The Taming of the Shrew (1967 film)

1967 film by Franco Zeffirelli

The Taming of the Shrew

Original film poster

Directed by| Franco Zeffirelli
Screenplay by|

* Franco Zeffirelli
* Paul Dehn
* Suso Cecchi d'Amico

Based on| The Taming of the Shrew
by William Shakespeare
Produced by| Elizabeth Taylor
Starring|

* Elizabeth Taylor
* Richard Burton
* Cyril Cusack
* Michael Hordern
* Alfred Lynch
* Alan Webb
* Victor Spinetti
* Michael York
* Natasha Pyne

Cinematography| Oswald Morris
Edited by| Peter Taylor
Music by| Nino Rota
Distributed by| Columbia Pictures

Release dates

* February 27, 1967 (1967-2-27) (Royal Film Performance)
* March 8, 1967 (1967-3-8) (U.S.)
* March 23, 1967 (1967-3-23) (Italy)

[1]

Running time

| 122 minutes
Countries| Italy
United States
United Kingdom
Language| English
Budget| $4 million
Box office| $8,000,000 (North America)
$12,000,000 (worldwide)

The Taming of the Shrew is a 1967 historical romance comedy film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, based on William Shakespeare's play about a courtship between two strong-willed people in 16th-century Italy. The film stars Elizabeth Taylor (who also produced) as Kate and Richard Burton as Petruchio, who were both nominated for BAFTA Awards for their acting. It features Cyril Cusack, Michael Hordern, Michael York, and Victor Spinetti in supporting roles.

The Taming of the Shrew premiered with a Royal Film Performance on 27 February 1967. At the 40th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction - Set Decoration. Burton was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Comedy or Musical, and the film was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical. Burton and Taylor also received BAFTA nominations.

This was one of three Shakespearen film adaptations directed by Zeffirelli, followed by Romeo and Juliet in 1968, and Hamlet in 1990.

## Plot

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Main article: The Taming of the Shrew § Synopsis

Baptista Minola is attempting to marry off his two daughters; however, he will marry off his youngest, Bianca only if someone will marry his eldest, Katherina. Katherina is an ill-tempered shrewish woman but a lusty young nobleman, Petruchio, takes on the challenge of taming and marrying her. A subplot involves the wooing of Bianca by several suitors including handsome Lucentio, foppish Hortensio, and elderly Gremio.

## Cast

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

Sources:[2][3]

## Production

[edit]

The film was originally intended to be a vehicle for Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. Taylor and Burton put over a million dollars into the production and, instead of a salary, took a percentage of profits. It was shot entirely at Dino De Laurentiis' studios in Rome.

Unlike her husband, Taylor had never performed Shakespeare before, and she was said to be very nervous prior to the beginning of the shoot. As she found her way into the role, and became more confident, she asked Franco Zeffirelli if she could shoot everything from the first day of shooting again, as she did not think her performance was up to scratch. Zefferilli assured her it was, but she was persistent, and on the last day of principal photography, the entire first day was shot again.

Rotislav Doboujinsky was Head of the film's Specialist Design Department.[4]

## Release

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The film's premiere was the Royal Film Performance at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on February 27, 1967, attended by Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon.[1][5] It had its US premiere at the Coronet Theatre in New York City on March 8, 1967, starting its regular run the following day.[1][6]

## Reception

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### Box office

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The Taming of the Shrew grossed $8 million in North America,[7] earning $3,540,000 in theatrical rentals during 1967,[8] making it the 25th highest grossing picture of 1967. The film grossed $12 million worldwide.[9]

### Critical reception

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The film received positive reviews from modern critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 83% of professional critics gave the film a positive review, based on 23 reviews with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus states: "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."[10]

### Awards and nominations

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Award[11] | Category  | Nominee(s)  | Result

|
|
|

Academy Awards | Best Art Direction | Art Direction: Lorenzo Mongiardino, John DeCuir, Elven Webb, and Giuseppe Mariani;
Set Decoration: Dario Simoni and Luigi Gervasi | Nominated
Best Costume Design | Danilo Donati and Irene Sharaff | Nominated
British Academy Film Awards | Best British Actor | Richard Burton | Nominated
Best British Actress | Elizabeth Taylor | Nominated
British Society of Cinematographers Awards | Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film | Oswald Morris | Won
David di Donatello Awards | Best Production  | The Taming of the Shrew | Won[a]
Best Foreign Actor | Richard Burton  | Won[b]
Best Foreign Actress | Elizabeth Taylor  | Won[c]
Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | The Taming of the Shrew | Nominated
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Richard Burton  | Nominated
Nastro d'Argento | Best Costume Design  | Danilo Donati  | Won
Best Production Design  | Giuseppe Mariani  | Nominated
National Board of Review Awards | Top Ten Films | The Taming of the Shrew | Won

## Comparison to source material

[edit]

The film screenplay cuts most of the subplot of Lucentio and Bianca, and the entire Christopher Sly framing device. Other scenes are trimmed of dialogue, or have lines moved from one to another. The film also adds additional scenes, with little or no dialogue, focusing on Kate and Petruchio.

