At one time the longest-running Broadway musical, My Fair Lady was adapted by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe from the George Bernard Shaw comedy Pygmalion. Outside Covent Garden on a rainy evening in 1912, dishevelled cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) meets linguistic expert Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison). After delivering a musical tirade against “verbal class distinction,” Higgins tells his companion Colonel Pickering (Wilfred Hyde-White) that, within six months, he could transform Eliza into a proper lady, simply by teaching her proper English. The next morning, face and hands freshly scrubbed, Eliza presents herself on Higgins’ doorstep, offering to pay him to teach her to be a lady. “It’s almost irresistable,” clucks Higgins. “She’s so deliciously low. So horribly dirty.” He turns his mission into a sporting proposition, making a bet with Pickering that he can accomplish his six-month miracle to turn Eliza into a lady. This is one of the all-time great movie musicals, featuring classic songs and the legendary performances of Harrison, repeating his stage role after Cary Grant wisely turned down the movie job, and Stanley Holloway as Eliza’s dustman father. Julie Andrews originated the role of Eliza on Broadway but producer Jack Warner felt that Andrews, at the time unknown beyond Broadway, wasn’t bankable; Hepburn’s singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon, who also dubbed Natalie Wood in West Side Story (1961). Andrews instead made Mary Poppins, for which she was given the Best Actress Oscar, beating out Hepburn. The movie, however, won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Harrison, and five other Oscars, and it remains one of the all-time best movie musicals.Hollywood’s legendary “woman’s director,” George Cukor (The Women, The Philadelphia Story), transformed Audrey Hepburn into street-urchin-turned-proper-lady Eliza Doolittle in this film version of the Lerner and Loewe musical. Based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion, My Fair Lady stars Rex Harrison as linguist Henry Higgins (Harrison also played the role, opposite Julie Andrews, on stage), who draws Eliza into a social experiment that works almost too well. The letterbox edition of this film on video certainly pays tribute to the pageantry of Cukor’s set, but it also underscores a certain visual stiffness that can slow viewer enthusiasm just a tad. But it’s really star wattage that keeps this film exciting, that and such great songs as “On the Street Where You Live” and “I Could Have Danced All Night.” Actor Jeremy Brett, who gained a huge following later in life portraying Sherlock Holmes, is quite electric as Eliza’s determined suitor. –Tom Keogh
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March 19, 2008
#1
Why is this the dumbest movie on the block? Well, because it’s just dumb. The notion of Eliza Doolittle’s father, who is a drunk, at one point going off and marrying is a sad occasion. This man has no conception of fidelity. The only reason they are getting married is because now they have money. He will cheat and with just a little bit of blooming luck he wont get caught. In sum this movie sucks.
March 19, 2008
#2
I think that the movie, My fair Lady was a really boring movie specially because I don’t like musicals and in this movie even though we didn’t see some of the parts where they sing still the movie was not interesting and I wouldn’t watch it again.
Now compared to book I think that the book is better because it has more to it. It is how Shaw wanted it and in the movie some changes have been applied like the horse race and also the way Eliza is. I think that Eliza has not been interpreted well in the movie because in the book we can picture her really poor girl that doesn’t know how to speak well and in the movie she is not portrait like that. I’m not saying that she speaks really well in the movie but she speaks a bit better than how she really is in the book.
I think that the movie was really boring and `like all the movies that come from books it followed the same routine of the book being better than the movie.
I think that Shaw’s satire is not well adapted although there is some satire with the relationship of Mr. Higgins and Eliza; the movie has not enough satire to at least look like the book.
March 19, 2008
#3
I can’t say much more than what has already been said. Julie should have had this role. The songs are good in this musical but other than that the plot stinks. Unfortunately the songs are not nearly as well sang. Marni Nixion sounds alright but is not Julie. I listened to Audrey’s version’s of some songs and no offense to a good actress, but she can not sing, not like Julie. So do yourself a favor and buy the original broadway recording to here Julie’s beautiful voice. Or better yet watch THe Sound of Music. Who needs MFL when they have TSOM?
