The 1953 film, Kiss Me, Kate, is an adaptation of the Tony Award winning classic American musical comedy of the same name. It is a physical comedy, interspersed with romance, about a group of actors staging The Taming of the Shrew. The gaps in between the "slapstick" and romantic moments allow for humorously portrayed conflict. I thoroughly enjoyed its "play within a play" concept, owing to its stark similarity to The Taming of the Shrew, but portrayed in a modern setting. This is an irresistible film to watch especially because of its unique craftsmanship of switching between two parallel worlds—the on-stage and the backstage—of the play's characters. The music, strengthened by the lyrics, is one of the strongest suits of this play. Loaded with wit, humor, boisterousness, satire, and sensuality, it gives the audience ample reasons to like it. The costumes, hairstyles, and sets evoke a feeling that one has been whisked into the past as far back as Shakespeare's time in the sixteenth century. Kiss Me, Kate brings a sense of nostalgia to the older generation. The play is enjoyable to the current generation also, particularly because of the variations of the lyrics with the mood in the play. In the Shakespeare original, Bianca, the younger daughter of Baptista, the lord of Padua cannot get married until her elder sister Katherine (Kate) is married. This condition depicts the mindset of the society at the earlier time and creates a historic context. The fact that Kate strongly dislikes men and openly expresses it provides opportunities for slapstick comedies. One such moment occurred when the three suitors came to Padua to court her. Kate responded by kicking flowerpots at them through the window. Also, throughout The Taming of the Shrew, Kate was seen slapping Petruchio several times, outwardly expressing her hatred for men. One of these slaps caused them to break character, where they referred to each other by their offstage names. I found this especially funny, because Fred crossed his boiling point after that fateful slap and spanked Lilli. To me, it's the cherry on top of the cake. Other than slapstick comedy, Kiss Me, Kate includes satire in its songs. The lyrics of the song "Brush Up Your Shakespeare," are satirical, speaking about "the girls today in society," shrewd women looking for independence from men. Several repetitions are used in the lyrics of this song to leave an impression in mind on how to tame a wild woman. "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" also pays tribute to Shakespeare, who was the inspiration behind Kiss Me, Kate. Kiss Me, Kate also contains strong ethical appeal by linking the on-off romance of Fred and Lilli, the main characters of the play, to the courtship of gentleman Petruchio and obstinate, headstrong Kate (the shrew). Lilli's solo, "I Hate Men," in the role of Kate is a strong pathos that is also voiced off stage when she displays her strong love-hate emotions against Fred. Lilli is very successful as portraying stone-hearted and vicious Kate as she gets to use all her anger and strong emotions towards Fred (who she secretly still loves) as the character of Kate would towards Petruchio. The act of Lilli using a broom as a potential weapon during "I Hate Men,'' is hilarious as a spoof. Onstage, a simile is drawn when in The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio's song "Were Thine That Special Face" tells Kate of his strong feelings for her. This song also is an example of pathos. A lot of dramatic actions take place in the second act. Lillie's desire to leave the show threatens Fred, so he decides to keep the two thugs nearby to keep an eye on Lilli. After all, Petruchio subdues Kate and thus, becomes successful in taming the proverbial shrew. Similar things happened to Fred and Lilli as they happened to Petruchio and Kate. Ultimately, it was a happy ending with a shocking revelation by the leading character! I wish I could tell you more, but I can't risk spilling the beans. Overall, Kiss Me, Kate is a witty reproduction of Shakespeare's original comedy, concocted with very entertaining music and lyrics. I'd especially give the film extra scores because of the two for one deal (show within a show), all for which I would give it a 10 star rating. If I had the opportunity and time, I would watch it again. I will highly recommend this film particularly to my generation so they have a taste of Shakespearean play concocted with a spoof that makes it highly entertaining and Cole Porter's music is certainly an added attraction.

