in love with Viola/Cesario) in my opinion sets this play ahead off all the other comedies.
ReplyDelete-Jordan Williams
I really enjoyed the comedy of this film. In the beginning it felt like it was moving a little slow, but once i started understanding the story i thought it was great. I also liked it because it had a happy ending where everyone found the one they loved and the brother and sister found each other again. It was a good heartfelt/genuine movie.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun one to watch. I loved the acting and the dramaticization of the plot. It was confusing, but I think that's what made it so amusing. Overall a fun movie.
ReplyDeleteThe acting in this movie was awesome. the confusion between all of the characters not really knowing who was who for a long time was played out very well. I loved the plot of this movie and the way everything turns out in the end
ReplyDeleteI found this play very enjoyable as I do with most of Shakespeare's comedies. The motifs of disguise were so important to the plot and enjoyable to watch. This play really took deceptiveness to a new level. How Sebastian just swooped in for his sister and took Olivia for his own was pretty funny as well.
ReplyDeleteThis movie was by far the most bizarre shakespeare film i have seen yet in this class, but it was pretty entertaining considering. I thought the whole gender confusion was pretty humorous and really kept the movie more interesting and odd, but i actually enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare's Twelth Night has to be my favorite of all of his works. The movie throws a huge twist with the disguises of people and genders making a normal love story become a story of falling in and out of love dealing with one individual who you think is another individual making it a great entertaining film to watch
ReplyDeleteI think the thought of this play and the awkward moments were really enjoyable and was an early demonstration of how Shakespeare has timeless themes. The thought of a women loving a women probably wasn't as common then as it is today yet he presents it and demonstrates it in a great way that still relates to circumstances today. I enjoyed watching strange moments between Cesario and her true love Orsino and moments between Cesario and Olivia. I think the beginning of the movie were the twins are preforming on the boat before it sinks is foreshadowing events that are to come. I found the end to be very satisfying when Shakespeare presents a "happily ever after"
ReplyDeleteI liked this film more than others we watched because it provided some much needed comic relief. Almost all of Shakespeare's works are tragedys that involve immense death and sadness. This movie however made me laugh and was enjoyable to watch. This change of pace shows truly how amazing of a writer Shakespeare was.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this film! I found this story easy to follow due to the fact that this Shakespearean play also inspired a movie that I saw called "She's the Man" back in 2007. The story of Sebastian and Viola is incredibly unique and very interesting. I really enjoyed the performance done by Viola, aas she had to play the role of both a man and a woman. For any actor, it is difficult to switch gender roles, and this woman does it very well. She is able to be serious when the scene needs to be less comedic which she does very well.
ReplyDeleteThis is just another example on how Shakespeare loves to complicate love and incorporate mistaken identities. But this is why they are good stories if they were simple they wouldn’t intrigue us so. He makes us want the characters to fall in love and be happy and he keeps it just out of reach till the last second.
ReplyDeletethis movie was terrible. the acting was bad the story telling was bad the whole thing is bad. this movie should be removed for print and lost in the annals of cinema history
ReplyDeleteI felt that this movie required a little to much suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience. Perhaps in the times of shakespeare when female characters were played by men, it could have been easier to believe that the heroine could pass for being a man however it just seems that this movie didn't really trick me as the audience as well as it tricked the characters on the screen.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this movie quite a bit. The combination of the acting, which i thought was really good, along with the comedic writing, was superb.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very enjoyable movie. I thought all the different disguises that each person had really added to the plot of the movie and kept me involved. The disguises of everyone made it go from a regular love story to a story of falling in and out of love with people even if it was both male or both female.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the movie for mostly one reason, and that was the use of confusion of the sexes. It was confusing and twisted at times but the switch of identities kept me interested the entire time. I loved Viola's character and how she found love by being dressed as a man. It was nice for the movie to have a happy ending unlike some of his more dark stories.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with several of the posts above, She's the Man was a remake of the 12th Night and did make the film much easier to understand. In researching this play outside of our class discussion I found that it was titled the 12th Night because it was performed and concluded over 12 consecutive nights. I felt this was a very interesting film, however I wish that the acting was more believable in the sense of portraying oneself as a man. Although the plot and storyline was fantastic the acting most definitely did not reflect.
