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Starring Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ann Miller.
The Greatest of All Great MGM Musicals... Bigger, Better, Blushin-er than the famed Broadway Smash Hit!, When two squabbling ex-married are cast as squabbling Renaissance romantics in a musical The Taming Of The Shrew, life imitates art, art imitates life - and it all proves no musical comedy imitates Kiss Me Kate, the backstage/onstage delight from the 1948 Broadway smash and featuring 14 peerless Cole Porter songs., Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson are the tangled twosome So In Love despite her I Hate Men flashpoints. Ann Miller adds heat, razzle-tap-dazzling in Too Darn Hot and wowing, Tom, Dick and Harry. Fosse and Hermes Pan provide zesty choreography under George Sidney's nimble direction. So Brush Up Your Shakespeare and enjoy. Kate won't just kiss you. She'll floor you.
DVD Special Features include:
Featurette: Cole Porter in Hollywood: Too Darn Hot;
Isolated Musical Score;
Featurette: Mighty Manhattan, New York's Wonder City.
Subtitles available in English, French & Spanish.
Region-2 compatible (suitable for UK DVD players).
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
A funny musical about an ex-wife and husband starring together in a hit musical show of 'The Taming of the Shrew.' Expect mix-ups and great dancing involving gangsters, fiancees, and cheating girlfriends. The score alone is the main reason to buy this movie- it's by Cole Porter and contains some great tunes like 'So In Love,' 'I Hate Men' and 'Brush up your Shakespeare.' Although some of the women's voices may be a tad bit 'jumpy,' Howard Keel is great as the main lead who's ego is bigger than his rip-roaring voice. A great technicolour delight which also features a young Bob Fosse. Great for a rainy sunday.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By John Lewis
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
MGM made some of the best musicals ever, and Kiss Me Kate was one of their last. However, it is also one of the best. Combine the music of Cole Porter, with the vocal talent of Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson; the dancing talent of Ann Miller, and a 'new boy' Bob Fosse, and MGM could not miss. Mix that together with Shakespear and you have Kiss Me Kate. Shakespear would have loved it!
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
It is difficult to rate this DVD, because the play is solid--full of one-line zingers and genuine laughs; the music is top-drawer Porter; the acting, singing, dancing are splendid; the costumes and settings are gorgeous, and the film is well-worth watching. Something about it doesn't quite work, however, on DVD.
I was lucky enough as a kid to see this film in 3D. "Kiss Me, Kate" literally jumped off the giant screen; it was truly spectacular--especially the dance numbers, which were staged upon a modernist forced-perspective De Chirico-like set, with Bob Fosse and Carole Haney, who went on to "Pajama Game" in 1954, leaping and twirling their way to fame. Also memorable were Katherine Grayson's "I hate men!" and Howard Keel's "I come to wive it wealthily in Padua!" And Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore, the stage-struck hoods, stole the show as they brushed up their Shakespeare and hoofed their way off stage and out of the lives of the characters whom, through a set of mistaken circumstances, they had come to apply their brass knuckles.
Like Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew," which is a play within a play, "Kiss Me Kate" is played onstage before a large "audience." When one saw the film on a large screen in 3-D, one overlooked details, such as the utter lack of reaction by the on-screen audience. Without the excitement of a real audience reacting at the special effects, the play becomes static, and one notices the silence where laughs from the on-screen "audience" would be natural.
The extras are interesting, with comments about the production by Ann Miller, Katherine Grayson, and Howard Keel. They also give you a glimpse of some of the 3D effects (allowing you to fill in the blanks with your imagination).... Read more ›
I was lucky enough as a kid to see this film in 3D. "Kiss Me, Kate" literally jumped off the giant screen; it was truly spectacular--especially the dance numbers, which were staged upon a modernist forced-perspective De Chirico-like set, with Bob Fosse and Carole Haney, who went on to "Pajama Game" in 1954, leaping and twirling their way to fame. Also memorable were Katherine Grayson's "I hate men!" and Howard Keel's "I come to wive it wealthily in Padua!" And Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore, the stage-struck hoods, stole the show as they brushed up their Shakespeare and hoofed their way off stage and out of the lives of the characters whom, through a set of mistaken circumstances, they had come to apply their brass knuckles.
Like Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew," which is a play within a play, "Kiss Me Kate" is played onstage before a large "audience." When one saw the film on a large screen in 3-D, one overlooked details, such as the utter lack of reaction by the on-screen audience. Without the excitement of a real audience reacting at the special effects, the play becomes static, and one notices the silence where laughs from the on-screen "audience" would be natural.
