Page 36 - Shakespeare in the Movie From the Silent Era to Shakespeare in Love

An Auspicious Opening I 25

fith, modeled his Maureen O'Hara-John Wayne pairings, including
the period western Rio Grande (1950) and the contemporary comedy-
drama The Quiet Man (1952), after Shrew. An even more obvious
parallel occurs in McLintock! (1963), a relocation of Shakespeare's
play to the fading frontier, with O'Hara and Wayne in fine form as
the ever-battling couple. Sadly, the film was directed by Andrew V.
McLaglen, the less-talented son of famed actor Victor McLaglen,
Without the steady artistic hand of Ford, this film proved only inter-
mittently effective.
Apparently, Kate and Petruchio are, thanks to Shakespeare, as per-
manently enshrined as symbols of battling middle-aged marrieds as
Romeo and Juliet remain our reference point for young, sweet-spir-
ited lovers; the Bard understood what author Ambrose Bierce would
claim three centuries later: "Romantic love is a temporary insanity,
quickly cured by marriage." Virtually any film featuring such a duel-
ing couple can be compared to the archetypes found in The Taming
of the Shrew; precisely how indebted the French film Lamegre
apprivoisee (Vascos, 1955; Antonio Roman) or the Spanish feature
Mas fuerte que el amor (Mexicali, 1959; Tullio Demicheli) are to the
Bard can be debated. Clear to all is the lasting impact of Shakespeare
on world culture.