Shakespeare in Performance: Film
The Taming of the Shrew (1929, Sam Taylor)
| Title | The Taming of the Shrew |
|---|---|
| Year | 1929 |
| Release Locations | USA |
| Director | Sam Taylor |
| Medium | Video |
| Length | 1 hrs, 8 mins |
| Languages | English |
| Audience | college and university general public high school |
| Play Connections | The Taming of the Shrew (adaptation) |
Description
Released as a silent in 1929, the film's dialogue was subsequently dubbed in. It was re-released in 1966 with a new music score and sound track. Its historical distinction arises from its status as the first talking Shakespeare film in English. Few actors could match Douglas Fairbanks for swaggering bravado, and his co-starring with Mary Pickford as Kate guaranteed the film's popularity, which is now pretty much out of circulation. The critics, who forgot that Shrew is a rollicking farce, not a sacerdotal text like King Lear, were very hard on it. Director Sam Taylor was solemnly excoriated for his facetious credit line "with additional dialogue by William Shakespeare." The Library of Congress print that I screened doesn't have this cheeky quip (KSR)
Description from Shakespeare on Screen : an International Filmography and Videography by Kenneth S. Rothwell and Annabelle Henkin Melzer. ©1990 Kenneth S. Rothwell. Cited by permission. — Added 2008-11-14
Cast Overview
| Katherine | Mary Pickford |
|---|---|
| Bianca | Dorothy Jordon |
| Baptista | Edwin Maxwell |
| Petruchio | Douglas Fairbanks |
| Gremio | Joseph Cawthorn |
| Hortensio | Geoffrey Wardell |
| Grumio | Clyde Cook |
Production Team and Crew Overview
Company Overview
| Producer | Pickford/Elton Corp |
|---|
Production information courtesy of: Kenneth Rothwell