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Movies / On DVD / The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew

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The Taming of the Shrew (1967)

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Reviews Counted:20

Fresh:17

Rotten:3

Average Rating:7.5/10

Consensus: It may not be reverent enough for purists, but This Taming of the Shrew is too funny -- and fun -- for the rest of us to resist.

Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor bring gusto and ferocity to their roles as Katherine and Petruchio in this quintessential battle of the sexes, a vibrant adaptation of the classic Shakespeare... Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor bring gusto and ferocity to their roles as Katherine and Petruchio in this quintessential battle of the sexes, a vibrant adaptation of the classic Shakespeare play. When young student Lucentio (Michael York) wanders into the town of Padua, he promptly falls for the beautiful Bianca (Natasha Pyne), but before Bianca's father will let her be courted, he insists her wild, angry, older sister, Katherine (Taylor) be married. Undaunted, Lucentio and the other would-be suitors of Bianca hit upon the idea of hiring tipsy, flea-bitten nobleman Petruchio (Burton) to step up and woo the untamable "shrew." The roles of these battling lovers are perfectly suited to Burton and Taylor, whose passionate and publicized love affair was in full flower at the time. This makes it a fitting follow-up to their earlier co-starring vehicle, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF, and a glorious chance to see two larger-than-life stars having at each other with unfettered glee. The realistic period detail is lovingly photographed by Luciano Trasatti, while Nina Rota contributes a lively score. This was the directorial debut of Franco Zeffirelli, and it's Shakespeare with real zest; a treat to both scholars and film-lovers everywhere. [More]

Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Vernon Dobtcheff, Michael Hordern

Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Vernon Dobtcheff, Michael Hordern, Alfred Lynch, Alan Webb, Victor Spinetti, Roy Holder

Director: Franco Zeffirelli

Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Producer: Elizabeth Taylor, Franco Zeffirelli, Richard Burton
Composer: Nino Rota
Screenwriter: Suso Cecchi D'Amico

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Oct 26, 1999

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Taming of the Shrew

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Purists will doubtless be upset by this flick, but the bawdy humor is engaging, the photography and musical score work just fine, and the most famous married couple in the world at that time are really having a ball here.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/01/08
TV Guide's Movie Guide

As for Mr. Zeffirelli's settings and the elaborate Renaissance costumes, they look very rich and mellow in the misty pastel colors that are used. But they, too, like Nino Rota's music, tend to monotony.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
07/01/08
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Comedy is sustained in witty wedding ceremony.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
07/01/08
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

More debased Shakespeare from Franco Zeffirelli.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
07/01/08
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
03/08/08
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

comment Comment
03/01/08
David Kaplan
David Kaplan
Kaplan vs. Kaplan

Zeffirelli can't bring himself quite to the realm of radical Shakespeare. However, the film is a great vehicle for the two most famous stars of its era.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
10/10/07
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Fine Zeffirelli version with Taylor and Burton in good form.

comment Comment
12/21/06
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers

No review available.

comment Comment
10/14/05
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
Zap2it.com

Not necessarily the best telling, but still wickedly attractive.

comment Comment
09/27/05
Gregory Weinkauf
Gregory Weinkauf
ÜberCiné

No review available.

comment Comment
07/02/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Riotous fun.

comment Comment
02/19/04
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

No review available.

comment Comment
07/01/03
Rebecca Murray
Rebecca Murray
About.com

High-spirited whoop-de-doo Shakespeare, not too adulterated, not too precious, and geared slyly towards an audience who may have read about this kind of marriage on the showbiz gossip pages.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film

No review available.

comment Comment
12/16/02
David Poland
David Poland
Hot Button

No review available.

comment Comment
08/08/02
Cory Cheney
Cory Cheney
Urban Tulsa Weekly

...ranks among the finest screen adaptations of a Shakespeare play ever made.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
04/21/02
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Despite its blatant lack of political correctness, there is considerable fun to be had in this film.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

When [Zeffirelli] sticks to the play and to his actor's skills, the film comes alive. Sadly that was not as often as it should have been.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews
 
 
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