The Taming of the Shrew

Rating:
Summary: An excellent movie to add to your collection!
Review: This Shakespearean story is about the daughter of Baptista (Michael Hordern), Katarina (Elizabeth Taylor). Very unlike her younger, quiet and gentle sister Bianca (Natasha Pyne), Katarina is strong-willed and has a nasty temper. Many men want to woo the lovely Bianca, including a young scholar (Michael York), but Baptista is adamant that nobody will be wed with his Bianca until the older daughter, the shrew Katarina, is married. And there is only one man who is willing to marry her for her dowry, Petruchio (Richard Burton). When Petruchio and Katarina are wed (forcefully against Katarina's will), Petruchio proceeds to make his 'dear Kate' into a good wife, but is anyone capable of 'taming the shrew'?
A remarkable tale by the talented and famed writer, William Shakespear. And with a delightful cast of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, who can resist liking it? Elizabeth Taylor practically shines in her role! Especially at the part in the end where she makes her strong speech. I was as quiet and attentive as all the guests at the wedding.
For anyone who likes Shakespeare, who likes Elizabeth Taylor, or Richard Burton, or for that matter, want to watch a good movie, watch "The Taming of the Shrew".

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: This was an entertaining movie to watch. Elizabeth Taylor was voluptuous in this role as Kate, the elder daughter of Baptista, chased her suitors away with her sharp-tempered manner. Those dark eyes and dark hair characterized her as scolding and seething. Her younger sister, the beautiful and sweet Bianca, played by Natasha Pyne, has many suitors but can't marry unless her sister gets married. In comes Lutencio, played by Michael York, falls in love with Bianca and is determined to marry her. Petruchio, played by Richard Burton, comes into town looking like a joker, is willing to marry Katherina, despite her short-temper. It's a cat and mouse chase as Petruchio claims Kate as his bride. It's a party for the city when Kate is married to Petruchio and is whisked away to his dark and dingy estate. Lutencio is able to marry Bianca but his father doesn't know until he comes into town.

Another Franco Zeferelli creation, Shakespeare's play about a woman whose shrewdish behavior is not only unladylike, but isolates her from enjoying life and the people in it. Despite the limited roles women had during that time period, Kate had to be the one to change herself from being a shrew to a respected lady. Another exaggerated version of the movie is the episode from the 1987 television series "Moonlighting". Bruce Willis was Petruchio riding a horse with a Mercedes cover and Sybil Sheperd was Kate.

Rating:
Summary: HE THAT KNOWS BETTER HOW TO FILM A SHREW ...
Review: We never do find out the source of Elizabeth Taylor's 'shrew's' dicontent and the idea of a woman being dominated into submission of behavior doesn't wash today, this still is a highly amusing, greatly acted and lushly filmed version of Shakespeare's comedy. The late Richard Burton is superb and very funny as the oppurtunistic and and reckless Petruchio.

Rating:
Summary: What Happened to the Color?
Review: While still appreciating the exuberance of Taylor and Burton
in their prime as well as the unbelievably detailed art
direction, I was somewhat disappointed in the transfer
from film to DVD. The original colors have been altered so
that the film no longer has the look of a Renaissance
painting come to life. When first seen the film was golden-filtered so that the wide ranging palette had a subdued glow which was quite wonderful. Obviously the current version
was changed to fit a more "modern" scheme. Either the
tranfer was done without the knowledge of the original
colors or - more likley - it was decided that this change
would be more "palatable" to a modern viewing public that
had no knowledge of the original. I only hope that when they
finally bring the original "Moulin Rouge" or "Reflections
in a Golden Eye" to DVD they take into account the director's
wishes more than they have with this realease.

Rating:
Summary: The best version by default, but not a winner
Review: Zeffirelli is an interesting filmmaker in the way he lovingly recreates the world of William Shakespeare. Every set, every costume represents what most likely played on Shakespeare's own stage so many centuries ago. His attention to detail is extraordinary. However, there is one detail he does not seem to pay enough attention to: the actual movie.

This is Zeffirelli's great weakness. It ruins all of his films. He does not seems to care whether he his actors can act or the story can be carried, as long as it looks good. And it does; Elizabeth Taylor is so beautiful that one could easily sit through this movie just for her sake. It is strange, though, that while Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton played a great version of Katharine and Petruchio in their personal relationship, they ignite no sparks in this film. Taylor really carries the film, but Burton does not really put any kind of personality into his role. And because of their lack of chemistry, the comedy in this movie is mainly slapstick based and does not come from Shakespeare's own writing. For example, the scene when Petruchio and Katharine first meet is not the battle of wit and innuendo that it is in the play; in this movie, the sparring is a literal one that takes place in a huge pile of feathers. It is an absence that would be greatly missed by those who loved the play.

Those who love The Taming of the Shrew do not have many options when it comes to movies. There is Ten Things I Hate About You, a horrible update that has very little to do with Shakespeare. There is also a version of The Taming of the Shrew that was filmed while Meryl Streep and Raul Julia performed it in Central Park, but while Raul Julia is a hilariously sexy Petruchio, Meryl Streep's Katharine is more of a hag. I really wish that I could cut and paste from both this film and Zefirelli's to combine Julia and Taylor's incredible talent, but since that is impossible, this version of The Taming of the Shrew is the best one by default.