March 19, 2008
#4
Who’s the REAL Eliza? Shout it out now: JULIE! JULIE! JULIE!
“My Fair Lady”. Thats all one needs to say to get the attention of millions. But who is locked in the public’s mind as Eliza Dootlittle?: Dame Julie Andrews. Deservedly so. She took Broadway by storm in My Fair Lady. Making covers of “Life” Magazine and more in 1956 etc. No one-and i mean no one (that includes Audrey Hepburn) should have been allowed to destory the Eliza that Julie created. Jack Warner destroyed Eliza buy hiring Audrey Hepburn. Ofcourse we all know it didnt hurt Ms. Andrews’ career. She got a LITTLE gig called “Mary Poppins”…I’m sure NONE OF YOU have heard of it, right? And then a tiny little thing called “the sound of music” only the most popular movie of all time. AND she got her Oscar for Best Actress for Mary Poppins. Go, Julie! She showed them. Even Jack Warner admitted that he voted for Julie Andrews in the Academy Awards. ANd It has been said by MORE than a few that “passing up Julie Andrews for Eliza ruined Jack’s career and was the worst move he ever made”. Audrey Hepburn was a terribly weak Eliza Doolittle. And thet world knows it–come on, admit it. Most of you have heard the Julie Andrews version from the my fair lady broadway cd 9or the lndon cast, ms. andrews did both) and it is SO true that she was much better. her accent is way believable. ANd her singing voice is unmatchable. (four and a half octaves–which is more than i can say about Audrey’s dubber Marni Nixon). Well, Rex Harrison was wonderful on the upside. He pleaded with Jack Warner to use Julie. But, now that i think of it no one “uses” MY julie. They can “use” her talent, yes. of which she has much. but julie makes her own desicions. and when jack warner asked her to reprise her Broadway role of Guenvere in the movie version Camelot, after a long process of thought (and because Richard Burton and Robert Goulet, who lpayed oppisite her on Broadway had both declinded) she said “No.” GO, Julie! Atleast Jack had the sense to ask the real Queen to be the queen in his movie. I guess he didn’t wanna make the mistake he made with my fair lady again, huh? Yup.
If we were in 1964 right now. If i were to go back in time. I would have barged into jack’s office and screamed my lungs out until he promised to fire Audrey.
innocent little me. but it is well known that Julie’s career outlasted Audrey’s. Yup-yup. For Julie is still decking out major movie hits as we speak–and Audrey well, I loved her in “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” and may she rest in peace. From what i know, which is a lot when it comes to julie andrews, Audrey and Julie got along famously. Now dont get me wrong. I dont HATE Audrey, she was just very wro0ng for the part. I like Audrey very much. not NEARLY as much as i love julie andrews but…i think the world agrees when i say that its much easier to fall in love with mary poppins than holly goliightly whom ONLY “Fred” REALLY loved with all his heart. Julie just has that efffect on people that audrey doesnt possess. well, we cant have it all can we? We’ve got “Mary Poppins” and “The Sound Of Music” so soften the blow. If Julie had done My Fair lady, she WOULD have been able to do Mary Poppins but she WOULDNT have been able to do “The Americanization Of Emily” or “The Sound Of Music”. and let’s face it, Can anyone here actually imagine “The Sound Of Music” with anyone BUT Julie ANdrews? Honestly, no. Toodles and Long Live Queen Julie Andrews!’
~*~*~*Julie Andrews Always,~*~*~*~ Skye
March 20, 2008
#5
The DVD does not work in Ireland so it is absolutely useless!! I should have been made aware of this when I was purchasing the product. I would like to be refunded in full for the three DVDs I have purchased: My Fair Lady, Paris when it Sizzles and Breakfast at Tiffanys (purchased at the same time)
Also the packaging costs were not displayed until i had entered my credit card number and were much too expensive.
Overall i am extremely disappointed with my experience and I expect to be compensated for this.