The Taming of the Shrew (1967 film)
| The Taming of the Shrew | |
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_poster.jpg) film poster |
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| Directed by | Franco Zeffirelli |
| Screenplay by | Paul Dehn |
| Based on | The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare |
| Starring | Elizabeth Taylor Richard Burton Natasha Pyne Michael Hordern |
| Music by | Nino Rota |
| Cinematography | Oswald Morris |
| Editing by | Peter Taylor |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 1967 |
| Running time | 122 minutes |
| Language | English |
The Taming of the Shrew (Italian: La Bisbetica domata) is a 1967 film based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare about a courtship between two strong-willed people. The film was directed by Franco Zeffirelli and stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as Shakespeare's Kate and Petruchio.
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[edit] Plot and cast
Baptista Minola (Michael Hordern) is attempting to marry off his two daughters; however, he will only marry his youngest, Bianca (Natasha Pyne), if someone will marry his eldest, Katharina (Elizabeth Taylor). Katharina is an ill-tempered shrewish woman but a lusty young nobleman, Petruchio (Richard Burton), takes on the challenge of taming and marrying her. A subplot involves the wooing of Bianca by several suitors including handsome Lucentio (Michael York), foppish Hortensio (Victor Spinetti), and elderly Gremio (Alan Webb).
[edit] Production details
The film cuts much of the original dialogue, but allows more characterization. For example, much of the subplot of Lucentio and Bianca is cut, while more characterization of Katharina and Petruchio is allowed.
Taylor plays Kate's final, controversial speech without any obvious irony (such as Mary Pickford's wink in the 1929 film); however, her "taming" is obviously undercut by Kate's quick exit from the banquet, which forces Burton's Petruchio to chase after her amid jeers from the other men. This act of defiance thus gives an ending somewhat happier to modern audiences, implying Kate's spirit is not broken and that Petruchio has not succeeded. Similar to Harold Bloom's take on the play, Elizabeth Taylor's Katherina is demonstrating that in reality women may control men by appearing to obey them.
Despite this, the film was marketed quite misogynistically, including the use of the taglines "A motion picture for every man who ever gave the back of his hand to his beloved... and for every woman who deserved it. Which takes in a lot of people!" and "In the war between the sexes, there always comes a time for unconditional surrender."[1]
The film was originally intended to be a vehicle for Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. Taylor and Burton put over a million dollars into the production and, instead of a salary, took a percentage of profits. The film made millions and was liked by the critics.
[edit] Awards
The film had two Academy Award nominations, for Best Costume Design, and Best Art Direction (Lorenzo Mongiardino, John DeCuir, Elven Webb, Giuseppe Mariani, Dario Simoni, Luigi Gervasi).[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Internet Movie Database. The Taming of the Shrew (1967). "Taglines". Accessed 30 Aug 2011.
- ^ "NY Times: The Taming of the Shrew". NY Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/48590/The-Taming-of-the-Shrew/awards. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
[edit] External links
- The Taming of the Shrew at the Internet Movie Database
- A film clip of a featurette from the films opening is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
- The Taming of the Shrew at AllRovi
- The Taming of the Shrew at the TCM Movie Database
- eNotes Article
- Phoenix Cinema Article
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