The Taming of the Shrew (1967)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Franco Zeffirelli

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play)
Franco Zeffirelli (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 March 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Selected for the 1967 Royal Performance Film

Plot:

Brutish, fortune-hunting scoundrel Pertuchio tames his wealthy shrewish wife, Katharina.

Plot Keywords:

Father Daughter Relationship | Argument | Male Female Relationship | Courtship | Padua

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Elizabeth Taylor	...	Katharina
Richard Burton	...	Petruchio
Cyril Cusack	...	Grumio
Michael Hordern	...	Baptista
Alfred Lynch	...	Tranio
Alan Webb	...	Gremio
Giancarlo Cobelli	...	The Priest
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Pedant
Ken Parry	...	Tailor
Anthony Gardner	...	Haberdasher
Natasha Pyne	...	Bianca
Michael York	...	Lucentio
Victor Spinetti	...	Hortensio
Roy Holder	...	Biondello
Mark Dignam	...	Vincentio

Also Known As:

Bisbetica domata, La (Italy)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (1973 UK re-release) | Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Australia:G | Finland:S | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:U | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

F.A.I.

Trivia:

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton co-produced the film, putting $1 million of their own money into the production and waiving their combined $2 million+ salaries taking a percentage of the film's profits instead.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Petruchio arrives on a horse for his wedding, a security guard dressed in black is seen in the background.

Quotes:

Petruchio: I've come to wive and wealthily in Padua. If wealthily, then happily, in Padua.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Mona: The Virgin Nymph (1970)

Burton and Taylor's best movie

This is Burton and Taylor's best film together. It is full of color and fun, and some very fine comedy. All of the actors are brilliant in it. It's a big, romping chase of a movie, and when you hear Petruchio's deep chuckle, it makes you laugh, too.

It's based on the bare bones of Shakespeare's play about Baptista, a rich man with two unmarried daughters. The older daughter is so nasty that no one can stand her long enough to marry her, and everyone in town wants to marry the younger daughter but can't till the older is married off. A bad-mannered fortune hunter shows up and agrees to take the older daughter off the father's hands for a steep price. After the marriage, Petruchio sets about breaking the pride of Kate, and eventually he wears her down, but she works her own magic on him, and in the end they both find that they love each other.

Richard Burton should have won the Oscar for this role; he IS Petruchio. It's a national disgrace that he didn't get it. And Liz is really good as Kate. She makes us believe that she is a horrible shrew, and when her soft side emerges she makes us believe that she could have been sweet all along.

If you can find this film at all, try to watch it in it's letterbox version. You miss far too much of the action in the pan and scan format. It's shown on cable quite a bit, but mostly on the pay channels.