Franco Zefferelli’s The Taming of The Shrew is a good adaptation of the play, just like his adaptation of Romeo and Juliet was a good adaptation of the play. Not a great one, but a good one. What is best about this adaptation are the lead actors. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor might be the perfect Katherine and Petruchio matching for these two actors.
Richard Burton is big and loud and laughable. He is like a drunken teddy bear. Half of his performance is just laughing. Almost any other actor would have made this sound and look terrible, but Burton’s charisma and physical appearance was perfect for Petruchio, causing his laughing and guffawing not to be too much. He is more than just a teddy bear, but like a demented Santa Clause that you don’t want to sit down on. He owns the screen, even with Taylor opposite of him.
This might sound like Taylor isn’t as good as Burton, but that would not be the case. She is just as good as Burton. Through the eyes she can portray the shrew. It isn’t just her actions and her voice, the viewer can see the madness and the shrewishness through the eyes more than just the tantrums she gives. The wildness and the madness are subdued by laughing, by Burton. It almost looks like it is the laughing is how Burton controls the madness on the screen through that, pushing aside her yelling with it.
Although there are some other great parts in the film, Baptista is just fine and the sets are well designed, there is not much else that I can classify as great filmmaking. But it was a stroke of genius of the casting director to pair these two great actors (a twice married couple) to play these two great characters. His style is interesting and through the casting he has reached a wider audience to the general poplulation.
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