Sunday, October 23, 2016

Twelveth Night (1996)

There’s something I love about British films, in particular costume dramas, and it has to do with the pool of fine actors who get stirred around and put into seemingly endless combinations—a loose repertory if you will. The fun is to see who gets chosen and how they interact in that configuration. 

This time around there is an abundance of greatness—Helena Bonham Carter, Richard E. Grant, Ben Kingsley, Imelda Staunton, Toby Stevens and the list goes on. Two standouts (if that’s possible) are Imogen Stubbs and Nigel Hawthorne. Imogen’s Viola is so conflicted, that I keep rewinding to watch her play out her scenes again. I wasn’t as enamored with her in Sense and Sensibility, but will watch it again to see if it's her or her annoying character. Nigel Hawthorne pulls off the impossible. 

Is there a more difficult role than Malvolio? Nigel carries him from euphoria to really dark despair—as memorable a character as in The Madness of King George.  I can’t wait to see what blend of talent I’ll get next.

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