Two divorced performers -- Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson -- are brought together in a Broadway musical written by Cole Porter. They hate each other. The play is based on Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" and the stars hate each other on stage as well as off. Sub plots include James Whitmore and Keenan Wynne as two lowbrow hoods hanging around to collect an IOU supposedly written by Keel.The songs are uniformly tuneful and good. Porter could write some clunkers but there aren't any here. "So In Love" is sincere, but most are clever. Sometimes they are underhandedly cute, or am I reading too much into lyrics like "I'm a maid mad to marry/ And will take double-quick/ Any Tom, Dick or Harry,/ Any Tom, Harry or Dick." Maybe -- but I don't think so. Porter's lyrics could be pretty risqué.And what a cast! Keel and Grayson in 1953 were at the top of their form, she with her coloratura soprano and he with his reassuringly wobbly baritone. They're the two singers and aren't required to dance.The dancers include the ingratiatingly vulgar Ann Miller and the splendid Tommy Rall, Bobby Van, and the outstanding Bob Fosse, who put together their final joint number, "From This Moment On," which was a springboard to celebrity. Also in this dance is Carol Haney, who lamentably was featured in only one other film, "The Pajama Game", before dying at an early age. There is a brief glimpse of a sailor flirting with Ann Miller. The sailor is Hermes Pan, for years Fred Astaire's alter ego. Whenever I watch Ralls do his exhilarating comic number in "Why Can't You Behave," I always wind up asking myself, "Why was I never able to do that?" The answer is always the same. Something to do with a paucity of myoneural plates.The wardrobe people deserve some kind of medal, not so much for the women's costumes -- elaborate though they are -- but for the flamboyance of the men's outfits. All the colors of the rainbow, enough to numb the mind if not blind the eye.The acting is okay. Not much more than that. Sometimes Keel, who is supposed to be something of a narcissistic blowhard, carries his 1600 locutions off stage. I don't know whether it was deliberate or just an oversight on director Sidney's part. Anyway, he looks good. The full-figured and blossom-eyed Grayson looks practically edible. For the rest of the cast, well, they're not supposed to be Shakespearian actors and they don't sound like it. The actor who comes off best with Will's dialog is Kurt Kasznar. He sounds as if he's done it before. As a comedy, it's amusing rather than hilarious, but it's altogether engaging. Some harmless gags are given to the two hoods. Someone asks if Grayson is permitted to leave the theater. "She wouldst but she canst." Keel's character, Fred Graham, is always addressed as "Mister Gray-ham." This film must originally have been shot in 3-D. It's curious to see the cast thrusting their faces into the camera, throwing pewter pots and bananas at the audience.

... to borrow the title of an earlier Cole Porter song. This was indubitably Porter's finest score and as we ARE talking Cole Porter that's saying something. Bella Spewack who co-wrote the book with husband Sam is on record as saying that this was one Broadway show that required no tinkering or re-writing or, as Ethel Merman might have said, it was 'frozen' from the first run-through. Porter's outstanding score is more or less singer-proof which is just as well because I can think of a dozen singers of each sex who could - and in some case have - drawn more feeling and/or nuance out of such gems as So In Love, Why Can't You Behave, Always True To You In My Fashion etc. On the other hand Keel and Grayson are well suited for Wunderbar, a number in which two hams reminisce about a hammy show in which they once appeared, and Keel handles Where Is The Life That Late I Led well, albeit in a truncated and bowdlerised version. In the end the best way to approach this is to forget the sometimes dubious 'acting' and just bask in the score.

Ex-marrieds co-star in a musical production of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew"; backstage romantic complications ensue, with the female star threatening to walk out mid-performance. Weighted down by the inept Kathryn Grayson, this film version of the Broadway success runs out of steam after about an hour or so (of course it doesn't help that Grayson is portraying a selfish non-trouper, however she just hasn't the personality or the energy for the part, and one can see early on she's the weak link in the production). Ann Miller, Bobby Van, Bob Fosse, and especially Tommy Rall dance up a storm, and their musical numbers are all killers. Rall, playing a gambler off-stage, has a funny bit with a cigarette, and does an amazing routine with Miller on the roof of the theatre. Miller displays such a joy of performing and a love of this material that she shows Grayson up in more ways than one. Howard Keel looks great in his Petruchio costume, but his baritone voice is strictly love-it or leave-it; since most of his scenes are with Grayson, he loses most of his performing luster to the supporting team, but director George Sidney attempts to keep it all lively and merry. Originally screened in 3-D, which explains why so many objects are, amusingly, hurled at the camera. ** from ****