Il Bisbetico Domato (1980) Reviews

This Taming of the Shrew in Italian is also a take off on the 1970 French film L'ours et la Poupee, and showcases the popular singer/comedian Adriano Celentano as an irascible country farmer named Elia, who locks horns with Lisa (Ornella Muti), a gorgeous society snob. Elia is a notoriously obnoxious, confirmed bachelor. The story begins as Lisa finds herself seeking help at Elia's farmhouse when her car breaks down on a rainy night. Elia's maid (Edith Peters) has been after Elia to marry a good woman and when she opens the door to Lisa, the action starts to head toward fulfillment of the maid's wishes. Lisa's beauty is not only ignored by Elia right away, he also treats her quite rudely -- a new experience for her. So Lisa decides to "conquer" him simply because the challenge presents itself. Much to her chagrin, nothing she attempts has the expected effect on Elia, who remains miraculously impervious to her very obvious charms. When Lisa accepts defeat and leaves for Milan, Elia undergoes a change of heart. His slow reaction time only leads to a deeper and more intensive longing for Lisa, and the second half of the film is involved with their involvement. There is one final accomplishment waiting for Elia just before the ending that shows his interests have not been completely subverted to the new pursuit of love and its pleasures. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi