Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4566 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-03-19
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Hindi, Portuguese, Turkish, Danish, Icelandic, Bulgarian, Swedish, Hungarian, Polish, Dutch, Arabic, Finnish, Czech, Greek
• Dubbed in: German, Italian, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 117 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The 1967 Franco Zeffirelli film of The Taming of the Shrew had all the ingredients to make it a high point in Shakespearian cinema. In Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor it starred the most bankable couple in Hollywood history as the sparring leads in the Bard's quick-firing comic battle of the sexes; and in Zeffirelli, it had a director with a Shakespearian pedigree second to none. But the reality is that this is Burton's picture all the way. His Petruchio is a weighty performance of such intelligence that the whole film is thrown off-kilter whenever he is on screen and the other performers just can't keep up. Apart from Michael Hordern's wonderfully distracted Baptista, Burton is the only actor in total, effortless command of the language. Taylor's bosomy glamour and fiery spirit are ample compensations for her occasionally murderous treatment of Katharina's verse. Whether or not she is really tamed by the end is another matter: those legendary violet eyes suggest otherwise. Ultimately it's a rich, bawdy and colourful romp, with Burton at the peak of his powers.

The DVD includes the theatrical trailer, a "making-of" featurette and filmographies. --Piers Ford

Special Features
2.35 Wide Screen
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
DVD 9
French\German\Italian\Spanish
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital Mono English French German Italian Spanish
Dolby Digital Mono
Making Of Featurette
Theatrical Trailer
Filmographies
Arabic\Bulgarian\Czech\Danish\Dutch\English\Finnish\French\German\Greek\Hebrew\Hindi\Hungarian\Icelandic\Italian\Norwegian\Polish\Portuguese\Spanish\Swedish\Turkish

Synopsis
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton star in this earthy, robust version of the classic Shakespeare comedy, which was director Franco Zeffirelli's first film. Michael York plays Lucentio, the young student who falls for comely Bianca (Natasha Pyne) and must recruit Petruchio (Burton) to wed her wild and violent older sister (Taylor) before their father will allow Bianca to entertain suitors. Watching two larger-than-life lovers like Burton and Taylor slug it out in their hilarious scenes of "courtship" is something even those with no fondness for Shakespeare can truly relish.

Customer Reviews

Essential piece of movie history!!!
WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!

This is a brilliant tale with Taylor and Burton drawing on their tremendous on and off screen chemistry to breathe fresh life into one of Shakespeare's finest works...

Reading the play might not get all so excited about his works, but Taylor breathes genuine life into the indominable Shrew!!! Burton plays a lovable rogue... and it all comes together rather well... Finer words could not have been written, but their delivery is what makes it more appreciable to the audience...

Plain and simple - well worth mutliple viewings, might give some an insight into more contemporary pieces like Moonlighting... and where they got there idea for magic of the main characters being at loggerheads...

A true gem - well worth its price!!!

Brilliant
After studying the play in its text version in my English Literature class, we were shown this Zefferelli film. To my amazement, it surpassed my expectations and managed to keep the comedy. In truth, Petruchio was not what I expected from the first glance, but gradually, I felt that Richard Burton was very well suited to the role. For the time, it is a rather lavish production and I recommend everyone to see it.

Taming of the Shrew Review
I'm studying this play and bought this Franco Zafirrelli / Elizabeth Burton version as it was dirt cheap on amazon. I found it more enjoyable than the BBC version (as did my wife), even though we both preferred John Cleese's to Richard Burton's Petruchio. It gains over the BBC version by not having that awkward out of place hymn at the end (and after Shakespeare note-worthily eschewed religious arguments in Kate's final speech)! Also, the dialogue is here more clearly and comprehensibly spoken; it is just a shame it misses out the majority of it! There are a lot of visual gags to retain the interest of those who do not follow the language used. Unfortunately it also misses some of the plot points for the minor characters along the way, although it does portray the main relationship really well (doubtless feeding on the off-screen relationship of the stars). Finally, it is very noticeably studio-bound and some people may find it too interpretive and 'Hollywood'. In summary though, this is definitely worth watching, very entertaining and enjoyable whether you are a Shakespeare fan or not.