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The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
Elizabeth Taylor shines as the feisty lead role.
Hollywood's golden age produced many films that will never die and it could definitely include The Taming of the Shrew as one of its greatest. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli, the famed Shakespeare enthusiast whose works include the successful later adaption of Romeo and Juliet in 1968, this film showcases his devout love of Shakespearean plays. Zeffirelli was clearly ahead of his game at the time, which can be shown through his use of some of the best resources Hollywood had to offer; including leading actress Elizabeth Taylor and Actor Richard Burton.
The film boasts the use of prodigy Nino Rota's music which draws the audience into the atmosphere of the film and gets them hooked on the storyline. The set and costumes are immaculate; they truly lead the viewer to believe that it is set in the late 1500's. Attention-to-detail is impressively significant; fine details in the background, such as a labelled drunkard hanging in a cage over the street, are what intensify the film's quality greatly. There is one point in which Lucentio's accomplice talks directly to the camera about the situation and I found that this brought an interesting touch to the camera work; it almost felt as though I was part of the film! The script is also relatively similar to Shakespeare's original text and some memorable line's such Petruchio claiming "Will you, Nill you, I will Marry you" are none the less brought to life by Burton's macho voice. The fiery character of Katharina is also brilliantly portrayed through Taylor's acting, although some could argue that perhaps she should have toned down her make-up and overacting in a role such as this. The priest's obvious fear of Katharina is shown at the marriage ceremony; a fear which is only too common in the story! Humour is rarely used vocally in the film, but it seems as though Katharina's rages and reactions, as well as a personal comedic key point of Petruchio chuckling as well as engaging in a choking fit during the marriage ceremony, appear to be examples of the type of humour seen in the film. Compared to the original text, it could be said that the humour was quenched and replaced with a more modern quirky version.
However, it is inevitable that one would notice that this film seems to focus overly on the characters of Katharina and Petruchio, even perhaps on the real life relationship of Taylor and Burton, as this was filmed during their first marriage. The couple lived their lives in the eyes of the media and I somewhat got the impression that Zeffirelli may have used this to his advantage in order to secure more popularity for his film. The power of Elizabeth Taylor as an actress is highlighted and despite that fact that her character is quite unattractive to the audience, I found that towards the end of the film, I had almost become a fanatic of her and was interested in viewing more of her work. The role of a young, unmarried girl is almost unrealistic for her as she was in her thirties when the film was released. The chemistry between Taylor and Burton positively enhances the impact of the film and it is undeniable that the pair are profoundly comfortable with each other, even though the storyline tells a different story. On the other hand, it is noticeable that other characters in the film were very much in the shadow of Katharina and Petruchio. The character of Bianca seems to have gotten much less attention in the film than I had expected, which I disagree with as she is the cause that led to Petruchio trying to woo Katharina.
The film had flaws which were more substantial than the previous. Petruchio's mental abuse of Katharina after their marriage in the film was short of appalling. I found that, at times, I became quite uncomfortable during the film and would have preferred if Zeffirelli had perhaps sugar-coated some of Petruchio's harsh actions. Katharina's spirit is more so shown as broken, as opposed to her personality being tamed, which added an unwanted melancholy touch to the film. The duration of the film was likewise exhausting, as I perceived that my attention diminished at times.
Over all, The Taming of the Shrew is an enjoyable film, but unfortunately it is not suited to modern audiences, as some aspects may disgruntle viewers, particularly feminists. At the time of its production, it was of remarkable quality, but in today's world it is somewhat timeworn. However, older audiences would definitely gain a thriller from watching the film and viewers of any age would kindly warm to the character of Katharina and even Elizabeth Taylor as an actress, as I believe that amongst Cleopatra, this film is doubtlessly one of the greatest showcases of her career.
Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)
'Gnomeo and Juliet' takes a contemporary twist on an old but well-adored plot.
"A little adventure goes a lawn way" is the perfect cheesy tagline to introduce viewers to the unique setting in the animated movie, in which the quarrel is amongst owners and garden ornaments as opposed to the usual over-adapted conflict in Verona. Directed by Kelly Asbury, this adorable adaption can definitely be seen as a work which possesses the same level of ingenious quality and corny humour as some of her former movies, such as the 2004 hit 'Shrek 2'. With child-friendly alternatives to character names such as Gnomeo and Juliet and not forgetting Nanette the Frog playing Juliet's nurse and Featherstone the pink plastic flamingo occupying the role of Friar Lawrence, this movie has clear resemblances to the classic version of Romeo and Juliet, but in a way that an audience of any age can understand and enjoy. There are also child-friendly substitutes for some of the more grim scenes in the traditional story of Romeo and Juliet. While the movie is aimed at families with young children, it can be enjoyed by children of any age and in particular, older viewers who have read Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' in the past. It can also charm adults who may have not read the traditional play, as it contains a plethora of puns which add to the comedic quality of the movie. Only the harshest of critic's hearts wouldn't melt even at the mere trailer of this movie.
With regards to actors who voiced the characters, this movie definitely hits the jackpot! The voices of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt and Julie Walters are among the prestigious actors whose voices star in the movie, alongside the comedic brilliance of Matt Lucas voicing Gnomeo's best friend Benny. Another name dwells in the cast list whom I was personally shocked to discover – famed rocker Ozzy Osbourne voicing the character of Fawn, a secondary antagonist in the movie. When I first heard rumours that Mr Osbourne himself was voicing a role in the movie, I must admit I presumed that a tough personality such as Ozzy would be cast in the role of Tybalt. But viewers must not despair as he indeed voices Fawn perfectly and the voice of Tybalt is impeccably filled by the deep, brusque voice of actor Jason Statham. Actors voicing characters weren't the only celebrity input into the movie; 13 out of the 14 songs on the soundtrack contain either music or vocals by the British singer-songwriter Elton John – a feature which clearly adds to the sprightly atmosphere of the movie. Elton, who had much influence in the film, has undeniably chirpy music projects so it can be clearly seen that any astute producer would involve such a musical prodigy in a family movie. Even my father (who, by the way, is someone I personally consider a person who regards movies of this genre as nothing more than trash) agreed that Elton John's preppy tunes swayed towards enticing him into the plot of this outrageously corny movie.
The humour of 'Gnomeo and Juliet' is a feature which I would consider to be the most prominent is the movie, regardless that it had to contend with so many other enlightening aspects. Rude colloquial terms were slyly swapped with alternatives such as 'Let's go kick some grass!' which is a line I personally laughed out loud to and which children and adults alike can easily relate to. There were also more developed lines which older audiences understood but younger children blew off as just another line in the movie. As Nanntte flirtatiously converses with Shroom the (somewhat nervous) mushroom, she proclaims 'Oooh, you look like a fun guy! (Fungi)' which I must admit I didn't get until some time after the movie. The quality of the animation matched the quirky atmosphere of the movie as it was injected with as must vivid colour as a person's eyes can handle in my opinion! But this perfectly suited the colourful garden setting of the movie.
The movie can in no way be compared to earlier adaptations of Romeo and Juliet as this is one of the first successful children's adaptations. I believe it is in a different league, as although it is based on Shakespeare's play, it is much more family friendly and introduces many new elements into production. Rapier fights are replaced with lawnmower races and the arranged marriage between Paris and Juliet is replaced with the punishment of Juliet being glued to her fountain. Personally I found that the only disadvantage of the movie was that the character of 'Gnomeo' seemed to be portrayed as harsher character than I had created in my imagination, due to viewing other adaptations of the traditional play as well as literally reading the play in the past. A mere review definitely can't capture the enjoyment factor of this lovable, charming, childlike movie.