Dvenadtsataya noch

This black and white Russian version is probably of greater interest to Shakespearean film scholars than audience members looking for a watchable Twelfth Night. It has the feel, but not the studio slickness, of Hollywood Shakespeare from the thirties and forties.

It begins with a shipwreck, uses the same actress to play Viola and Sebastian, and in spite of cutting the play to the bone (What else can one do in 88 minutes?), spends an amazing amount of time showing people walking silently.

The actors do have plenty of energy, and where else does Feste sing in Russian?