Isn't it just loverly?. Review on My Fair Lady Movie

My Fair Lady is a one of those classic movies that I can’t seem to get enough of. The songs are amazing, the costumes are inspired, the sets realistic and the acting is truly sensational. This movie boasts an all-star cast that is headed by the charismatic Rex Harrison and the delightful Audrey Hepburn. Created in 1964, this marvelous movie was a box office hit, raking a lot of hot box office cash and scooping many an Oscar, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor (Rex Harrison).

The Story

Rex Harrison plays the role of a supremely confident and wealthy phoneticist, Henry Higgins, who studies the art of speech as a profession and as a much-loved hobby. He claims that he is a confirmed old bachelor and likely to remain so and strolls the streets of early 20th centaury London in the hope of finding individuals with fascinating accents for him to scrutinize. His blissful, aristocratic bachelordom takes an unexpected upheaval with the arrival Miss Eliza Doolittle.

Miss Doolittle, played superbly by Audrey Hepburn, is a lower class flower girl with a strong cockney accent. She yearns to speak better English so that she may become more genteel and work at a proper flower shop. On a miserable London evening she meets Professor Higgins in a most interesting circumstance where he claims that he has the power to turn this draggle tailed guttersnipe into a lady who is fit to be the consort to a King. A certain Colonel Pickering, a good friend Professor Higgins, claims that Higgins is making an absurd claim and hence a wager is announced. Higgins is given the seemingly impossible task of preparing Eliza to pass as a Duchess at the Embassy Ball.

This movie focuses on the trials and tribulations faced by a young flower girl in order to properly learn to speak Queen’s English. Not only that, she must also master all the little bizarre mannerisms that must be observed in aristocratic circles. Filled with humor, this movie promises to leave you smiling.

The Music

This is a movie where I strongly advise that you do not watch with me. I’m afraid I will irritate you greatly as I insist on singing along to every song…that is unless of course you want to sing along too, then we’ll have a great a time:-). The songs are brilliant. Listen to the words and you will find that they are filled with humor and many clever witticisms. Rex Harrison does not sing so much as talk very well in time to the music, however it is very fitting technique for his character. Audrey Heyburn’s voice was masterfully dubbed over by the talented Marnie Nixon, who had to do the dubbing on the sly as they wished that Hepburn felt that she had done all the singing throughout the filming.

All the songs are a delight to listen to, but my favorites remain I’m an Ordinary Man, I Could Have Danced All Night, Ascot Gavette, A Hymn to Him and the incredibly beautiful On the Street Where You Live.

My Say

This movie is a brilliant adaptation of the Broadway musical My Fair Lady, which was a brilliant adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion.

This is one of those movies that will appeal to movie watchers of al ages. The rags to riches tale of Eliza Doolittle has a timeless appeal which has ensured that this movie, which was created about 40 years ago, still has the ability to enthrall audiences today.

The first time I saw this movie was with my family when I was about 6. Naturally I did not understand every nuance of what I was watching and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what was wrong with Eliza’s accent, but I still enjoyed watching it. Since then I have seen it at different ages and with a wide variety of people and everyone from simpering old grandmas to punk/rock teenagers who are just angry at the world in general - have been captivated by this movie.

This movie was recently gifted to me in the DVD format and I could not have been more thrilled. If you have yet to see this movie, drop whatever you are doing and go see it now. If you have seen this movie and you do not love it, kindly add yourself to my distrust list immediately as I want nothing more to do with you:-). So if you want a night of good, clean, wholesome entertainment, have a bath, drop by your mum’s house for dinner and slip this DVD in to your player and I assure you, you will be all set.