ReplyDeleteI liked this movie, although I am partially biased because one of my favorite actresses is in it. I do admit that it was a little hard to follow at some points but overall I think the main ideas got across, I would have liked it if the twins were more believable. I felt like I got more out of the reading than from the film. I can agree with some of the comments made before that as an audience we aren't easily as fooled as perhaps the audience during Shakespeare's time, that's why the reading came across better; because our imaginations made the twins absolutely identical when the film did not. The comedic timing was excellent also but I'm going to have to say this has not been one of my favorite Shakespeare plays converted to film.
ReplyDeleteThe genius in the play as well as the film is that there is constantly something the audience knows that the character does not. This, in-part,is what drama is all about. The climax and resolution were a bit strange to me, the stewart being locked away and everyone just not caring. And would a brother and sister really need all that build up to recognize each other? I understand they both thought the other was dead but I wasn't convinced during that slow pacing, monologue ridden, farce...not to mention the duchess just being ok with the fact that the brother just showed up and now she is supposed to marry the guy. All for the sake of Shakespeare. Not my favorite.
ReplyDeletethis film was the most enjoyable shakespeare based movie i've seen. i understood it more than nay other play and i thought it was the funniest. one of my favorite movies, she's the man, is based on this play also.
ReplyDeleteThe deceit and deception presented in Twelfth Night was thoroughly entertaining! I throughly enjoyed the actors/actresses and how in depth their character devolopement was blunt throughout the movie. One of my favorite films and endings of all Shakespearian plays.
ReplyDeleteThis is another example of Shakespeare's favorite tool "imagination". A modern movie of this Shakespearean comedy is "Shes the Man". I like both movies but I feel this movie is more guided by literature rather than society.
ReplyDeleteFunny Funny Funny!!!! I loved how the main actress kept the mindset of being a woman playing a man because a lot of actors who play roles like this forget their gender that they actually are to show moments of awkwardness because both genders have their ways of living such as when she was entering where her lord was and he was in the bathtub and her reaction was perfect because if a man would've entered into the bathroom they would've acted normal, as if in that time period it was normal for men to do that but she reacted perfectly to that positioning and her acting was incredible and funny!
ReplyDeleteI loved this film! It was funny and understandable more so than most I have seen before. The whole story of the brother and sister loosing eachother and the way the movie ends with them finding eachother was enjoyable. The whole movie kept me on the edge of my seat knowing what needed to happen and how everything fell together perfectly. It truly was a great film and I would say it is my favorite films based of Shakespeare's plays. Loved it!
ReplyDeleteI found this film funny, but confusing to me. I probably missed something at the beginning of the film, but I thought Viola's brother fell off the ship at the beginning of the film. Did she have another brother, Sebastian, whom she wanted to find all this time? There were several scenes that were deceiving and funny. For example, when Viola and Lord Orsino were in the barn while the man was playing music, they were about to kiss. I found that funny because Lord Orsino still believed that Viola was really a boy, yet they were going to kiss.
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought this film was really boring and I wasn't a huge fan of the play either. Until we started studying for the test I started to get in to the play a lot. I actually watched it again so that the beginning of the play would make more since and give me a better following of the characters through out the story. I think its great how Shakespeare doesn't stay inside the lines. Nothing is really off limits when it comes to his writings and you can definitely see it in this play as well at "Titus" for ex. He is able to take things that are considered taboo and make them work. the film could have been a bit more interesting or maybe in a more modern view. I don't believe that the movie did the best portrayal of the play.
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This was a very interesting play, and very interesting film depiction as well. I understand the comedic notions underlying the play, and themes of disguise, but just felt the play and film were a bit to whimsical, and unbelievable. Overall though the movie did provide many hilarious scenes, and was very enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed watching this flim a lot. This film had a very interesting plot and was filled with humor. I liked the part when the twin sister and brother found eachother, and everyone on that scene had a confuse face on. Overall, I would recommed this flim to anyone who loves to watch/read shakespares plays.
ReplyDeleteThere was a lot of comedy in this movie between the dramatic love triangle of Orsino, Olivia, and Viola/Cesario. The comedy comes from the fact that the audience knows who Cesario really is even though Olivia is falling in love with "him." I like that the twins are reunited in the end, it makes the happy ending even better.
ReplyDeleteThis was a good movie and i knew it was going to be right after i read the play. I too have a twin and us too are fraternal just like they were in the play. and so i especially liked this movie.
