The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
Directed by Franco Zeffirelli
Italy, 16th century. Petruchio, a choleric, lying and poor rural landowner from Verona, arrives in Padua in search of fortune and a wife, while Baptista, a wealthy merchant, announces that he will not allow Bianca, his youngest daughter, to marry until the temperamental and unruly Katherina, his eldest daughter, does.
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What critics compared The Taming of the Shrew to
Very loosely based on (maybe even just inspired by) William Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew, one thing that 10 Things has going for it is a teriffic ensemble cast of teens.
Yes, yes, it’s a remake of Shakesepeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, but Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah’s screenplay is anything but a complimentary nod to the Bard.
Although similar in plotting (ok, darn near identical), "10 Things I Hate About You," a modern-day version of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" ("She's All That" got its inspiration from "Pygmalion"), is an infinitely superior film in every department, from the smart direction by first-time feature director Gil Junger to the charming and well-written screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith to the striking ensemble cast, who give the best group of performances in a teen comedy since 1985's "The Breakfast Club."
''10 Things I Hate About You'' may be the cheekiest ''literary'' update yet -- a post-riot grrrl gloss on ''The Taming of the Shrew,'' with Shakespeare's plot twirled around devices that have become clichés, virtually overnight, in the new teen comedies: the guy who struggles to land a girl in order to win a bet; the ingenue -- in this case Kat's younger sister, the button-nosed Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) -- who's a virgin to everything but consumerism.
As it is, this very loose adaptation of the Bard's stage play, "The Taming of the Shrew" (done "Clueless"-style), is a definitely a cut above the current crop of teen-oriented comedies, thanks to an appealing cast of fresh faces, as well as a surprisingly literate script.
"10 Things I Hate About You" -- a "Clueless"-spawn remake of "The Taming of the Shrew" -- while an above average entry in the recent pool of teen-targeted pics, is sorely lacking in this arena.
Like "The Taming of the Shrew" or Emma, Hitch meets his match in tabloid columnist Sara (Mendes), who mistakes his helping schlub Albert (Kevin James--the real surprise of the show) to woo heiress Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta) for something venal instead of something wonderful.
A la The Taming of the Shrew, the mild Emily has an older sister who’s considered socially out of step, brazenly supportive of women’s rights and determined to pursue her own career as a social reformer running a settlement house for poor women and children.
The premise is as old as The Taming of the Shrew--a sharp-tongued woman falls for a resourceful suitor who's gotten past her defenses--but it works just fine in this buoyant vehicle for Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, whose chemistry is a happy surprise.
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Astute film goers will note similarities to previous tales of love and woe, including, in no particular order, He's Just Not That Into You, Cyrano de Bergerac, When Harry Met Sally and The Taming of the Shrew.
The original film had a passion and wit that called to mind "The Taming of the Shrew," in its story of a strong woman being taken in hand by a stronger man.
This relationship was so curiously fun to watch, because it reminded me of Shakespeare's "The Taming Of The Shrew," when Petruchio proved to be the only one who could tame Kate.
Here, we have The Taming of the Shrew re-written for the ADHD age, a film so devoid of credibility that it beggars belief.
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This 2019 Cannes Palme d’Or winner has fake tutors straight out of Shakespeare (“The Taming of the Shrew”).
One might interpret Anderson’s film as a weird reversal of “The Taming of the Shrew,” in which Woodcock’s cool cruelty replaces Kate’s harridan impulses and Alma becomes the tamer.