Taylor plays Kate's final, controversial speech without any obvious irony (such as Mary Pickford's wink in the 1929 film); however, her taming is apparently undercut by her quick exit from the banquet, which forces Burton's Petruchio to chase after her amid jeers from the other men. According to Harold Bloom's take on the play, Katherina is "advising women how to rule absolutely, while feigning obedience".[12]

## See also

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* List of American films of 1967

## Notes

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1. ^ Tied with The Tiger and the Pussycat.
2. ^ Tied with Peter O'Toole for The Night of the Generals.
3. ^ Tied with Julie Christie for Doctor Zhivago.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c The Taming of the Shrew at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
2. ^ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
3. ^ "The Taming of the Shrew (1967)". BFI. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
4. ^ Doboujinsky, Rotislav (1987). "CV pour inscription a la Maison Des Artistes" (Document). Personal Collection of Claudie Gastine.
5. ^ "Royal Film Show Yields $100,800". Variety. 8 March 1967. p. 7.
6. ^ "B'way Hurt by Rain, Snow; 'Dutchman' Big $19,000; 'Deadlier' OK 16G, 2d; 'Oh Dad' Fine 28G; 'Tobruk' 21G, 4th". Variety. 8 March 1967. p. 9.
7. ^ "The Taming of the Shrew". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
8. ^ "Big Rental Films of 1967". Variety. Variety, Inc. 3 January 1968. p. 25. Retrieved 5 July 2018. Please note these figures refer to rentals accruing to the distributors.
9. ^ "The Taming of the Shrew (1967): Business". IMDb. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
10. ^ "The Taming of the Shrew (1967)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
11. ^ "The Taming of the Shrew (1967): Awards". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2010. Archived from the original on 9 February 2010. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
12. ^ Bloom, Harold (2005). "An Essay by Harold Bloom". The Taming of the Shrew. The Annotated Shakespeare. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 161\. ISBN 9780300109825.

## External links

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* The Taming of the Shrew at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
* The Taming of the Shrew at IMDb
* The Taming of the Shrew at the TCM Movie Database
* A film clip of a featurette from the films opening is available for viewing at the Internet Archive
* eNotes Article
* Phoenix Cinema Article

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Franco Zeffirelli

* The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
* Romeo and Juliet (1968)
* Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)
* Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
* The Champ (1979)
* Endless Love (1981)
* Pagliacci (1982)
* Cavalleria rusticana (1982)
* La Traviata (1982)
* Otello (1986)
* Young Toscanini (1988)
* Hamlet (1990)
* Sparrow (1993)
* Jane Eyre (1996)
* Tea with Mussolini (1999)
* Callas Forever (2002)

* v
* t
* e

William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew

Characters|

* Kate
* Petruchio
* Bianca Minola
* Christopher Sly

Stage adaptations|

* The Woman's Prize (c1611)
* Catharine and Petruchio (1754)
* Las bravías (1896)
* Der Widerspänstigen Zähmung (1872)
* Sly, ovvero La leggenda del dormiente risvegliato (1927)
* Kiss Me, Kate (1948)
* The Taming of the Shrew (1953)
* Ukroshchenye Stroptivoy (1957)
* Christopher Sly (1963)

Direct adaptations|

* 1908
* 1929
* 1962 (TV)
* 1967
* 1980 (TV)
* 1994 (TV)

Other adaptations|

* Daring Youth (1924)
* You Made Me Love You (1933)
* Second Best Bed (1938)
* The Taming of the Shrew (1942)
* Enamorada (1946)
* Kiss Me Kate (1953)
* Abba Aa Hudugi (1959)
* Gundamma Katha (1962)
* Manithan Maravillai (1962)
* McLintock! (1963)
* Arivaali (1963)
* Kiss Me Kate (1968)
* Pattikada Pattanama (1972)
* The Taming of the Scoundrel (1980)
* Nanjundi Kalyana (1989)
* Banarasi Babu (1997)
* 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
* O Cravo e a Rosa (2000; TV)
* Deliver Us from Eva (2003)
* The Taming of the Shrew (2005; TV)
* Frivolous Wife (2008)
* 10 Things I Hate About You (2009; TV)
* Isi Life Mein...! (2010)

Related|

* The Taming of the Shrew in performance
* The Taming of the Shrew on screen
* Shrew (stock character)
* Vinegar Girl (2016)

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