My Fair Lady - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

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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

Product Description
Lerner and Loewe's musical version of 'Pygmalion' about a Covent Garden flower girl who becomes a lady.
Genre: Musicals
Rating: G
Release Date: 8-DEC-1998
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews: Read 251 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

How do you do? And which DVD version to buy ... July 13, 2004
273 out of 282 found this review helpful

MFL is a marvellous film about a professor who turns a common flower girl into a lady. It is full of sing-a-long songs and funny moments. It is basically a classic for all the right reasons! Plenty of re-watch factor makes it a film to own.

In 1994, the film was restored and thank the lord they did! The film's negative was almost lost forever. In fact, the film had become yellow-tinged and full of scratches, blotches and all the rest! It would have been a very sad day for the movie industry if a flim like this had been lost.

The original DVD that featured this new restoration was released in the late 90's. This DVD included a 9 minute featurette, actor profiles, audio commentary, and Audrey Hepburn singing in 2 scenes.

This original 1-disc DVD has since been updated to a special 2-Disc Edition. Which one to get? I have both so I feel qualified to answer this. The new DVD includes all the features found on the original DVD, except the actor profiles. The new DVD once again includes the restored print but is apparently a new transfer from the restored print. However, according to a report that I have read, the new transfer is not perfect and has aliasing problems throughout. The average watcher probably won't pick up on this detail. If this is an issue to you, purchase the original edition DVD where the transfer has been given two thumbs up!

The advantage of the special 2-Disc Edition DVD is that it includes a 58 minute 1994 documentary hosted by Jeremy Brett (Audrey's love interest in the film). Jeremy is no longer with us, so it's nice to have this as a piece of nostalgia. On top of this, there are many more features on this disc that aren't included on the original DVD such as footage from the film's premiere, production dinner, as well as discussions with Rex and Audrey.

The choice is easy. If you're a fan of the film and don't care for all the extras, buy the original DVD. You at least get the best transfer. If you do care about having all the extras, buy both!

5 out of 5 stars

A flower girl blossoms into an exquisite woman February 7, 2001
60 out of 77 found this review helpful

The opening scenes of the rain-drenched cobblestone roads and theatrical backdrop lend a stage feel to a film adaptation of the Lerner & Loewe musical. Since it was based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play "Pygmalion", you won't mind the occasional "stage" echoes. In fact, that adds to the appeal.

We find Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) selling flowers and spewing out the most dreadful words in a Cockney accent. It is really almost unbearable, but don't turn the movie off as it doesn't last too long. Audrey Hepburn is perhaps the most beautiful actress to ever grace the screen in my humble opinion. Here, she shines and is only a wall flower for the first part of the movie. Later she blossoms into an exquisite woman who could win the heart of any man. It is truly her best acting.

Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison) and Colonel Pickering discover her selling flowers and after Professor Higgins throws money into her flower basket we expect the two will never meet again. Eliza has other ideas and proudly marches up to the professor's home and demands to be taught to speak like a lady.

Colonel Pickering then makes a bet with Professor Higgins and says that if he can turn this uncultured "gutter snipe" with a "simply ghastly" accent into a sophisticated, elegant duchess, he will pay for all the expenses. (Reminiscent of "Trading Places" to give a modern example) It is just irresistible to the professor and so he takes on a challenge for six months.

Higgins arrogant attitude will make you laugh. He is humerously as unaware of other's feelings as he is of his own. He is at first very unlikeable, yet made me laugh through the whole movie. You will enjoy his eccentric view of life and cunning attitude as he tempts Eliza with chocolates.