ReplyDeleteAs a couple other comments have said, one of the first things I noticed about this film was that the plot was very similar to a movie titled, "She's the Man" starring Amanda Bynes. I never knew that "She's the Man" was based from one of Shakespeare's plays but it was interesting to see the origin of the plot! The comedy of this film kept it interesting from beginning to end which can't be said about all the films we watched in class.I loved the actress who played Viola, as she displayed the perfect image I had in my head for Viola.
ReplyDeleteThis movie seemed the funniest of all the Shakespeare films I've seen. There was great irony for some once the true characters were revealed. To be honest however, I feel like unless the two were completely ignorant, they would've noticed their brother and sister the entire time. I noticed in a lot of these films that when women go under disguise as a man, they do somewhat of an awful job depicting them as a man. In other words the disguises were too obvious.
ReplyDeleteAs Dmont 1903 said the disguises were to obvious. especially when they are living in such close quarters especially Viola and the Duke. I feel that this movie was aptly described as a comedy. I liked the character of Feste with out his mischief the movie/play would be very dull. I liked the scene where the Duke and Viola almost kiss in the barn. Great Irony!
ReplyDeleteI loved this film. All the acting was exceptional and it also happens to be one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. Great jobs with the actors and loved how the film showed us everything and had the characters talk to us.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the comedic aspects of this film. Not to say there were any outlandishly hilarious scenes, but the sheer set up was just plain funny. The fact that Olivia falls in love with Viola, who is pretending to be a man. The fact that men are playing women and everyone is falling in love with the wrong people. The movie is just a riot. While I didn't find myself in stitches, I still sported a large grin the full duration of the film.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this film! i thought all the acting in the film was great and the way the director shot some of the scenes really enhanced the tone of the given scene and made it that much better. I thought it was sad how the brother and sister both lost each other.
ReplyDeleteI understood this film a lot more then the last one that we watched. I thought that the director did a good job with sticking to the original plot and that he effectively showed the odd gender roll of viola which is a key part of the twelfth night play. I really liked that he cast Helena Carter to play Olivia I think she did a great job at playing the part.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this film. I found Viola to be a very interesting charecter. I think she was played beautifully. I think Imogen Stubbs was a perfect Viloa. I found she was innocent but also tough. I loved the relationship between Viola and Olivia. I found one of the best parts of the play was when Olivia found out Viola was in fact a women. I loved her expression.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the film first started out very boring but towards the end it got better. I feel that this movie was a good film showing all the themes that Shakespeare usually portrays. This film was different from his usual love movies and had a twist to it which i liked. It had everything in there such as: love, humor, drama, and excitement.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this film a lot. There's so much passion and fire within the characters' love for one another. Viola's love for Duke is so pure ad true. I also enjoyed the songs that Feste sings in this film. It blends very well with the atmosphere. The ending was my favorite part because all the lovers got to be with the one that they love.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing the passion between the different characters. Their love for one another lent each character "a larger then life" personification. I also liked how it showed a difference between romantic love and the love felt between siblings.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite play is masterfully done in this film. Lost amidst the wonderful romance of the film is perhaps my favorite of all the minor characters, Antonio. Loyal to a fault, Antonio has some rotten luck throughout the entire film and essentially almost died for his friend! That's some heroism right there folks.
ReplyDeleteI thought the entire plot of this play/movie was sort of ridiculous, and could have been better adapted to a modern setting than kept in Shakespearean times. The idea of confused sexuality would go smoothly with our current issues of gay rights, etc. In the film Viola does not particularly look like a man when she is in her disguise, and the film kind of dragged on...it reminded me of watching a Victorian tea party. Very dull.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this movie because i liked the idea of disguise. I thought that the predicaments and sexuality folly were a little weird, but overall i thought that this was a good film. I thought that the ending was funny.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed "Twelfth Night" because of its innuendos and motifs. I've found all of Shakespeare's festive comedies to be quite delightful so far. Although hard to understand at first, everything was crystal clear at the end. Great film, one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI believe this film had the best cast. For the roles the actors had to portray, such as the switching of sexes or the maids and butlers,they brought out the humor in the play I believe Shakespeare intended. I do not whether the acting was so good in the film of whether this was the most recent Shakespeare to why I understood the dialogue so well.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely enjoyed watching "Twelfth Night" mainly because I actually understood the dialogues in which made it a lot easier to watch. I believe I have seen a few movies with a similar storyline like this one. It was truly a great film!
