Saturday, July 28, 2007

A Loverly Oscar-Winning Work of Art

Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison star as the unforgettable Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins in one of the most beloved movie musicals of all time.

The engaging tale of a Cockney flower girl becoming the belle of British society won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The lush, colorful photography, glorious sets, wonderful costumes and soaring musical score also captured Oscars, earning this enchanting musical a unique place in film history. A feast for the eyes and ears, 'My Fair Lady' delivers a breathtaking entertainment experience for the whole family.

Title: My Fair Lady
Release: December 25, 1964
Genre: Musical
MPAA Rating: G
Based On: Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (play)
Writer: Alan Jay Lerner
Director: George Cukor
Music By: Frederick Loewe & Alan Jay Lerner
Produced By: Jack Warner
Distributed By: Warner Bros. (Original) & 20th Century Fox
Run Time: 171 minutes

My Fair Lady has been many peoples favorite musical ever since it first came out as a theatrical stage play but I think it truly became a work of art when it was made into the glorious movie starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn. Actually, since I’ve never seen the play, I guess I shouldn’t make that observation but although I like Julie Andrews I can’t see anyone else besides Hepburn as Eliza Dolittle. She’s beautiful, charming, and even though her singing was dubbed (which came as a huge surprise to me when I found out a couple of years ago) she still should have gotten at least nominated for an Oscar.

This is such a fabulous film that it’s no wonder it was nominated for 12 Academy Award and won eight. It’s even been recognized by the AFI as one of the greatest American movies of all time. I’ve never stopped to actually question why I love My Fair Lady so much but maybe it’s because I’ve been a huge Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison fan for as long as I can remember. Or maybe the reason why this musical made such a profound impact on me is the marvelous music. Every time I watch the movie I hum the songs for days and even with the film muted it’s a feast for the eyes. The sets are stunning and the costumes are gorgeous! Eliza’s clothes after she learns to speak properly are especially dazzling and were even featured in Vogue magazines at the time. Cecil Beaton totally deserved the Oscar he won for the costume design.

~ I have seen the 2-disc special edition DVD and my favorite thing is the hour long More Loverly Than Ever documentary but there are also tons of other goodies like an audio commentary, interviews, the premiere, and even Audrey Hepburn original vocals for the songs before it was decided to dub over her with Marni Nixon and that’s just the tip of the ice berg! You won’t be sorry if you replace your old VHS with this DVD.

Find My Fair Lady Online
TCM.com

Trailer:


British Premiere:


Audrey Hepburn Interview:


Related Reviews
Rex Harrison- Professor Henry Higgins
A Damned Serious Business: My Life in Comedy by Rex Harrison
Night Train to Munich (1940)- Gus Bennett/ Dickie Randall
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)- Capt. Daniel Gregg
Cleopatra (1963)- Julius Caesar
The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)- Pope Julius II
Doctor Dolittle (1967)- Dr. John Dolittle
Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986)- Grand Duke Cyril Romanov
Audrey Hepburn- Eliza Doolittle
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)- Holly Golightly
Stanley Holloway- Alfred P. Doolittle
Agatha Christie's 'Ten Little Indians' (1965)-Det. William Henry Blore
Wilfrid Hyde-White- Colonel Hugh Pickering
Xanadu (1980)- Male Heavenly Voice (Zeus)
Agatha Christie's 'Ten Little Indians' (1965)- Judge Arthur Cannon
Theodore Bikel- Zoltan Karpathy
Isobel Elsom- Mrs. Eynsford-Hill
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)- Angelica, Mother-in-law
Bill Shirley- Freddy Eynsford Hill (singing voice)
Sleeping Beauty (1959)- Prince Phillip

3 comments:

  1. One of my wife and my mom's favorite movies. I, however, still have not seen it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this movie! I had no idea that Eliza's voice was dubbed. That is amazing.

    Have you seen Singing in the Rain? That is another great musical.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love this movie!!! I have the itch to watch it again, and perhaps I'll have to check out the DVD edition for all the special features! :)

    I knew that she had been dubbed, but I would love to hear Audrey's voice! I believe I heard that it was okay, so I'm a little disappointed that they didn't use it.

    ReplyDelete

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