Twelfth Night (1988 film)

Twelfth Night
Directed by	Paul Kafno (television) Kenneth Branagh (original stage production)
Produced by	Paul Kafno
Written by	William Shakespeare (original play)
Starring	Frances Barber Richard Briers
Distributed by	ITV (original TV broadcast)
Release dates	1988
Running time	165 mins.
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Twelfth Night, or, What You Will is a videotaped 1988 television adaptation of Kenneth Branagh's stage production for the Renaissance Theatre Company of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night first broadcast in the UK by ITV on 30 December 1988.^[1] Made by Thames Television, in collaboration with Renaissance, it stars Frances Barber as Viola and Richard Briers as Malvolio. The recording was shot on a single set with the appearance of a wintry garden. The costumes are Victorian, and the time of year is Christmas.

Michael Brooke, in his piece for the BFI's screenonline website, particularly commends Briers performance. His "Malvolio is a delight, segueing seamlessly from self-righteous pomposity at inappropriate revelry to truly grotesque self-delusion as he proffers love to his mistress while clad in yellow stockings ".^[1]

Cast

• Christopher Ravenscroft as Orsino
• Caroline Langrishe as Olivia
• James Saxon as Sir Toby Belch
• James Simmons as Sir Andrew Aguecheek
• Frances Barber as Viola
• Christopher Hollis as Sebastian and Curio
• Richard Briers as Malvolio
• Julian Gartside as Valentine
• Shaun Prendergast as Fabian
• Abigail McKern as Maria
• Tim Barker as the Sea Captain and Antonio
• Anton Lesser as Feste

References

1. Michael Brooke "Twelfth Night (1988)", BFI screenonline

External links

• Twelfth Night at the Internet Movie Database