Twelfth Night (1988 Film) is unique in itself and stands out from other adaptations of the popular romantic comedy mainly because of the way in which it was recorded. Even though Twelfth Night (1988 Film) is categorized as being a film, in reality, it is a taping of the play which was later televised and gained fame.
The story of the play straightforward and contains many comic elements popular during the time when the play was written. The action takes place on the island of Illyria, in the Adriatic sea. The main character, a young woman by the name of Viola, reaches the island after the ship she was on shipwrecked.
Viola finds herself alone, without her twin brother who she believed drowned during the shipwreck. She quickly realizes the dire situation she is in and as such decides to disguise herself as a man and enter the service of Orsinio. Viola's decision to disguise herself will later be used for comic purposes while also transmitting a serious message: the women who had no male support in their lives often found themselves forced to do desperate things in order to survive.
Viola is used by Orsinio as a messenger and she is sent to Olivia, a beautiful and wealthy woman whom he wants to marry. A love triangle is created here, with the 3 characters falling in love with the wrong people which will cause a lot of confusion: Viola falls in love with Orsinio, Orsinio is in love with Olivia while the latter falls in love with Viola disguised as a man.
Further confusion is created when Sebastian, Viola's twin brother, also arrives on the island. Sebastian and Olivia get married and Viola's true identity is also revealed. As such, she ends up marrying the man she wants as well, namely Orsinio.
The idea of characters dressing as the other gender in order to protect themselves or with the scope of reaching a goal was popular during the time when the play was written. Also, many holidays and festivities included a form of masquerade during which everyone could dress up and pretend to be whomever they wanted.
The film focused a lot on the comedic effect of the play as well, remaining thus true to the main purpose of the play.
