There is a harsh and interesting social commentary inserted in that dialogue where Eliza asks what is she supposed to do with herself now that she can no longer feel at home living in the slums but has no means to live anywhere else. Higgins suggests that, being a lady, she is not supposed to work, anyway, but marry, to which she snaps back: "So, back when I sold flowers, I didn't sell myself but now that you made a lady of me I'm not fit to sell anything else..."
The young man you were understandably fawning over who plays Freddie is Jeremy Brett, the DEFINITIVE Sherlock Holmes. He played Sherlock Holmes for Granada Television and it is the greatest performance of the Great Detective ever!
I cringe watching the old black and white holmes with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Rathbone, was a great Holmes, but they didn't do The Doyle stories the the way Granada and Jeremy Brett did. I watched the Brett Holmes and with the feeling that Doyle wrote Watson very much as if Doyle himself was Watson as if the eye witness narrator. And glad you mentioned Marni Nixon. Did that dubbing make it virtually impossible for Audrey Hepburn to get the Oscar?
"Hello Guv'nor" was just one of many ways someone of a lower class (specifically London here) might refer to someone of higher class, especially if they didn't now what rank they were addressing. It basically means 'Boss' or 'Someone better than me'. 'Governor', like 'Squire', 'Lordship', 'Judge' and so on, were terms cockneys (and other working class Brits), would use a lot.
It sounds weird in America because we aren't as class-obsessed as the Brits. If somebody seemed to be acting 'above' someone else here, they're more likely to be addressed with a mocking insult. Sort of the way Han Solo talks to Princess Leia in Star Wars, e.g. "your worship."
@@jedijones _"It sounds weird in America because we aren't as class-obsessed as the Brits"_ - I wouldn't say Britain is class obsessed. It's just that class and the class system was the reality of British life for most of history - My Fair Lady is set while that was still very much in force. Even in the US in the South a kind of class system developed (which was damaged by the Civil War). The modern US has one too - it's human nature I guess, but in the US it isn't about titles, just wealth and dynastic family names, etc.
@@monnezzapromizoulin5169 and "CRICHTON" is MY last name TOO. (for those who are not familiar with the name "CRICHTON" (as in THE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON, and the famous author MICHAEL CRICHTON ( Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, The Lost World, Time Line, Sphere, The Terminal Man, The "CH" in the middle of "CriCHton" is SILENT. Pretend they are NOT there, so it was pronounced like "CRY - tin" MOST people who don't know will say my name like "CriTCHtin" (like CH in "CHERRY" or like "itch with a hard C instead of the "i" in front) It's funny because people who met me and are calling my name from a paper (like at a doctor's/dentists office, etc, Will say it like I just mentioned. But I HAVE had some actually say it correctly and I always tell them that I was glad they pronounce it correctly, and EVERYONE of them would say,, "Yes, like MICHEAL CRICHTON....are you any relation to him?" I always say I WISH I WAS, I would like just a FIFTH of his money ( he made a lot of money with his books and so many of them were turned into blockbuster movies. Sadly he died at the age of 66 in Nov, 2008 from cancer. RIP Michael. By the way, "CRICHTON" is a SCOTTISH name.
In the musical Eliza left and never came back to Higgins I honestly prefer that ending to be honest he really annoyed me so it was nice to see her tell him off and live her life without his ego and putting her down
Pygmalion in ancient mythology was a king and sculptor who fell in love with the marble statue he created. In Shaw's time, education included much classical literature such as the works of Homer and Plato, and so people would know of this legend. Shaw used the title for his play but obviously updated it to recent times and with a real woman. (Now that I think about it, Pygmalion is slightly similar to Pinocchio.)
Shaw wrote a sequel to _Pigmalion_ but it’s really an outline for a story that would be better suited to a miniseries than a play or a movie. You can find it online.
Similar to Mannequin also. 😆 I think there are a LOT of movies that riffed on Pygmalion. Other movies like Can't Buy Me Love, Trading Places, Pretty Woman, Mighty Aphrodite, She's All That, etc. Using the concept of taking a nobody and trying to mold them into something with a higher status.
@@jedijones Yes but also the idea the creator unintentionally falls in love with the creation. Sort of "boy builds girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl."
I neglected to tell you that you did a marvelous job editing and putting this all together. Carefully using very short clips, you managed to capture this film's rare beauty and best moments. Great job, Mia!
@@MoviesWithMia I’m a little late but would you consider doing the musical 1776? Fantastic for a belated 4th of July, maybe chow down with a hot dog and potato chips while enjoying?! PS I love Wait Until Dark! You are picking awesome movies.