When you hear "I Could Have Danced All Night," you will know why this will become one of your favorite musicals. "On the Street Where You Live" always makes me cry. The script is superb and humorous in so many places. you will find yourself crying, laughing, and becoming increasingly enchanted as the movie progresses. I love this line:

"The great secret in life is not a question of good manners or bad manners, or any particular sort of manners, but having the same manner for all human souls." -Professor Higgins

Higgins and Eliza have quite a few passionate verbal exchanges which are quite amusing. Eliza says: "I want a little Kindness" and we immediately know that love is the only aspect missing from this relationship. Higgins has to learn to love and that to me is the undercurrent in this movie. While Eliza learns to speak well, Higgins learns to love well.

This unlikely romance is food for the soul. The ending is unpredictable and cute. The movie is sumptuously filmed and it is undeniable witty and sophisticated. The costumes and hair styles are the most elegant I have ever seen. If you enjoy ironic, intellectual comedy, be prepared to also fall in love with the most irresistible songs of all time. This enduring classic could not have been pulled off without Audrey Hepburn. No one could have played Henry Higgins like Rex Harrison!

There is a beauty about this movie which is just as eternal as love. You will want to own your own copy so you can watch it again and again. It has never lost its charm for me.

~The Rebecca Review

5 out of 5 stars

Great Chemistry. January 8, 2007
30 out of 30 found this review helpful

First, I fully admit that I have seldom been a fan of musicals. This changed my mind. Audrey Hepburn & Rex Harrison truly had perfect chemistry. Stanley Holloway was also excellent as A.P. Doolittle. It won 8 Oscars for a reason. This is a richly layered story. One of this quality that you are unlikely to see again. Humor , music & the angst of human foibles are finely meshed into an improbable story. Centered around Eliza Doolittle, a flower girl who wishes for a better life with all its finery. In front of a theater she hears someone mimicking her every word.

The man, professor Higgins{Rex Harrison} claims he can make a lady of her if she wants to try. She shows up at his doorstep & the comedic soap opera begins. The journey is a sparkler. Liza discovers she is becoming a lady, & starts falling in love with the patronizing professor. The feeling is mutual, but prof. Higgins fights it all the way. On the outside Liza appears to become a new person, but inside she is the same. Struggling to find her place in the world while feeling lost between the old & the new. Where will she fit in? Watch & find out. The music flows through the movie like a cool breeze. This was three hours well spent.

5 out of 5 stars

More than fair, it's luverly February 16, 2000
27 out of 28 found this review helpful

This is a extremely elegant and stylish movie - the kind of spectacle that you just don't see any more, in a certain type of Technicolour that just isn't duplicated these days. Extremely witty and classic songs, a swish script, and gorgeous costumes. Admittedly, it is eye candy, but what eye candy! George Cukor directs it with true aplomb, turning "Titanic-era" London into a stylised and colourful melee, bringing out the humour and joyfulness of the screenplay, and Cecil Beaton's extravagant and yet, somehow, chic costumes and sets form a perfect setting for the actors - and the actors themselves are superb. Rex Harrison is totally believable as Henry Higgins, mixing crustiness with a very dry humour, whereas Audrey Hepburn looks just right as Eliza Doolittle. One is forced to ponder what Julie Andrews would have done in the role, following her playing the part on stage, but I just can't see Eliza played by anyone other than Audrey Hepburn, who is, quite simply, delicious. From the mawkish, ramshackle flower-girl, to the rebellious pupil, to the cool and composed "lady" of the title, she is perfectly credible, whether throwing a Cockney temperament, or floating through the conservatory, calmly sending Professor Higgins about his business. I am told her Cockney accent is awful, but being deaf, I cannot comment; no more than I can comment upon the fact that apparently her recording of "Oh Wouldn't It Be Luverly" has been reinstated upon the soundtrack. The appeal for this film lies in its spectacle - I saw it at the cinema once, in an arthouse revival, and it was utterly amazing - and in the speech therapy storyline, which has a lot of relevance to me. "My Fair Lady" is simply... a cinematic glory of a particular type that would be impossible to duplicate ever again. The Ascot scene is worth the money alone, a refreshing, gliding harmony of black and white, choreographed and stylised escapism, totally summing up the essence of a musical.

