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The Taming of the ShrewRating:
Release Date: 23 September, 2003 Retail Price: $19.94 Sorry, this product is not currently available. Cast: Complete Cast (6 total) |
The Taming of the Shrew Reviews
Classic Burton/Taylor
I first saw this movie, as a child, and I just had to add it to my collection. Burton/Taylor are so perfectly cast in their roles, I really can not imagine other actors in those parts. I think a young Michael York does a good job with his small part, too.
A Shrew? Or a Neglected Daughter?
Along with "The Comedy of Errors," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and "The Merry Wives of Windsor," I always liked this comedy of Shakespeare's. As usual, Director Franco Zeffirelli brings the written material to the screen better than any of us could have expected. Some people complained that it was a bit overdone and rompish, but remember, this is a comedy, so you can get away that. Basically, this story involves 2 subplots that the master Shakespeare cleverly intertwines. Lucentio (Michael York, whom you may recall as Tybalt in "Romeo and Juliet), along with 2 rivals (Hortensio and Gremio) are in love with Bianca. But the problem is, Bianca's father Baptista will not allow Bianca to marry until her older and more shrewish sister Kate (Elizabeth Taylor) marries. Financial negotiations are of course mandatory in the cases of marriage here, (and if we think that is in the past, we are only kidding ourselves). Well, moving on Kate's shrewish nature makes the prospect of this unlikely. So, Bianca's suitors team up to at least resolve the matter of Kate first. Some people feel this is a sexist play, but if we keep look at Isaac Asimov's views, we find the play is not so. Asimov convincingly explains in his book "Asimov's Guide To Shakespeare" the hidden picture. Bianca is not exactly so sweet. Rather, she is manipulative and has learned to monopolize her father's love, as well as the love of other people. We can also infer that Kate is not really a bad person. Rather, she is tired of the fact that her father virtually ignores her, and she is so scarred from this neglect, that she can't even see love when it is given (even though she so desperately wants it). And of course, the people who taunt her and tease her don't help the situation! Director Franco Zeffirelli does kind of hint at this. Moving on, in comes Petruchio (Richard Burton and Elizabeth's at the time husband). It may appear that Petruchio is only after the financial benefit of marrying Kate, but later situations prove otherwise. One charming bonus is that while Shakespeare has their wedding off stage, and explained, Mr. Zeffirelli shows the comical wedding for us to see. At first, it may seem that Petruchio is also cruel to Kate, but in reality, he is using a form of behavior modification, and if he did not love her, he wouldn't be going through the trouble that he does. In some ways, a more appropriate title to the play would be "The Rehabilitative Therapy of A Neglected Daughter." To be sure, Baptista is not exactly cruel to Kate, but he made no secret of the fact that he liked Bianca better. (Some parents try to at least hide the fact that they have a favorite child.) Well, Shakespeare switches back to the other plot, and Lucentio and Bianca can marry IF, Lucentio can prove he has the fortunes he says he does. Well, to do this, Lucentio hires someone to impersonate his father and negotiate. And all seems happy UNTIL, Lucentio's REAL FATHER comes for a visit, and runs into the man who is impersonating him! But leave it to Shakespeare to resolve everything, gives us a happy ending to both subplots, and bring everyone together for a feast and celebration.
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