The Taming of the Shrew (1929 film)

The Taming of the Shrew 1929 is the first sound film adaptation of the Shakespearean play of the same name. The movie was directed by Sam Taylor, adapted by Taylor from William Shakespeares play, and stars Mary Pickford and her husband Douglas Fairbanks.

Fairbanks biographer Jeffrey Vance, writing in 2008, believes Taming of the Shrew has never received the recognition it deserves as the first talking film of a a Shakespeare play. It was not only technically superior to the majority of talking pictures in 1929 but would unquestionably be the finest translation onto film of Shakespeare for some time to come. Vance also sees the film as a window into the PickfordFairbanks marriage As a reenactment of the PickfordFairbanks marriage, Taming of the Shrew continues to fascinate as a rather grim comedy. The two willful, largerthanlife personalities working at crosspurposes and conveying their resentment and frustration to each other through blatant oneupmanship and harsh wounds is both the movie and the marital union. After many years out of circulation, the film was rereleased in 1966 in a new cut supervised by Pickford herself. New sound effects and music were added throughout, much of the voice dubbing was enhanced with newly available technology, and seven minutes were cut from the initial print. This rereleased version is the only version now available on DVD or VHS. ........

Source: Wikipedia