| View Larger Image | BBC Shakespeare: The Taming of the Shrew | Video On DemandStarring: Simon Chandler, Anthony Pedley, John Franklyn-Robbins, Frank Thornton, Sarah Badel
Directed By: Jonathan Miller
Also With: Jonathan Miller (Producer), William Shakespeare (Writer)
| 1 New starting at: | $1.99 |
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| | Binding: | Video On Demand | | Run Time: | 126 minutes | | Studio: | BBC | | Release Date: | July 29, 2008 | | Genre: | Book Adaptations | | Synopsis: | A rich Paduan merchant has two daughters the gentle, lovable Bianca, and the razor-tongued Katharine. And though Bianca has several suitors, she may not marry until the elder Kate has found a husband. When the boorish Petruchio announces his willingness to marry any woman with a large enough dowry, Bianca's dilemma seems to be solved. But is it possible Petruchio has met his match in the wild Kate? In The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare casts the battle of the sexes as a boisterous farce, and the result is a noisy, politically incorrect, irresistibly funny romp | | Sales Rank: | 4,214th |
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CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.5 based on 3 reviews)
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Subtle and funny by S. McKinney (Cincinnati, OH USA)  4 Stars
February 18, 2008
I like to show this version of "Shrew" to contrast it with the commedia dell'arte production done by the American Conservatory Theater. Both versions have so much to commend them.
This BBC version is really entertaining. I love the subtle directorial differences here -- you really get the clue early on that Bianca is the real shrew in the family; Kate is the misunderstood, passed over elder sister. Sarah Badel is really witty as Katherine. Her louds screams of fury resound offstage as John Cleese's Petruchio says, "Pray, have you not a daughter called Katherina, fair and virtuous?"
John Franklyn-Robbins as Baptista Minola pauses diffidently as the outraged shrieking continues and answers hesitantly, "I have a daughter, sir, called Katherina..."
Perfect comedic timing. The rest of the movie is just as well done. It's actually very romantic as well. At the end, you see Kate and Petruchio as equals in their marriage, presenting the public face that society demands they show, while knowing that they are true soul mates in their private life together.
There is no Induction in this version, by the way.
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Sweetness and by K. Niemla (Louisiana)  5 Stars
December 20, 2007
This is the most romantic and touching Shrew on film. Here, Petruchio is a sly and thoughtful man who really does care for Kate and knows how to make her his own and give her access to her own happiness.
This is also John Cleese's best acting in his entire career, and I've seen a lot of it. He is charming and subdued here. His performance will knock you flat.
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Dull and pedestrian by Elfenstone (New York)  2 Stars
September 25, 2007
Alas, John Cleese, the star of this show, misses the mark here, and Sarah Badel, as Katherine, is not only too old for the part but plays her less as a shrew than an alternately abused or abusive mental patient. Perhaps it's her "advanced" age, but I'd never imagined Kate crying, and this mature woman in tears does not advance the comedy. In my opinion, the best Shrew out there is the 1976 TV version, still available on Amazon, starring Marc Singer of "Beastmaster" fame. It's athletic, bawdy, energetic -- and funny!
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