In another entry that hopefully needs no introduction, we enjoy George Cukor's 1964 production of Lerner and Loewe's Broadway musical (which is itself adapted from George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion). Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn star as a pompous linguistics expert and the cockney flower girl he turns into a lady.
I must say this before I review -- I love musicals. I always have and I probably always will. This automatically puts My Fair Lady higher in my accounting. But even after that, I find something lacking about this movie. (Yes, insert hue and cry here... geez, calm down and let me talk.)
It's nothing about the production of the movie at all. It's impeccably cast, with Harrison reprising the role he originated on Broadway, and Hepburn filling in admirably for Julie Andrews (who was busy making Mary Poppins, thereby stealing the Best Actress Oscar from Hepburn that year). The book and the songs are fantastic -- classic Lerner and Loewe stuff. The Cinderella storyline gets me everytime -- I just eat it up. And the costumes! My goodness. The picture looks gorgeous all the way around. I can't believe the hats alone.
No, it's not the picture. I think it's the male characters in the movie (except Colonel Pickering -- he's a gentleman). First of all, there's Higgins. He really kind of represents a lot that I don't like about snooty academians. He's self-important, arrogant, inconsiderate and downright cruel in many instances. Why should I be the least bit happy when poor emotionally abused Eliza comes back to him? And Freddy. What's up with this guy? The stupid puppy-dog act isn't flattering in the least. Get a life, pal. Eliza seems to be quite a dear, as well as being particularly easy on the eyes. I really couldn't choose which of the two she should end up with. In fact, I think Pickering should adopt her.
Now I admit that the characters themselves are probably not the reason everyone enjoyed this movie and it was placed ninety-first on this list. I recognize that it is one of the best movie musicals ever made. But couldn't we have had some sort of more sensible resolution? I mean, "Where the devil are my slippers?" Seriously.
Sigh. I suppose that the film deserves the accolades it's received if I'm getting worked up about fictional characters. And I still enjoyed it. So there. Now leave me alone. Sheesh.
(See this post if you're confused why I'm reviewing movies.)