What a fantastic performance and rendering is this BBC television movie of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew." I agree with some other reviewers who think this is the best of all the filmed versions. I also note a singular other great performance in the 1967 film that starred Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
That earlier Burton-Zeffirelli excelled with some very good scenery and camera work, which this studio stage production lacks. And, Burton and Taylor especially brought somewhat more drama in the seriousness of their roles. But Sarah Badel and John Cleese give more comedy to the gusto of their roles as Katherine and Petruchio. And, after all, this is a comedy and meant to be quite funny. So, Badel and Cleese clearly give this film the masterful touch of comedy.
And director Jonathan Miller, with his cameras, captures the very funny and often hilarious nuances at times in the expressions of the two protagonists. Others have referenced Cleese in the Monty Python productions. But I couldn't help but see occasional snippets of Basil Fawlty from the Fawlty Towers mini-series of 1975-79. Cleese's facial expressions could be a funny or funnier at times than any dialog.
Well, the camera catches such humor a number of times in scenes of this film. It's clearly intended as such because in half a dozen of these scenarios Petruchio doesn't utter a line at the time. And, to the director's and Badel's credit, she too is "caught" with expressions that alone convey wonderful humor.
All of the cast do very well and give sparkling performances in this film - as did those in the 1967 film. But this film, and indeed, the bard's very work, focus on Petruchio and Katherine. Those characters and their portrayal are the core of a wonderful comedy that I, for one, also see as somewhat of a satire.
That earlier Burton-Zeffirelli excelled with some very good scenery and camera work, which this studio stage production lacks. And, Burton and Taylor especially brought somewhat more drama in the seriousness of their roles. But Sarah Badel and John Cleese give more comedy to the gusto of their roles as Katherine and Petruchio. And, after all, this is a comedy and meant to be quite funny. So, Badel and Cleese clearly give this film the masterful touch of comedy.
And director Jonathan Miller, with his cameras, captures the very funny and often hilarious nuances at times in the expressions of the two protagonists. Others have referenced Cleese in the Monty Python productions. But I couldn't help but see occasional snippets of Basil Fawlty from the Fawlty Towers mini-series of 1975-79. Cleese's facial expressions could be a funny or funnier at times than any dialog.
Well, the camera catches such humor a number of times in scenes of this film. It's clearly intended as such because in half a dozen of these scenarios Petruchio doesn't utter a line at the time. And, to the director's and Badel's credit, she too is "caught" with expressions that alone convey wonderful humor.
All of the cast do very well and give sparkling performances in this film - as did those in the 1967 film. But this film, and indeed, the bard's very work, focus on Petruchio and Katherine. Those characters and their portrayal are the core of a wonderful comedy that I, for one, also see as somewhat of a satire.