ReplyDeleteThis was one of my favorite films so far. Thats not to say I don't like the others, but this was not what I was expecting for some reason. Clearly Shakespeare is the creator many more story lines that have been recycled in film than I realized.
ReplyDeleteThis was a funny movie, I felt bad for the poor maid though because she was in love with a drunk and he didn't seem like he cared for her that much. I was also a little confused about the relationship between Antonio and Sebastian, it seemed like there was more than just feelings of friendship there.
ReplyDeleteTwlefth Night is my favorite Shakespeare play of all time. I have seen it in Ashland, Oregon for the Shakespeare festival when I was very young. I loved this film. I think the play itself is amazing. There's such a need and dedication to love that every party feels is unattainable, when it really is. It is very sad, yet comical.
ReplyDeleteThough this film had so much going on, it was one of the one's that i most clearly understood out of all the other films. It was very funny how in the end scene everyone was so confused. I held a feeling of anxiety throughout the whole movie leading uop to the last scene where all the characters were revealed.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great film and it was acted very well. It was interesting to see how fast Helena Bonham Carter’s character Olivia fell in love with Viola. It was very funny to see Viola’s reactions to Olivia’s attempts to gain her love. Ben Kingsley as Feste was very funny at times. I enjoyed the way in which he fooled around. Like the comment above me, I found the last scene very amusing as everyone was so confused as to what was happening Great movie.
ReplyDeleteI liked this film a lot! Good amount of drama with a very solid storyline ! Good film
ReplyDeleteI very much enjoed this movie. The film was filled with humor that was portrayed very well by the cast. The way the film was acted was also very similar to the original script. The motifs in the play were also very clear and although confusing initially the plot became very clear in the end which in my view is what Shakespeare intended. the film was a verygood portrayal and my favorite so far.
ReplyDeleteI thought this movie was funny and entertaining. After watching it I realized that there was a more modern remake of it called "She's the Man" and that helped me understand the plot better. I think the best part was all the confusion and chaos that went on. It was a great example of the complexity of love.
ReplyDeleteI like this film very much because of the many different conflicts and the humor displayed throughout the film. I liked how everything tied together in the end and how in the end everyone was happy and got what they wanted. I also like how it was hard to see at the beginning what would happen at the end, so it kept your attention till the very end.
ReplyDeleteI loved the way the that Viola was portrayed as the character Cesario. Although I don't think anything like this could happen in real life, I thought it was a good premise. I wonder if Shakespeare created this type of story? It has been used in various different sitcoms and movies. Overall I thought the movie was very interesting.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the sequences of events in this movie were fairly predictable I really enjoyed the film. I liked how the brother and sister both thought each other had died even though they hadn't. I wish the film would have focused a little more on the brother's journey back to finding his sister but all in all it was a good film. I like how Shakepeare always had a little twist in his story, like a woman falling in love with another oman who is dressed liek a man.
ReplyDeleteI found the movie version of Twelfth Night much easier to understand than the play itself. The movie helps visualize anything that may be hard to understand in print, especially when it came to Viola taking on the character of Cesario.
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this film, especially after seeing the play version last year. The character confusion is a lot more amusing in the movie because it is that much easier to actually visualize what is happening with similar looking actors and movie set make up.
ReplyDeleteThere is a newer movie that follows the basic storyline of Shakespeare's work, it's called She's the Man, and it is a hilarious remake of the story. Having seen this newer film is what helped me understand Twelfth Night so well. The confusion of following which character is which makes the story more fun to follow.
ReplyDeletelove is a strange thing in the film twelfth night. alot of things seem to be happening but the characters in the film dont notice them so it keeps us interested altough hard to follow at times
ReplyDeleteTwelfth Night was one of the harder films to follow for me. Although the film is confusing in the beginning it has the most entertaining ending. When Viola and Sebastian start interacting with the same people everyone is so confused with what's going on. Best ending by Shakespeare I have seen. But I did feel that this movie required a little to much suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience.
ReplyDeleteThis movie was very good, liked how this shakespeare movie there was alot of problems concerning the love for on another. Viola made and breaked hearts through out the movie which was kind of funny but interesting at the same time, because eventually she would have blown her cover with both people who liked her.
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