Taming of the Shrew by Wm Shakespeare (Bard Productions )

The Taming of the shrew


Kultur [distributor, 2001]


runtime 1 hr 55 mins.

From the description at Kulture video

The story of the courtship of a beautiful but sharp-tempered woman and her persistent suitor.

Unfamiliar English accents, so prevalent in most Shakespearean productions, are absent from this series. English and drama teachers, as well as the typical playgoer, will find this feature of tremendous value. Shakespeare's own language is preserved; clarity of both language and story is achieved.


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The story centers on two sisters and their suitors. Katherina, the eldest daughter, is very beautiful but so sharp-tongued that no man shows interest. Bianca, is sought by many men, but cannot marry until the elder Katherina is wed.


A swaggering, young adventurer, Petruchio, appears seeking a wife and is smitten with Katherina. The stormy courtship of Katherina and Petruchio unfolds in a battle of wits, wills and words. She obeys her father's wishes, marries Petruchio, and he begins the task of taming his shrew.

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My notes

The production goes back to before 2001 under the name Bard Productions.

What makes this Taming of the Shrew such a delight is that it is performed on a stage replica of the Globe Theater on which it would have been seen.

The direction and performers are first rate though you will not recognize many of them unless you are familiar with West Coast theater. Bruce Davison is the exception. I had to look twice to identify him as the young Tranio.

I am making this torrent available for those who may have not seen a real stage representation of this play.

Everyone can enjoy this performance including children since it is very broad and references the Comedia del Arte style. Italian Comedia was not above fart jokes and slapstick humor that kids would enjoy.




Not since Kiss Me Kate has a performance with such verve been preserved for the home video audience. It's like seeing it for the first time with all the action taking place on a Shakespearean stage space.

Finally a note about the direction. It is rare that the director can capture stage action and cinematic inventiveness at the same time. This is such a production.

This recording is not available at IMDb. The cast listing has to be taken from the screen.

Also a note on the transfer: all that was available was the "main file" to be processed by DVDFab. The ends credits were not available. For this reason the last scene ends abruptly. But it is still a fine entertainment and holds many key elements of what a good Shakespeare production looks like.

Encourage your libraries to get the full dvd from Kulture Video. It is currently available along with other titles from this Bard series of performances on a Shakespearean stage.