Rating: NR
Genre: Comedy
Theatrical Release: 03/23/1967(Italy)
Release Date: 10/26/1999
SubTitles: English/Espanol/Por/KO/TH
Dubbed: English/Espanol/Por
Sound: 5.1/1
Run Time: 122 Minutes
Flags: Mild Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Humor
Distributor/Studio: Columbia TriStar

Franco Zeffirelli's adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew is a zesty version of the classic comedy, highlighted by performances by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor and Nino Rota's score. Instead of simply filming a play, Zeffirelli turned Shakespeare's text into a lively, cinematic movie, with sweeping sets and cinematography. Set in Padua, Italy in the late 1500s, the story concerns the shy Bianca (Natasha Pyne) and the mean-spirited Katarina (Elizabeth Taylor), the two daughters of a rich merchant named Baptista (Michael Hordern). Though Bianca is being courted by a number of young men, Baptista announces that she may not marry until Katarina is wed. None of the men in town are willing to marry Katarina, so Bianca remains unwed, even as more suitors--such as Lucentio (Michael York), a student who begins working as a tutor in the Hordern household just so he can be near Bianca--line up to wed the maiden. No man approaches Katarina until Petruchio (Richard Burton--a wanderer who arrived in Padua just to find a rich wife--falls in love with her. After an intense, occasionally furious, courtship, Katarina eventually agrees to marry him, and they move to Petruchio's shoddy house, which is located outside of the city. Following the wedding, Lucentio reveals that he is not a student, but instead the son of one of the most respected men in town. Lucentio gets permission to marry Bianca and a mild-mannered Katarina shows up at the wedding, giving advice to her sister on how to be a good wife. The Taming of the Shrew received Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design, and opened the British Royal Film Festival.

~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

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Cast:
Richard Burton - Petruchio
Alfred Lynch - Tranio
Elizabeth Taylor - Katherine
Michael York - Lucentio
Vernon Dobtcheff - Pedant
Michael Hordern - Baptista
Victor Spinetti - Hortensio
Natasha Pyne - Bianca
Cyril Cusack - Grumio
Alan Webb - Gremio
Roy Holder - Biondello
Giancarlo Cobelli - The Priest
Gianni Magni - Curtis
Alberto Bonucci - Nathaniel
Lino Capolicchio - Gregory
Roberto Antonelli - Philip
Ken Parry - Tailor
Mark Dignam - Vincentio
Bice Valori - The Widow

Production:
Franco Zeffirelli - Director
Elizabeth Taylor Richard Burton Franco Zeffirelli - Producer
Nino Rota - Composer
Peter Taylor - Editor
Suso Cecchi D'Amico Franco Zeffirelli Paul Dehn - Screen Writer
Dario Simoni - Set Designer
Luciano Trasatti - Cinematographer
Oswald Morris - Cinematographer
Danilo Donati - Costume Designer
Irene Sharaff - Costume Designer
Alberto de Rossi - Makeup
Frank LaRue - Makeup
Giannetto De Rossi - Makeup
Ron Berkeley - Makeup
Carlo Savina - Musical Direction/Supervision
William Shakespeare - Play Author
Elven Webb - Production Designer
Giuseppe Mariani - Production Designer
John De Cuir - Production Designer
Lorenzo Mongiardino - Production Designer
Augie Lohman - Special Effects
Luigi Gervasi - Art Director

Bus Stop
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10 Things I Hate About You
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Much Ado About Nothing [WS]
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It Happened One Night
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Parlour, Bedroom & Bath
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Kiss Me Kate
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The Taming of the Shrew
    Karen Austin / 1983

1967 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie

1967 Golden Globe

1967 National Board of Review