Twelfth Night [1969] [DVD]

Koch Vision and BBC presents "TWELFTH NIGHT" (6 January 1969) (103 mins/Color) (Dolby Digital) --- Splendidly acted -- Award winning performances --- In 1969 this version of William Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT reached U.K. television screens --- The production, which was directed by John Dexter and John Sichel, includes an all-star cast, with Alec Guinness in the role of Malvolio and Joan Plowright playing Viola plus Gary Raymond and John Moffat

The story line and plot, Separated in a storm at sea, twins Viola and Sebastian are washed ashore on different parts of the coast of Illyria, each believing the other to be drowned. To protect herself in this unknown land, Viola disguises herself as a young man, Cesario, and enters the service of Duke Orsino --- This1969 production features Joan Plowright played both Viola and Sebastian, with Stratford alumnus Alec Guinness as Malvolio, Ralph Richardson as Sir Toby Belch and, in a notorious example of "stunt" casting, the pop singer Tommy Steele as Feste --- How much better can it get.

Under the production staff of:
John Sichel - Director
William Shakespeare - Play
Cecil Clarke - Executive Producer
John Dexter - Producer
Peter Roden - Production Designer
Carl Toms - Production Designer

This is a good adaptation of the Shakespearean play --- the acting is superb with Alec Guinness and Tommy Steele giving brilliant performances as Malvolio and Feste the fool --- Joan Plowright also gave a strong performance in her two parts, Viola and Sebastian, the long-lost siblings --- It has comedy-you cannot help but laugh when Malvolio puts on yellow stockings and struts done the walkway-and love triangles that everyone should enjoy --- A wonderful version of the play, and Lady Joan Plowright is absolutely outstanding --- I love the beginning, when she is shipwrecked--she has this amazing feminine way of expressing both hope and fear--a utopian moment --- Gary Raymond as the handsome, somewhat loftily arrogant prince --- And Tommy Steele is great, singing, accompanying himself on the lute--how many pop stars from the 1960s could do that?

the cast includes:
Tommy Steele ... Feste
Ralph Richardson ... Sir Toby Belch
Alec Guinness ... Malvolio
Joan Plowright ... Viola
Gary Raymond ... Orsino
Adrienne Corri ... Countess Olivia
John Moffatt ... Sir Andrew Aguecheek
Sheila Reid ... Maria
Riggs O'Hara ... Fabian
Paul Curran ... Sea Captain
Richard Leech ... Antonio
John Byron ... Priest
Christopher Timothy ... Valentine
Kurt Christian ... Curio
Gerald Moon ... Gardener's boy
Laurie Goode ... Sebastian's Companion

Scene Index for Twelfth Night
DISC ONE (1)
1. Part One [29:11]
2. Part Two [26:37]
3. Part Three [22:07]
4. Part Four [21:19]
5. Credits [1:26]

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564-1616) --- Born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564, William Shakespeare was the eldest son of John Shakespeare, a glover, and Mary Arden, the daughter of a wealthy farmer --- The exact date of his birth is unknown, but baptismal records point to it being the same as that of his death, April 23. --- He probably attended what is now the Edward VI Grammar School, where he would have studied Latin literature, and at 18, he married a farmer's daughter, Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, born in 1583, and, two years later, the twin --- Hamnet (who died in childhood) and Judith --- Nothing further is known of Shakespeare's life until 1592, when his earliest known play, the first part of Henry VI, became a hit in London, where he was now working as an
actor --- Soon afterwards, an outbreak of plague forced the temporary closure of the theatres, and he turned for a while to writing poetry --- By 1594, however, he was back in the theatre, acting with the Lord Chamberlain's Men --- He quickly established himself as one of London's most successful dramatists, with an income that enabled him, in 1597, to buy a mansion back in Stratford --- In 1599 he became a shareholder in London's newly built Globe Theatre.

Great job by Koch Vision --- looking forward to more high quality titles from the BBC Collection film market --- order your copy now from Amazon or Koch Vision where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- where they are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector.

Total Time: 103 mins on DVD ~ Koch Vision KOCV-6487 ~ (3/04/2008)

This is a beautifully edited film, faithful to Shakespeare and to stage tradition, starring by far the finest cast ever assembled for Twelfth Night on film. Sir Alec Guinness is a magnificent, multi-layered Malvolio who sounds the spectrum from first rate physical comedy, to pompous wit, to puritan self-righteous fury (very timely for understanding current right-wing fanaticism). Sir Ralph Richardson enshrines on film one of his most famous interpretations, Sir Toby Belch, who is certainly not just a slapstick buffoon as in other productions. Add Dame Joan Plowright as Viola, Tommy Steele as an unorthodox Fool, and a uniformly seasoned Shakespearean troop, to achieve what I find the best translation of a Shakespearean comedy to film I have ever seen. I have shown this film to generations of university students in undergraduate and graduate classes, and find it always sets off a deep controversy which goes to the heart of Shakespeare's mystery. Suffice it to say that this production alone, of all that have been filmed, does what it is supposed to do: set the stage for King Lear.

Alec Guinness, as Malvolio, most definitely carries this production from his first entrance to his final bitter exit, and, on his own, makes it entirely worth viewing. Joan Plowright, in my view, just makes it through in the roles of both twins. Apart from Sheila Reid, as Maria, the band of clowns seem precariously, though interestingly cast.