Richard Burton is amazing. He just is. There's no one else in the world who can speak Shakespeare and make me understand what he's actually saying. I took drama classes for five years, and I always coasted through the Shakespeare sections. It truly was a foreign language to me; no one could get through to me.
No one besides Richard Burton. In The Taming of the Shrew, Burton plays a fortune-seeker intent on wooing and marrying an infamous rich manhater, played by his wife Elizabeth Taylor. The two bounce off each other beautifully, and both energy levels are intense, but whenever she spoke, I heard a foreign language. I'm not trying to dis her performance, but whatever she was saying, she wasn't saying it in a way that was clear to a non-Shakespeare speaker. When Burton spoke, he translated. It was incredible. I was able to follow the plot! I laughed at the jokes and listened to the dialogue.
For those of you whose knowledge of Shakespeare doesn't extend past 10 Things I Hate About You (the fantastic modern retelling of The Taming of the Shrew), this movie is for you. If you actually like Shakespeare (more power to you) then you'll definitely want to watch this one. It's obvious Burton shares your love and understanding, and his passion is wonderful to watch on the screen.
And, if you liked this movie, be sure to watch Richard Burton's version of Hamlet. It's truly incomparable.
No one besides Richard Burton. In The Taming of the Shrew, Burton plays a fortune-seeker intent on wooing and marrying an infamous rich manhater, played by his wife Elizabeth Taylor. The two bounce off each other beautifully, and both energy levels are intense, but whenever she spoke, I heard a foreign language. I'm not trying to dis her performance, but whatever she was saying, she wasn't saying it in a way that was clear to a non-Shakespeare speaker. When Burton spoke, he translated. It was incredible. I was able to follow the plot! I laughed at the jokes and listened to the dialogue.
For those of you whose knowledge of Shakespeare doesn't extend past 10 Things I Hate About You (the fantastic modern retelling of The Taming of the Shrew), this movie is for you. If you actually like Shakespeare (more power to you) then you'll definitely want to watch this one. It's obvious Burton shares your love and understanding, and his passion is wonderful to watch on the screen.
And, if you liked this movie, be sure to watch Richard Burton's version of Hamlet. It's truly incomparable.