Twelfth Night
1980: John Gorrie

This is the BBC Complete Dramatic Works entry into the field, and like the best of those productions, it is (within the limits imposed by its budget and cinematic style) one of the best of the lot. While it is a limited cinematic production rather than a more lavish location shoot, it makes creative use of attractive sets and costumes (preserving a roughly Elizabethan/Jacobean setting), but, as always, its real worth comes from its many outstanding performances.

All the major roles are carried off more or less flawlessly, but special mention must be made of Sinéad Cusack’s great-souled Olivia and Felicity Kendal’s winning and sympathetic Viola. Robert Lindsay slides into the relatively minor role of Fabian with good form, though he is a leading actor in many of the other BBC productions (Much Ado About Nothing among others). Alec McCowen presents a more sympathetic Malvolio than most of the others I have seen, though I think that it is probably not as nuanced, as, say, that of Nicholas Pennell in the 1986 version (Alan Erlich). Trevor Peacock, whom some may have seen as the title character in the BBC Titus Andronicus, or as the dithery Jim Trott in The Vicar of Dibley, plays Feste with great panache — he is definitely one of the best I have seen, though it is a part that seems to bring out the best in actors, and he has a lot of good company. I personally find Clive Arrindel’s Orsino less engaging: it may be entirely a directorial decision, but here he projects a hauteur that makes him harder to connect with, at least from my perspective.

Like most of the BBC products, this is also complete, or nearly so — little of Shakespeare’s dialogue falls through the cracks. In sum, I would rank this as a superior production, and definitely a good place to start if one wants to see several versions.

Buy the complete BBC Shakespeare Plays at Amazon. Note that this will require a Region 2 player or a region-free player: it will not play on most normal American DVD players. Nevertheless, the price is so reasonable that even with a region-free player thrown into the deal, you’ll come out ahead.

Buy the complete set of the BBC Shakespeare Plays or individual plays (including this one) in Region 1 format direct from Ambrose Video.