The extras are interesting, with comments about the production by Ann Miller, Katherine Grayson, and Howard Keel. They also give you a glimpse of some of the 3D effects (allowing you to fill in the blanks with your imagination).... Read more ›
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape|Amazon Verified Purchase
I had been searching for this version of Kiss Me Kate for ages and finally found it. A great version of the play(Taming of the Shrew) within a play this combines comedy, dancing, singing and a wonderful score by Cole Porter. It is one of MGM's wonderful fifties musicals. Howard Keel as Fred/Petruchio is terrific & Kathryn Grayson(Lily/Kate) is no slouch either. Ann Miller & Tommy Rall as secondary leads have marvellous dance routines but the real highlight is the performance of 'Brush up your Shakespeare' by Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore as the gangsters sent to collect a debt from Fred. I have seen live performances of 'Kate' but this is the best ever.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By dingbat
Format:DVD
This is purely a personal view since I know some people adore this film. It's probably due to my not particularly liking the music. However the richness of the colours, the design and dance routines are excellent. The whole thing is a feast for the eyes and Ann Millers numbers are show stoppers. The only real irritation is the regularity which objects fly towards the audience due to the film been originally made in 3D. Ironically it would be interesting to see, since 3D is again the rage, if a 3D version of this film will be released.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By D. B. Taylor
Format:VHS Tape
To anyone liking musicals this is one of the best.Ann Miller's dancing towards the end is as good as you will see anywhere
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Dr. H. A. Jones
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is one of those `show-within-a-film' musicals, the show being a musical version of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew; so everybody has two roles - one in the film and the other in the play. The score for this quite splendid musical was by Cole Porter: this was MGM in their musical heyday (1953). Howard Keel played the part of Petruchio in the play and actor Fred Graham in the film. The role of Kate, played by temperamental actress Lilli Vanessi, was played by Kathryn Grayson. Ann Miller was dancer Lois Lane and Bianca and she was in fine form.
Several Porter favourites appeared here including `So in love', `Wunderbar', `Why can't you behave' and the rarely heard little gem `Were thine that special face'. A great comedy number, and one of the high-spots of the film, was the performance by Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore of `Brush up your Shakespeare'. But much of the repartee is brilliant and witty throughout. The quartet `We open in Venice' was subsequently reworked by Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, which made it even more popular. The musical direction was by Andre Previn and Saul Chaplin. Surely one of the all-time best musicals!
Several Porter favourites appeared here including `So in love', `Wunderbar', `Why can't you behave' and the rarely heard little gem `Were thine that special face'. A great comedy number, and one of the high-spots of the film, was the performance by Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore of `Brush up your Shakespeare'. But much of the repartee is brilliant and witty throughout. The quartet `We open in Venice' was subsequently reworked by Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, which made it even more popular. The musical direction was by Andre Previn and Saul Chaplin. Surely one of the all-time best musicals!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
kiss me kate
I found this dvd very entertaining. Its been years since I first saw it on tv. I was pleased with it very much. Highly recomend.
Published 1 month ago by dave
5.0 out of 5 stars
A treat
Great music, great performances, great singing and innovative dance numbers. Features one of my favourite Ann Miller numbers, Too Darn Hot.
Published 1 month ago by searle kochberg
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best of Cole Porter
I saw this movie when it first came out and distinctly remember flinching at the objects which appeared to be thrown at me from the screen in 3D. Read more
Published 2 months ago by lycidas
5.0 out of 5 stars
kiss me kate
I enjoyed this film, it was funny and entertaining and the music and the singing and dancing was terrific. Read more
Published 2 months ago by janice lloyd
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kiss Me Kate
Some great songs and wonderful humour in this film. You also get to see the first filmed solo choreography from Bob Fosse, dancing with Carol Haney (from the Pyjama Game).
Published 2 months ago by Elisabeth Grant
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bought as a present.
As it was bought for someone else I can only say that she enjoyed it very much. Its not really my kind of thing.
Published 3 months ago by Bhillstead
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Pleased
I almost returned this dvd when removing it from the packaging. On the sleeve was, as well as English, Chinese writing, with a sticker explaining that the dvd was imported from... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Reginald Dixon
1.0 out of 5 stars
Very Disapointed
Very disapointed with the quality of the DVD
The DVD kept sticking almost from the start of the film. Read more
The DVD kept sticking almost from the start of the film. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mrs X McGrane
1.0 out of 5 stars
Great movie, rubbish service
Despite obviously being advertised as a DVD for English-speaking audiences, the dvd which I received was something completely different. Read more
Published 4 months ago by SenecaCrane
5.0 out of 5 stars
Was on my wish list
This was on my wish list but no more - as received it as a Christmas present. Feel this is one of the wittiest musicals ever and love the "Brush up your Shakespeare" duet one of... Read more
Published 12 months ago by welshlamb
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