Jarman presents Shakespeare's intricate comedy of magic and revenge in a form that is at once faithful to the spirit of the play and a dazzling spectacle mixing Hollywood high camp and gothic horror. His film recalls the innocent homoeroticism of Pasolini's versions of the classics while its lush sense of décor and color is worthy of Minnelli.

This production is part of a famous series produced by BBC of all of William Shakespeare's plays. The resulting films, renowned for their loyalty to the text, utilized the best theatrical and television directors and brought highly praised performances from leading contemporary actors. The trickiest sort of play -- a comedy with tragic relief. With her brother condemned to die for the crime of premarital sex, Isabella is torn between her vows to God and desire to save him.