The Taming of the Shrew (1929) was directed by Sam Taylor, and stars Mary Pickford as Katherine and Douglas Fairbanks as Petruchio.
I've always have found this play painful to watch, because it reminds us of how many societies in the world were (and are) paternalistic. A woman belonged to her father until she was married, and then to her husband.
As Petruchio tells the crowd at the wedding: "I will be master of what is mine own. She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house, My household stuff, my field, my barn, My horse, my ox, my ass, my anything." Sadly, it was true.
Then, to tame his reluctant wife, Petruchio uses techniques perfected at prisons to break a prisoner's spirit--deprivation of food, deprivation of sleep, arbitrary rules that change in arbitrary ways. And, of course, there's always the threat of physical force if none of these methods work.
We can't blame the movie for this--that's what Shakespeare wrote, and that's what Taylor shows us. Pickford and Fairbanks were the great Hollywood couple of their day. It was said that their marriage was coming apart, and they tried to save it by co-starring in this movie. As we know, it didn't work.
However, I think the film itself benefited from their personal relationship. My take was that when Petruchio kissed Kate, Kate responded as if she were sexually aroused. Certainly, on their wedding night, she makes it clear that she will welcome him into their bed.
Finally, Kate's final speech, when she accepts the total domination of husband over wife, is undercut completely by Kate's sly wink to her sister Bianca. I think Shakespeare meant this speech to truly represent his views of a dutiful wife. Pickford wasn't buying it. She may have been forced into outward submission, but her spirit wasn't broken.
We saw this film on a classroom-sized screen as part of a Shakespeare on Film honors seminar. it will work well on DVD. If you enjoy Shakespeare, and you want to see an early talkie with two famous stars playing Kate and Petruchio, the movie is worth seeing. I prefer it to the Taylor/Burton version, where Kate really appears to buy the concept of total submission to her husband. Now that's a painful scene.
I've always have found this play painful to watch, because it reminds us of how many societies in the world were (and are) paternalistic. A woman belonged to her father until she was married, and then to her husband.
As Petruchio tells the crowd at the wedding: "I will be master of what is mine own. She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house, My household stuff, my field, my barn, My horse, my ox, my ass, my anything." Sadly, it was true.
Then, to tame his reluctant wife, Petruchio uses techniques perfected at prisons to break a prisoner's spirit--deprivation of food, deprivation of sleep, arbitrary rules that change in arbitrary ways. And, of course, there's always the threat of physical force if none of these methods work.
We can't blame the movie for this--that's what Shakespeare wrote, and that's what Taylor shows us. Pickford and Fairbanks were the great Hollywood couple of their day. It was said that their marriage was coming apart, and they tried to save it by co-starring in this movie. As we know, it didn't work.
However, I think the film itself benefited from their personal relationship. My take was that when Petruchio kissed Kate, Kate responded as if she were sexually aroused. Certainly, on their wedding night, she makes it clear that she will welcome him into their bed.
Finally, Kate's final speech, when she accepts the total domination of husband over wife, is undercut completely by Kate's sly wink to her sister Bianca. I think Shakespeare meant this speech to truly represent his views of a dutiful wife. Pickford wasn't buying it. She may have been forced into outward submission, but her spirit wasn't broken.
We saw this film on a classroom-sized screen as part of a Shakespeare on Film honors seminar. it will work well on DVD. If you enjoy Shakespeare, and you want to see an early talkie with two famous stars playing Kate and Petruchio, the movie is worth seeing. I prefer it to the Taylor/Burton version, where Kate really appears to buy the concept of total submission to her husband. Now that's a painful scene.