The Taming of the Shrew

[Zeljka]

The Taming Of The Shrew is the most controversial play of William Shakespeare, yet it has so many adaptations! I believe the play's popularity is in its lively characters and banter, both male and female, and not in its rather farcical "taming" parts. I'll name only a few adaptations that I think you should watch if you haven't already:

ShakespeaRe-Told - The Taming Of The Shrew (2005) - absolutely electrifying performances of Rufus Sewell and Shirley Henderson make this BBC modern retelling of the story so worth watching!
Deliver Us from Eva (2003) - a cool retelling of the play set in modern-day California.
10 Things I Hate About You (1999) - Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and David Krumholtz make this young adult adaptation quite charming.
The Taming of the Shrew (1980) - this one I still have to find. John Cleese as Petruchio? A must-see!
The Taming of the Shrew (1967) - I must admit I haven't ever seen Zeffirelli's version of the play, with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in the main roles. Well, then I have something to look forward to, to watch for the first time.
McLintock! (1963) - The Taming of the Shrew set in the Old Wild West, with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in the main roles. It is worth noting that this movie is in the public domain, available for free download at the Internet Archive
Kiss Me Kate (1953) - a great musical-in-musical, with wonderful Cole Porter's numbers. The storyline is equally interesting and amusing off-stage as it is on-stage!
The Taming of the Shrew (1929) - the first sound adaptation of the play, with Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in the main roles, must be noted too.

I didn't include any Bollywood or any other foreign language movies, because I haven't seen any, so I cannot say if they are good or not - please tell me if you would recommend one or two. Have you seen any of above mentioned adaptations? Did you like them or hate them? Please share your thoughts with us! If there are any other good adaptations I forgot to mention, you know what you are to do :)

[Zeljka]

I loved the play when I read it a while ago. I thought never were men and women depicted so lively and full of character, each bent on their own absurd ways and funny for their silliness. I've seen the play live in Shakespeare's Globe last year and enjoyed vastly their performances, and how they toned it down a bit for sake of the modern audience. Abuse and torture are never funny, and that is obvious even when one reads them on the paper, let alone when one sees it on stage. Those parts I've always found mystifying because I figured even in those times people knew these "methods" won't tame anybody, but rather make victims resentful and vindictive.
I remember that I never for once thought Katherine's final speech was a truthful one because it seemed so out of her character. But, one must take into account that plays are made for live performances, and those words can be turned perfectly into veiled sarcasm when performed on the stage.
But, those are my thoughts from afar - I should still read the play again to be certain of them, my mind is surely confusing film adaptations with the original play. I am so eager to hear your opinions and thoughts! I am sure there are many of you who have done the play for their English classes, or who have seen or even performed in one for school theatre ;) You can share and analyze quotes too - I hope that I'll share some of my own once I do read it again.

[Blueberry]

I've seen the Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton version, 10 Things I Hate About You, and ShakespeaRe-Told. They were all great. I couldn't get into Kiss Me Kate and didn't finish. I've also seen it live twice, I think. When done well it's a fun, though ridiculous play.

[Janice (JG)]

Drat. I'm already overbooked this month, and tho' I had saved a recording of the Taylor/Burton version on my DVR for months hoping to get to this moment, when it was time to start recording the Olympics I deleted it to make more space. Utter failure this month on this thread. Maybe I can get back here (and there) later.