What a waste of my time!!!

This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Strictly average movie

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

I happened to order online a DVD version of The Taming of the Shrew. When I received the packet the day before yesterday, I found out that it was not the film directed by Franco Zeffirelli that I originally wanted, but some stage production by whoever... I was disappointed that I had made such a silly mistake with ordering something else than I wanted. However, only after a minute or two of watching the performance, I was not entirely sure if it was really a mistake, and when Petruchio stepped on the scene, I suddenly realised that this was actually the luckiest choice of DVD I have ever made. Petruchio and Kate are both so lively and wilful. (I do not want to say that the other actors did not do their best - they are ALL wonderful, but Petruchio and Kate are my favourite characters.) When Kate is weary and sad, Fredi Olster has tears in her eyes... The whole cast are playing for the audience, not for the stage, and they do not miss a chance to communicate with the people. It must have been an exceptional and unforgettable experience to see this performance live. For me, it was exceptional even on the screen, and I am sure I will not forget it - I have already seen it twice...

This was the first time I'd seen Marc Singer. I fell in lust that day and have stayed there ever since. His was, without doubt, the best performance of Petruchio I've ever seen. His language was beautiful music, his delivery perfect and understandable and his body was to die for! I'm sure the other actors did a good job too, but the other performances paled beside his outstanding portrayal and I just don't remember anyone else! Who needs elaborate sets and costumes when the actors can make you see it all with just their performances? I was so impressed I have watched him in anything else he's done (even the not so great stuff). He is wonderful in "If You Could See What I Hear" and "Something For Joey". Any ideas where I can obtain a copy of this Great Performances airing of my very own? (Never mind, I've just bought a DVD copy on Amazon.)

It is a great pleasure to review something you liked twenty years ago to find that it is actually better than you remembered it. Such is the case with this production of "Taming of the Shrew"This is not only by far the most lively and good-natured version of the play I have ever seen on stage or film, but it also seems to be directed in accord with the commedia dell'arte tradition that has surely been very much on Shakespeare's mind when he wrote the play. There is a multitude of 'in-your-face' gags (the audience is never lured into the deceptive ruses of naturalistic theater, but are constantly made aware of their own presence) and scores of Italian 'lazzi' - stunts of every kind. We have a remarkably acrobatic duo in Kate (Fredi Olster) and Petrucchio (marc Singer), and their first scene together - where every piece of Shakespearean lewdness is brought out to us with a vengeance - is rewarded by a full minute of accolades from the delighted, live audience before which the production was filmed in 1976.Of all in the cast I only knew Marc Singer, and remembered him only from a sci-fi series ("V"?) and a Harold Robbins series (Park Avenue 79?), but this is truly his claim to fame.If you never see another Shakespeare play in your life, be sure to catch this one. After 25 years of searching in vain, it was finally brought to me by the miraculous combination of the internet and my visa card. Brave new world, indeed!

The San Fransisco American Conservatory Theater gives an outstanding performance in a highly acclaimed production of Taming Of The Shrew. Just watching the actors facial expressions will leave you in hysterics. Marc Singer and Freddi Olster have a beautiful chemistry as Petruchio and the impossible Kate. This is one of the best productions of any kind I've ever seen. Anyone wanting to purchase this film can get it through Amazon.com or the Broadway Theater Archive!!!