Product Details

• Actors: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Cyril Cusack, Michael Hordern, Alfred Lynch
• Directors: Franco Zefferelli
• Format: VHS, HiFi Sound, NTSC, Color, Original recording
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: RCA Columbia Home Video
• Run Time: 122 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (103 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001HCUENI
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,607 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

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. Notwithstanding the excellence of films from Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh or even Franco Zeffirelli's later efforts like "Romeo and Juliet" or "Hamlet," Zeffirelli's 1967 production of "The Taming of the Shrew" ranks among the finest screen adaptations of a Shakespeare play ever made.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Of The Absolutely Great Ones, October 22, 2002

By 

Richard R. Carlton (Ada, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Taming of the Shrew (DVD)

If you love Shakespeare this one has to be in your collection. The DVD version is nothing spectacular (no extra anythings) but it will probably keep forever now that it has been digitized.....so forget about the next generation in your family not being able to view the crumbling magnetic tape from your VHS copy.

A classic for-the-ages Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton film from their peak period in 1967. Directed by *the* Zeffirelli, what more could you ask for. Oh.....you want a good score....this one is award winning.....Nino Rota. There is absolutely nothing lacking in this version.....you can enjoy it every time. It's one for kids to watch to see how much fun real Shakespeare can be. It's one for budding actresses to watch to see Taylor at her best. It's one for anyone studying the Bard in school to have under their belt. And it's one for all the rest of us to enjoy again and again.

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Burton & Taylor Are Pure, Fiery, & Feisty Sex Magic, March 31, 2004

By 

Sheila Chilcote-Collins "Sheila Renee Chilcot... (Collinswood, Van Wert, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Taming of the Shrew (DVD)

No wonder Burton and Taylor married and divorced many times. The sexual tension between them in this film can be cut with a knife. Taylor plays Kate, the beautiful, fiery, feisty, mean-spirited, unloved eldest daughter of a wealthy man. She has a beautiful & kind sister who has a string of beaus, but... the eldest sister MUST marry first. Enter Burton as Petruchio. Loud, boisterous, dirty, obnoxious and SEXY! He plans to tame Kate, marry her and be a rich man on her dowry. The famous tongue in the tail speech is given on their first meeting, which sets the mood for lusty, sweaty, swarthy fighting. All the while, the sexual tension builds throughout. Many fights & torments ensue... with a beautiful ending that I will not spoil. If you like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton or just the great and powerful Bard, himself, this is a great movie, directed by the great Franco Zefferelli that is a must see! "There is no other beast on Earth so horrible as man..." (Katharina, Taming Of The Shrew)

44 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent movie to add to your collection!, August 29, 2001

By 

Priscilla Stafford (Yokohama, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taming of the Shrew [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This Shakespearean story is about the daughter of Baptista (Michael Hordern), Katarina (Elizabeth Taylor). Very unlike her younger, quiet and gentle sister Bianca (Natasha Pyne), Katarina is strong-willed and has a nasty temper. Many men want to woo the lovely Bianca, including a young scholar (Michael York), but Baptista is adamant that nobody will be wed with his Bianca until the older daughter, the shrew Katarina, is married. And there is only one man who is willing to marry her for her dowry, Petruchio (Richard Burton). When Petruchio and Katarina are wed (forcefully against Katarina's will), Petruchio proceeds to make his 'dear Kate' into a good wife, but is anyone capable of 'taming the shrew'?
A remarkable tale by the talented and famed writer, William Shakespear. And with a delightful cast of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, who can resist liking it? Elizabeth Taylor practically shines in her role! Especially at the part in the end where she makes her strong speech. I was as quiet and attentive as all the guests at the wedding.
For anyone who likes Shakespeare, who likes Elizabeth Taylor, or Richard Burton, or for that matter, want to watch a good movie, watch "The Taming of the Shrew".