Review on My Fair Lady (1964)

My Fair Lady is a 1964 American musical film adapted from the Lerner and Loewe
eponymous stage musical based on the 1913 stage play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw.
With a screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner and directed by George Cukor, the film depicts a poor
Cockney flower seller named Eliza Doolittle who overhears an arrogant phonetics professor,
Henry Higgins, as he casually wagers that he could teach her to speak “proper” English,
thereby making her presentable in the high society of Edwardian London.

The film stars Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison as Eliza Doolittle and Henry
Higgins respectively, with Stanley Holloway, Gladys Cooper and Wilfrid Hyde-White in
supporting roles. A critical and commercial success, it won eight Academy Awards,
including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director.

It could easily be argued that My Fair Lady is one of the richest and most intelligent
romantic comedies ever produced. It is the brilliance of Miss Hepburn as the Cockney waif
who is transformed by Prof. Henry Higgins into an elegant female facade that gives an extra
touch of subtle magic and individuality to the film. Other elements and values that are
captured so exquisitely in this film are but artful elaborations and intensifications of the stage
material as achieved by the special virtuosities and unique flexibilities of the screen. The
verbal jousting between Eliza and Professor Henry Higgins (Harrison) is a delight, as is that
between the various other characters. Perhaps the best exchange occurs when Eliza's father,
Alfred P. Doolittle (Holloway) visits Higgins' house to determine his daughter's whereabouts.
His real interest isn't confirming her well-being; it's obtaining some money. At one point,
Higgins' colleague, Colonel Pickering (Wilfred Hyde White), shocked by Doolittle's callous
attitude, inquires, “Have you no morals, man?” To which Doolittle calmly replies, “Nah.
Can't afford none. Neither could you, if you were as poor as me.”

But My Fair Lady’s biggest joke is on London’s upper-class twits. Higgins wins his
wager, of course, and presents Eliza in polite society — she’s a smashing success, and
everyone wonders who this charming creature is. There is a passing reference to book
learning that Eliza is being subjected to, but the emphasis is on her appearance and demeanor.
If all it takes for a woman to be considered nobly bred, is to look good and chat prettily about
inconsequential things like the weather, and anybody can learn to imitate that, then what does
that say about the upper class’s self-bestowed superiority?
 It's impossible to discuss My Fair Lady without mentioning the film's unique and
unmistakable look. From the sumptuous costumes to the gorgeous set designs, this is a movie
into which a world of care and effort was invested. The behind-the-scenes crew included
Academy Award winner Cecil Beaton as production designer and costume designer, and 14-
time Best Cinematographer Oscar nominee Harry Stradling Sr. as director of photography.
Both were recognized with gold statuettes for their work on this picture.

Few genres of films are as magical as musicals, and few musicals are as intelligent
and lively as My Fair Lady. It's a classic not because a group of stuffy film experts have
labeled it as such, but because it has been, and always will be, a pure joy to experience. It's
also one of a very few 3-hour films (actual length, 2:50) that justifies the seemingly long
running time. Rarely have so many minutes in a theater been passed this enjoyably.