The Taming of the Shrew (1967)

Brutish, fortune-hunting scoundrel Petruchio tames his wealthy shrewish wife, Katharina.

Director:

Franco Zeffirelli

Writers:

Suso Cecchi D'Amico (screenplay), Paul Dehn (screenplay),

Stars:

Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Cyril Cusack

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Katharina
Richard Burton	...	Petruchio
Cyril Cusack	...	Grumio
Michael Hordern	...	Baptista
Alfred Lynch	...	Tranio
Alan Webb	...	Gremio
Giancarlo Cobelli	...	The Priest
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Pedant
Ken Parry	...	Tailor
Anthony Gardner	...	Haberdasher
Natasha Pyne	...	Bianca
Michael York	...	Lucentio
Victor Spinetti	...	Hortensio
Roy Holder	...	Biondello
Mark Dignam	...	Vincentio

Storyline

Baptista, a rich Paduan merchant, announces that his fair young daughter, Bianca, will remain unwed until her older sister, Katharina, a hellish shrew, has wed. Lucentio, a student and the son of a wealthy Pisan merchant, has fallen in love with Bianca. He poses as a tutor of music and poetry to gain entrance to the Baptista household and to be near Bianca. Meanwhile, Petruchio, a fortune-hunting scoundrel from Verona, arrives in Padua, hoping to capture a wealthy wife. Hortensio, another suitor of Bianca, directs Petruchio's attention to Katharina. When Hortensio warns him about Katharina's scolding tongue and fiery temper, Petruchio is challenged and resolves to capture her love. Hortensio and another suitor of Bianca, Gremio, agree to cover Petruchio's costs as he pursues Katharina.

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Plot Keywords:

love | merchant | suitor | shrew | tutor | 

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Taglines:

Selected for the 1967 Royal Performance Film

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 March 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew

Filming Locations:

Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Royal Films International, F.A.I.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (1973 UK re-release) Mono (Westrex Recording System) 4-Track Stereo (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In his memoirs, Franco Zeffirelli said that making this film was the most fun he had in his entire career.

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Goofs

In the film, Katharina's angry line to Bianca "[tell] whom thou lovest best" (which Shakespeare actually wrote and which is grammatically correct) is changed to the grammatically incorrect "whom thou dost lovest best". In his review of the film, critic John Simon caught the error.

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Quotes

Petruchio: Come, come, you wasp! In faith you are too angry!
Katherina: If I be waspish, best beware my sting!
Petruchio: My remedy then is to pluck it out!
Katherina: Hah! If the fool could find where it lies!
Petruchio: Who knows not where a wasp doth wear his sting? In his tail!
Katherina: In his tongue!
Petruchio: Whose tongue?
Katherina: Yours! -if you talk of tales, and so farewell!
Petruchio: What? With my tongue in your tail?

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Crazy Credits

Instead of the screen credit "The End" appearing at the end of the film, the line "God give you goodnight" appears, after which the rest of the closing credits are seen.

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Connections

Version of Kiss Me Kate (1958)

User Reviews

Brimming with Life, Love, Beauty and Joy

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton at their peak are a joy to behold--they

infuse this gorgeous film of "The Taming of the Shrew" with so much life and

energy, that it becomes a wonderful, bouyant, three-ring circus of entertainment. The sets and costumes of Zeffirelli's meticulously recreated Renaissance Italy are ravishingly beautiful. Each scene is composed like a painting--and Nino

Rota's score complelemnts the film perfectly. His melodies ring in the air long after the film has ended. Shakespeare would have been delighted.