The Taming of the Shrew (1908)

Based on Shakespeare's play: Petruchio courts the bad-tempered Katharina, and tries to change her aggressive behavior.

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writers:

D.W. Griffith, William Shakespeare (play),

Stars:

Florence Lawrence, Arthur V. Johnson, Linda Arvidson

Cast

Credited cast:
Florence Lawrence	...	Katharina
Arthur V. Johnson	...	Petruchio
Linda Arvidson	...	Bianca
Harry Solter	...	Katharina's Father
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Avery	...	Music Teacher
William J. Butler
Gene Gauntier	...	Wedding Party
George Gebhardt	...	One of Bianca's Suitors
Guy Hedlund
Charles Inslee	...	One of Bianca's Suitors
Wilfred Lucas
Jeanie Macpherson	...	Wedding Party
Charles Moler
Mack Sennett	...	Petruchio's Servant

Storyline

Based on Shakespeare's play: Two suitors have come to the home of the popular Bianca to court her. But her bad-tempered sister Katharina interrupts, deals with the men roughly and chases them out. Later she also assaults her music teacher. Only Petruchio, just arrived in town, wants to court Katharina. Her father eagerly agrees to arrange a wedding, and soon Petruchio and Katharina are locked in a battle of wills.

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Plot Keywords:

father daughter relationship | marriage | 1600s | farce | sister sister relationship | 

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Genres:

Short | Comedy | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 1908 (USA)

Also Known As:

La fierecilla domada

Filming Locations:

Coytesville, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Mutoscope & Biograph

Technical Specs

Runtime:

17 min 17 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of The Taming of the Shrew (1956)

User Reviews

Performances

This is an early Griffith effort -- when you're turning out eighty or ninety movies a year, you look everywhere for a story. A full reel, this was an immense production in Griffith's schedule and it shows. Although it is shot in simple long takes and the crowd scenes are staged well but not as amazingly so as later efforts would do, this has a full and beautiful set, in an era when set dressing was practically non-existent. The acting is broad in the comedy scenes, and more controlled in the romantic scenes. Notice the background actors gesticulating wildly in the kitchen scene (and the trademark 'AB'!) which looks looks a lot like Sennet's later Keystone style.

Although Griffith directed more than five hundred pictures, almost all of which survive, he has a vast corpus of works that are rarely seen, because so many people concentrate on his best features and perhaps a dozen of his best-known shorts. Kino is to be applauded for including this in their silent OTHELLO dvd and for hiring John Mirsalis to do the delightful, simple score.