Ah, it's lu-ver-ly - Lu-ver-ly - Lovely!

5 out of 5 stars By George, they've got it! March 13, 2001
26 out of 33 found this review helpful

So says the stuffy, but tough, Professor Henry Higgins (Best Actor Oscar-winner Rex Harrison) as the tired, but enchanting, Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) manages to speak proper English. Winner of 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture, MY FAIR LADY proves that there is still plenty of life in musicals. Created by British playwright George Bernard Shaw under the original title, "Pygmalion," we look into the lives of a phonetics teacher as his quest of turning a Cockney flower girl into a beautiful woman of Edwardian England. Distributed by Warner Bros., produced by studio head Jack L. Warner, directed by "woman's director" George Cukor (Best Director), this film was a winner from the start! With a cast of British players including Stanley Holloway (Best Supporting Actor nominee) as Eliza's sneaky father Alfred P. Doolittle, Gladys Cooper (Best Supporting Actress nominee) as Higgins's snooty society mother Mrs. Higgins, Wilfrid Hyde-White as the kind Colonel Hugh Pickering, Mona Washbourne as the gentle Mrs. Pearce, Theodore Bikel as the bothersome Zoltan Karpathy, and the handsome Jeremy Brett as the lovelorn Freddy Eynsford-Hill.

The musical numbers are, of course, fantastic! From "Wouldn't It Be Lovely" to "With A Little Bit O' Luck" to "Just You Wait" to "I Could've Danced All Night," you find yourself singing and dancing along with the characters. The numbers rival those of other Oscar-winning musicals such as AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, THE KING AND I, GIGI, and WEST SIDE STORY. Though, Hepburn was dubbed by "Hollywood's favorite dubbed" Marni Nixon (who also dubbed Deborah Kerr in THE KING AND I, Leslie Caron in GIGI, and Natalie Wood in WEST SIDE STORY) , you still feel the passion given by those being dubbed. The serene look on Hepburn's face when she sings "I Could've Danced All Night," for instance, is a wonderful example of forgetting the dubber and concentrating on the person on screen, namely Hepburn. The other dubbed actor is Jeremy Brett (Freddy), dubbed by Bill Shirley. Whoever Bill Shirley is, he is wonderful (with a rippling Butterscotch voice to boot). Rumor had it that Audrey Hepburn was an excellent singer, though Jack Warner must not have had enough confidence in her to pull it off.

That is very much like the casting of Eliza herself. Played on Broadway by incomparable Julie Andrews (who won an Oscar that same year for MARY POPPINS, her revenge in a way), people were against Hepburn playing Eliza. According to Warner himself, he didn't want an unknown actress playing a film role. I think that was dumb on Warner's part, especially since Andrews won an Oscar and, of course, starring in next year's Best Picture winner THE SOUND OF MUSIC! But, Hepburn did a great job -- though the accent was a bit shaky in the beginning.

In conclusion, with 13 nominations and 8 wins, MY FAIR LADY brought out a classical film that inspired and touched people everywhere. And don't forget the film's competition: Stanley Kubrick's DR STRANGLOVE, Walt Disney's MARY POPPINS, Michael Cacoyannis's ZORBA THE GREEK, and Peter Glenville's BECKET. A major boost for Warner Bros. sagging weight at the box office and a major stepping stone for the Hollywood musical!

Awards: BEST PICTURE (Jack L. Warner), BEST DIRECTOR (George Cukor), BEST ACTOR (Rex Harrison), BEST COLOR ART DIRECTION/SET DECORATION (Gene Allen, George James Hopkins, and Cecil Beaton) and BEST COLOR COSTUME DESIGN (Cecil Beaton, creating a first in film history by winning both categories in one night), BEST COLOR CINEMATOGRAPHY (Harry Stradling), BEST MUSICAL ADAPTATION (Andre Previn), and BEST SOUND (George R. Groves).

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