@@RLucas3000 Strange to say, the musical *1776* (1972), about the writing and signing of the American Declaration of Independence, has some of the virtues of *My Fair Lady* (1964). If you watch it, make sure you get the Director's cut.
Audrey Hepburn is one of my favorite actresses and celebrities for a reason. Her life story is so tragic how she started life as a WW2 survivor. The reason why Audrey Hepburn is so skinny most of her life is because she was malnourished as a young girl due to war times and she had VERY low self esteem even when she was the talk of how beautiful she always was. She used her celebrity status VERY early in her career to set up charities for children of poor countries ravaged by war. She had her flaws in her relationships but in the end she did her best for herself, her children and the children her charity supported. She truly was a Princess and a Queen of Hollywood Royalty.
It's interesting that @25:00 Mia thought of Prince Eric, since Freddie's singing voice was actually that of Bill Shirley, AKA Prince Phillip from Disney's "Sleeping Beauty."
Freddy sings « On the Street where you live ». Have you noticed that theses are the very words Cary Grant uses in Charade when the elevator of the hotel stops : - where are we ? - on the street where you live
I just read the original play PYGMALION before watching your video. The play ends with Eliza leaving Higgins. Shaw wrote an Afterword that explains what happens next, although he felt it would be obvious to the audience. Eliza marries Freddy. They have a rough time until Pickering helps them open a flower shop. He also sends them to business school. Eliza and Freddy end up moving back in with Higgins and Pickering! Shaw said that he didn't like that the studio made him change the ending to where Eliza and Higgins end up together. He thought his original ending showed that women had agency and were their own people outside of men.
Shaw, in insisting that the original plot of his play should be followed and Higgins' "creation" Eliza have a life of her own beyond Higgins' control, presumably did not see the irony of his own creation, the play, also developing a life of its own beyond his own control!
If you're curious, the writing that Henry Higgins uses to write down Eliza's speech at the beginning is called the international phonetic alphabet. It is, literally, used as a way to write down not only what someone says but, the specific pronunciation of how they are saying it. EDIT: Just for anyone who is wondering and doesn't have time to read the replies to this... the specific symbols Henry Higgins uses in the movie are a combination of the international phonetic alphabet (IPA) along with a similar system by Alexander Graham Bell called Visible Speech. Both served the same function but, since both were still in use at the time My Fair Lady is set, the filmmakers decided to have Henry use a bit of both of them rather than just working entirely in IPA the way a modern phonetician would.
Some may be interested to know that there is also a system called Labanotation that is used to write down dance choreography, in the same way that musical notation is used to write down tunes.
@@judithweiss6727 I can assure you that they most certainly did not just make up something. "My Fair Lady" actually had the foremost expert in phonetics consulting on the film (his name was Peter Ladefoged). He's the one who actually wrote the symbols in Henry's notebook. To be absolutely specific, the symbols in the notebook are a combination of both IPA and Visible Speech, which was an earlier transcription style invented by Alexander Graham Bell that was used before IPA became the standard. To be historically accurate, they chose to use a combination of both styles. So, there are IPA symbols in there but, they are supplemented by Visible Speech symbols, as well.
Ah, then now you need to see GiGi. A similar story, with a young French girl learning to be arm candy for a rich patron. Gaston (Louis Jourdan) will make you swoon, as you did for Freddie here. And the music is phenomenal.
Yes, please ignore the bluenoses who insist on coloring everything in sight with their own peculiar cultural obsessions, which sadly have seeped into the mainstream in the form of Stranger Danger, "Toxic Male creepiness", and ahistorical 3rd-wave feminism. "Gigi" is actually yet another story about a man realizing that a woman in his life is a person, and not just a social place holder.
@@baskervillebee6097 Louis Jourdan was my very first man crush. He really is handsome. Glad I grew up watching and loving those old movies with my parents and could swoon over all those classy men 😉
I was lucky to see Rex Harrison’s final tour of My Fair Lady in the early ‘80s, co-starring Cathleen Nesbitt as Henry’s mother (she had originated the role on Broadway). It was wonderful, although he was getting very long in the tooth. (I also saw Yul Brynner in his final tour of The King and I.)
I saw Richard Kiley in the original run of Man of La Mancha (1967 on tour) and then when he reprised it in 1979. I wish I'd seen the musical productions you got to see.
@@storyteller2882 The other big-name actors I saw on stage in Chicago in touring musicals were Victor Garber and Luci Arnaz in They’re Playing Our Song, and Peter Noone and Jim Belushi in The Pirates of Penzance. My favorite though was when a 1999 revival of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown was in tryouts in Chicago before going to Broadway. I got the tickets because Anthony Rapp and BD Wong were playing Charlie Brown and Linus. Afterwards, though, all my mom and I could talk about were the then-unknown Roger Bart and Kristin Chenoweth as Snoopy and Sally, especially Kristin, who we knew immediately was going to be a huge star. She was amazing!
