The Taming of the Shrew

Plot

In this early silent adaptation of Shakespeare's classic comedy, the wealthy Petruchio arrives in Padua seeking a wife and sets his sights on the notoriously ill-tempered Katharina, eldest daughter of Baptista Minola. Despite Katharina's fierce resistance and sharp tongue, Petruchio pursues her relentlessly, determined to marry her for her substantial dowry. After a tumultuous courtship, Petruchio succeeds in marrying Katharina and immediately begins an aggressive campaign to 'tame' her spirit through various psychological tactics, including denying her food and sleep. The film follows their tumultuous relationship as Petruchio's methods gradually break down Katharina's defenses, leading to a transformed and submissive wife by the story's conclusion. The adaptation condenses Shakespeare's complex play into the brief runtime typical of films from this era, focusing primarily on the central conflict between the two strong-willed characters.

Historical Background

The Taming of the Shrew was produced in 1908, a pivotal year in early American cinema when the industry was transitioning from novelty to storytelling medium. This period saw the rise of narrative films as the dominant form, moving away from the actualities and trick films that characterized cinema's first decade. The Biograph Company, where Griffith worked, was one of the leading American studios, competing with Edison and Vitagraph for market dominance. 1908 was also the year that the Motion Picture Patents Company (the Edison Trust) was formed, creating a near-monopoly over film production and distribution in the United States. Socially, the Progressive Era was in full swing, with debates about women's roles in society gaining prominence, making Shakespeare's story of a 'tamed' woman particularly relevant to contemporary audiences. The film industry was still largely centered in the New York/New Jersey area, with Hollywood not yet established as the capital of American filmmaking. This was also before the star system had fully developed, so actors like Florence Lawrence were not yet publicly identified by name.

Making Of

The making of 'The Taming of the Shrew' occurred during the formative period of American cinema when D.W. Griffith was rapidly developing his craft as a director at the Biograph Company. Griffith had joined Biograph as an actor in 1908 but quickly moved behind the camera when the company needed directors. The film was shot in a single day with minimal preparation, as was standard practice for Biograph's one-reel productions. The cast worked without scripts in the modern sense, relying instead on scene outlines and their understanding of Shakespeare's play. Florence Lawrence and Arthur V. Johnson had to convey complex emotions and character development through gesture and expression alone, as this was a silent film with no surviving intertitles. The production faced the technical limitations of 1908 filmmaking, including cumbersome cameras, natural lighting requirements, and the inability to record sound. Despite these constraints, Griffith was already experimenting with camera positioning and editing techniques that would later become hallmarks of his more celebrated work.

Visual Style

The cinematography of 'The Taming of the Shrew' reflects the technical limitations and aesthetic conventions of 1908 filmmaking. The film was likely shot by Biograph's regular cinematographers, possibly including Arthur Marvin or G.W. 'Billy' Bitzer, who would later become Griffith's primary cameraman. The camera would have been stationary, using long takes that captured the entire action within a single frame, as the moving camera had not yet been developed. Lighting would have been entirely natural, coming from large windows in the studio or sunlight for exterior shots, as artificial lighting was still primitive. The film was shot on 35mm black and white film stock, with no color tinting which would become common in later years. Composition would have been theatrical in nature, with actors positioned to be clearly visible to the camera rather than creating naturalistic depth. The cinematography prioritized clarity of action and expression over artistic composition, reflecting the primary goal of early narrative films to tell stories comprehensibly despite technical limitations.

Innovations

While 'The Taming of the Shrew' does not feature major technical innovations, it represents the standard technical practices of American cinema in 1908. The film was shot on Biograph's proprietary 68mm film stock, which the company used until 1909 before switching to the industry standard 35mm. This larger format provided higher image quality than competing studios' 35mm films. The production utilized the Mitchell camera, one of the more reliable cameras of the period. The film demonstrates early use of continuity editing to tell a coherent story across multiple scenes, though the techniques are primitive compared to what Griffith would later develop. The lighting setup, while simple, shows the beginnings of the three-point lighting system that would become standard. The film's survival is itself a technical achievement, as nitrate film from this period has largely deteriorated. The preservation of this work allows modern scholars to study the technical state of American cinema during its formative years.

Music

As a silent film, 'The Taming of the Shrew' had no synchronized soundtrack. However, it would have been accompanied by live music during its theatrical presentations. In 1908, nickelodeons typically employed a pianist or small ensemble to provide musical accompaniment. The music would have been selected from existing published pieces rather than specially composed scores. For a Shakespeare adaptation, the accompanist might have chosen classical pieces or popular songs that matched the mood of each scene. The music would have been louder during dramatic moments and softer during intimate scenes, helping to guide audience emotions. Some theaters might have used sound effects like bells or whistles to punctuate the action. The lack of surviving intertitles means modern screenings require even more musical interpretation to convey the narrative. The experience of watching the film in 1908 would have been significantly different from viewing it today, with the live musical performance being an integral part of the presentation.

Memorable Scenes

• The climactic wedding scene where Petruchio's aggressive 'taming' of Katharina reaches its peak, conveyed through exaggerated physical comedy and dramatic gestures typical of silent era performance. The scene would have featured Lawrence's wild resistance gradually breaking down under Johnson's forceful character, all communicated through facial expression and body language without the benefit of dialogue.

What Critics Said

Contemporary critical reception of 1908 films is difficult to trace, as film criticism as we know it today did not yet exist. Trade publications like 'The Moving Picture World' and 'Variety' were just beginning to cover the industry, but detailed reviews of individual shorts were rare. What little coverage exists suggests that Biograph's productions were generally regarded as technically proficient and entertaining. Modern film historians view 'The Taming of the Shrew' as an interesting artifact of early cinema, particularly valuable for showing D.W. Griffith's development as a director. Critics note that while the film lacks the sophisticated techniques Griffith would later pioneer, it demonstrates his early understanding of visual storytelling and character development. The adaptation is generally seen as ambitious for its time, attempting to convey Shakespeare's complex comedy within the severe limitations of an 11-minute runtime. Modern scholars appreciate the film as a document of early 20th-century performance styles and cinematic techniques, though it is primarily studied by specialists rather than widely viewed.

What Audiences Thought

Audience reception data for 1908 films is virtually nonexistent, as systematic box office tracking and audience surveys had not yet been developed. However, Biograph films of this period were generally popular with the working-class and middle-class audiences who frequented nickelodeons. Shakespeare's name would have been familiar to many theatergoers of the time, potentially attracting viewers interested in seeing a film adaptation of a classic play. The comedy genre and the story's dramatic conflict would have appealed to audiences seeking entertainment during their brief nickelodeon visits. The physical comedy inherent in the story of 'taming' a shrewish woman would have translated well to silent film performance. Given that Biograph continued producing Shakespeare adaptations and other literary works, it's reasonable to assume these films found an audience. The star power of Florence Lawrence, though not yet publicly acknowledged, may have contributed to the film's appeal through her recognizable screen presence.

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