My Fair Lady
Directed by:
George CukorCinematography:
Harry Stradling Sr.Cast:
Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Gladys Cooper, Jeremy Brett, Theodore Bikel, Bill Shirley, Alan Napier, Monika Henreid (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
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. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Videos (1)
Reviews (8)
I love musicals, Audrey is nice, and the story is suitable for comedic banter and grand performances. Only the running time... Almost three hours is insanely long, and one of the final conversations between Higgins and Eliza almost ruined it for me with its dragging pace. Otherwise, there is plenty of humor, beautiful songs, and outstanding actors. As a whole, though, only for forgiving 70%.
()
A classic musical and one of the basic pillars of the genre. It drew on both George Bernard Shaw's popular play and the support of the studio, which rightly saw the guaranteed box office success of the film and did not regret the set design and star actor costs. The experienced direction of George Cukor and the casting of the delicate, typologically perfect Audrey Hepburn emphasized its success. Overall impression: 95%.
()
Audrey Hepburn in top form and with her boorish English she makes the film such an exceptional experience that it richly overcomes the complete lack of dance numbers and the unprecedentedly naive romantic plot. A few of the songs actually do work out and Rex Harrison gives the main character a rather proficient "nod", but let's face it... when Audrey isn't in front of the camera, it's pretty boring. 75%
()
Let me say outright that I hate musicals, and those I rate highly are exceptions to the rule. My Fair Lady had three things going for it: 1) it was based on G. B. Shaw's play, 2) they used to put more effort into writing the music and lyrics back in 1964, and 3) (the biggest plus) was the presence of Audrey Hepburn. When I realized that one of the songs was the inspiration for the Lumberjack Song from Monty Python's Flying Circus, it was a done deal :-) Seriously, Audrey Hepburn was enchanting (especially in a horse race outfit); the collision of standard English and a Cockney accent was hilarious, as well as the clash of the two different characters. / Lesson learned: Clothes and speech make the man. But only on the outside.
()
Beautiful musical, which is so simply and effectively stylized that it will either enchant you or repel you with its sterility. Compared to the contemporary European stage, it is essentially theatrical kitsch, but with such great acting performances that it still touches your soul. A bit long, but it doesn't really matter. Audrey is enchanting in all her roles.
()
Ads