The Taming of the Shrew (1976)

As Good As It Gets

Absolutely brilliant

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

As in the title, I've only seen one 10-minute segment, the part where Petruchio and Katharina meet each other and enter into a furious round of wordplay, but by Jove was that segment fantastic! The acting was great, pulled off so well that every moment in this commedia dell'arte production was hilarious. The wordplay was made obvious, and I am still in awe of how Petruchio can be tossing Katharine in his arms or whirling her over his head and still recite his iambic pentameter. Petruchio, played by Mark Singer, is a cocky man, but you see that he also has a more caring side to him underneath the wild antics that Mark Singer gives. Katharina is definitely easily angered, but she has a feistiness, will, and has plenty of wit. The actress chose to make Katharina's shrieking, shrewish side IMO more toned down, and it makes the character more likable. Indeed, I find myself liking her railing, her shouting and most of all her wit. The wordplay is to die for: quick, lively, and sharp as a razor. Petruchio and Katharina are the highlights, but the other people in the cast (from what I saw) also do a great job in making their characters fit into the commedia dell'arte style and making the audience laugh. Yes, this is slapstick, but slapstick done well and I'll find it difficult for someone to not like this production. Unless you have an aversion to all types of slapstick, well pulled-off or not, you'll love it. This is the most highly rated out of all the Taming of the Shrew productions from what I've seen on IMDb and Amazon, and I agree that this relatively unknown production really merits praise, even if I've only seen a small part of it.

It is a great pleasure to review something you liked twenty years ago to find that it is actually better than you remembered it. Such is the case with this production of "Taming of the Shrew"This is not only by far the most lively and good-natured version of the play I have ever seen on stage or film, but it also seems to be directed in accord with the commedia dell'arte tradition that has surely been very much on Shakespeare's mind when he wrote the play. There is a multitude of 'in-your-face' gags (the audience is never lured into the deceptive ruses of naturalistic theater, but are constantly made aware of their own presence) and scores of Italian 'lazzi' - stunts of every kind. We have a remarkably acrobatic duo in Kate (Fredi Olster) and Petrucchio (marc Singer), and their first scene together - where every piece of Shakespearean lewdness is brought out to us with a vengeance - is rewarded by a full minute of accolades from the delighted, live audience before which the production was filmed in 1976.Of all in the cast I only knew Marc Singer, and remembered him only from a sci-fi series ("V"?) and a Harold Robbins series (Park Avenue 79?), but this is truly his claim to fame.If you never see another Shakespeare play in your life, be sure to catch this one. After 25 years of searching in vain, it was finally brought to me by the miraculous combination of the internet and my visa card. Brave new world, indeed!

I saw this production in a theatre class back in the late 70's and have never forgotten it -- this was the first time I'd seen a production of "Taming of the Shrew" that didn't offend my feminist sensibilities! It was fast paced (as Shakespeare's comedies should be), physical and fun, well directed and acted.

This is one of my favorite Shakespeare stories and this is by far the best showing. It was all action, energy, fast and fun. No sets, just a stage and tons of talent. I kick myself when to think I could have made a VHS copy and didn't. I want this on DVD.