SHAKESPEARE

Synopsis

Western feature film. A cattle rancher (Wayne) finds himself wrangling with both incoming settlers and his headstrong wife, Katherine (Maureen O’Hara). In part a tribute to THE QUIET MAN but closer in theme to The Taming of the Shrew. Lanier (op cit) notes - ‘There are no citations of Shakespeare (other than a passing reference to "the milk of human kindness" from Macbeth), but several key motifs of Shakespeare’s play are freely recast: bickering between lovers who are, despite their evident attraction, unable to express their love because of a contest of authority; a subplot that involves a younger woman and multiple suitors; and a testy marriage that culminates in a taming scene in front of an audience’.

Language

English

Country

United States

Medium

Film

Technical information

Colour / Sound

Year of release

1963

Duration

127 mins

Credits

Director

Andrew V. McLaglen

Producer

Michael Wayne

Cinematographer

William H. Clothier

Screenplay

James E. Grant

Costume

Ann Peck

Art Direction

Eddie Imazu; Hal Pereira

Cast

Maureen O’Hara	Katherine McLintock (Katherina)
John Wayne	George Washington McLintock (Petruchio)

Additional Details

Production type

Fiction Films

Plays

Taming of the Shrew, The

Subjects

Drama

Keywords

Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); westerns

Notes

Notes

A 35mm preservation print of the trailer for the film is held by the BFI National Archive.

General

The tagline for the film was ‘he tamed the West...but could he tame her?'

Reviews

Lanier, Douglas. ‘Film Spin-Offs and Citations’ in Burt, Richard (ed). Shakespeares After Shakespeares: an Encyclopedia of the Bard in Mass Media and Popular Culture. 2 vols. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2006). p. 310, entry 1319.

Production Company

Name

Batjac Productions

Name

United Artists