The Taming of the Shrew (1980)

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Siskoid
The Taming of the Shrew can be a difficult comedy for modern audiences because its gender politics seem well ensconced in the attitudes of Shakespeare's day, patriarchal with women as second-class citizens if not outright property. I say "seems" because the play is so often misread as anti-feminist. Considering the body of Shakespeare's work on female characters, it would be surprising even at this early stage to find misogyny in the play, and I refuse to see any except in how Elizabethan gender politics are sent up. At the end, when the "shrewish" Katharina submits, it's not a victory of Man over Woman, it's the compromise we call marriage. John Cleese plays Petruchio, which should be a major draw to comedy fans, and it's his innate humanity that makes the play work. He's a fiercely absurd character, prone to Three Stooges-type slapstick, and intent on giving Kate the combative marriage she seems to seek (presenting the mirror of her abuse that ultimate tames her), but it's his quieter moments, his kindness, that allows us to believe the two of them love each other. The play isn't about a man subjugating a woman, it's about the two of them finding a way to co-exist peaceably, to rule ONE ANOTHER, and be strong partners facing society together. The subtlety of it escapes many, but it's there on the page, and it's there on the screen. 8 years 10 months ago