2 Today is the official beginning of the ending of the school year.
3 My two oldest traditions as a teacher are my ghosts and legends unit, which dates back to my days student teaching, and The Taming of the Shrew, which I first saw as a substitute and have taught since my first day as a full-time teacher.
4 I finish every school year with The Taming of the Shrew, the Franco Zeffirelli version. It's the law.
5 Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in a tour de force beyond imagination, with Shakespearean language delivered brilliantly throughout.
6 Music by the immortal Nino Rota, who did the music for Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, as well for the first two Godfather movies.
7 Is it changed?
8 The original script. Is it changed?
9 Yes. Major scenes in the film are hilarious monologues in the script.
10 Is this wrong?
11 Ha!
12 The delight of enjoying Shakespeare is that in the twenty-first century the idea is to entertain, the same way it was when this stuff was written.
13 The character of Grumio, Petruchio's sidekick is toned way down, and he is a much more entertaining character in the script. But as Petruchio's lackey, Cyril Cusack plays the part wonderfully, giving just the right angry face at all the right moments, and he steals many scenes where a lesser actor may have lain down due to the editing of the original lines.
14 Many other lines DO survive, and they are a kick in the pants.
15 "If I be waspish..." If you know that scene, give a chuckle, if not, find it and read it. You will say this: "They DIDN'T just say THAT, did they???" The ahnswer is a resounding, "Yes they did!"
16 There are moments in the homecoming scene at Petruchio's house that look as though they were ripped right out of The Pirates of the Caribbean.
17 Several years ago I got to see a wonderful version of Shrew at the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival at Sand Harbor, a place you bring blankets and beach chairs and never know what to expect.
18 They did Shrew as pirates, complete with a pirate ship and the Yo-ho song playing right before the show started, inviting the audience to chime in from the very beginning.
19 That production was one of the best I've ever seen.
20 Shrew.
21 There are those who say it should never have been written.
22 Oh, I agree.
23
24 Or perhaps not.
25 Is it sexist? Of course. But the character of Kate is just as bull-headed and strong-willed.
26 Is it misogynist? The character of Petruchio certainly is.
27 They are characters, and characters change, especially in the ludicrous happenings of a madcap farce.
28 The music by Rota brings in moments of ethereal tenderness at moments.
29 The change of characters is subtle because the characters become attracted to each other.
30 And I therefore must needs love this film.
31 The music rings in the end of this very stressful school year.
32 You get the great moment where the widow who marries Hortensio insults Kate.
33 The two women exchange insults and almost square off to fight. Petruchio yells out:
32 "A hundred pounds my Kate will lay her flat!" Without missing a beat, Hortensio answers:
33 "That's my office!"
34 And on and on, until Kate and Petruchio kiss, ending the film with Petruchio's words:
"I've won the battle you've yet to fight, and being a winner, God give you good night!"
35 In the end it all comes together.
36 It's an annual celebration.
37 I've won the battle, and it was brutal.
38 I'm goin' in.
39 I haven't quite won yet.
40 But I'm goin' in. Long live Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. May it serve you well.
41 See you again.
42 Peace.
~H~
No comments:
Post a Comment