Before the recording of sound existed, voice experts like Henry Higgins, actually did have systems to write down what people sounded like, sort of like notes, etc on sheet music. That's how we know; the the British sounded like Americans 250 years ago & not the other way around.
@@judithweiss6727 There were previous systems as well as just very talented people at describing how people sounded going back throughout written hustory.
@@judithweiss6727 Spot on mate. We can tell more by how words were used in rhymes and poems and also by how foreign visitors would transcribe English words phonetically.
Marni Nixon was also known as "the Ghostess with the Mostest." Her son Andrew Gold wrote "Thank You for Being a Friend," which became the theme song for "The Golden Girls."
It was an absolute JOY to watch you experiencing "MY FAIR LADY" for the first time! In my 68 years I have watched it many times, and there are some scenes I have re-watched too many times to count, especially the "Ascot Opening Day" scene. It was such genius to dress everyone in white, black & gray - and then to let Audrey enter wearing the only color there! The choreography of the old rich ladies is magnificent. They make fun of the rigidity of the upper class Brits, but they also show incredible charm and beauty. It just fascinates me endlessly. And I have found myself singing "On the Street Where You Live" on the sidewalks of new romantic interests. This movie is a masterpiece.
Governor is a way of addressing someone of a higher status. It isn't a term much used now but still is used in slang. It tends to be referred to when someone is speaking about their boss
The thing about Marni Nixon is that not only did she have a beautiful voice but she had the ability to alter her timbre so that she sounded like the person she was dubbing, but better. Regarding Eliza's development, recall that the book is Shaw's _Pygmalion,_ so that's where the characters development comes from. The ending of Eliza coming back was not in the original script of _Pygmalion._ It was added for Anthony Asquith's film of the play. It has since come to by used in most stage productions of _Pygmalion._ FWIW, Mrs. Higgins was not wearing a lavalier in her last scene. She was wearing a choker of the type sometimes called a dog collar, as well as the long string of beads.
I almost wish they kept the original ending! It would have been much more effective of getting Eliza’s point across! And yeah Marni Nixon was AMAZING!!!
@@epsteinisms1483 Gladys Cooper was also one of the leads in the short-lived American series 'The Rogues', along with Robert Coote, who was the original Colonel Pickering in London.
If I recall correctly, Eliza's return was actually one of the alternative endings Shaw postulated in published version of the script. It was not one of his favorites, but he did consider it.
My guilty pleasure movies. I used to always watch "girly" movies with my Aunt as a kid and had to act like I didn't enjoy them. Now as an adult i'm glad I was cultured in good films
I grew up with my grandmother and she loved this movie. And looking at in now as an adult, I feel like this is a film modern writers should look at for an example of a strong female character.
That "dreamy effect" you noticed is remarkably simple to attain with old-skool film cameras. They simply smear Vaseline around the circumference of the lens. Today that effect would be easily done in post with computer editing, but back in the day they did it in-camera.
14:43...in the British Empire a 'Governor' was an official appointed to oversee a Crown Colony (or was the top official in certain businesses...the Bank of England being an obvious example). Gradually it came to be used as a slang word for any man who held a superior position socially. Therefore "Allo Guvna (Governor)' is a deferential way of greeting a social superior (basically it's just a dialectical way of saying 'Hello Sir')
'Governor' was used to refer to a position of personal authority centuries before there was a British empire. It was essentially the male equivalent of a governess, a young person's tutor/guardian. The development of 'guv'nor' would have had more to do with that meaning, as well as the meaning in "board of governors", than it did to the administrator of an overseas colony.
@@paulkennedy8701 also as far as I know the male equivalent of a governess is just 'tutor' never governor...and a tutor and a guardian are definitely not the same thing.
@Mia Tiffany The way a person talks can affect the sort of jobs you can get, even these days. For example, I live in southern West Virginia. I speak rather well for a person from this area, and locals think I'm a bit snobbish because of it. But anyone that isn't from this area thinks I sound like an absolute country bumpkin.
As a digger, her father's neck is the most exposed skin to the sun. The "Back flap" hat is to prevent sunburn on the neck. This is my favorite musical of all and I am so glad this is my first video with you. The classics should not be forgotten, I am so excited to watch more of your videos.
You may be right. In *My Fair Lady,* Higgins refers to Alfred P. Doolittle as "a common dustman," which essentially means garbage man, but in *Pygmalion,* Eliza specifies that his proper trade is that of a navvy, which means a laborer in construction or excavation projects (presumably including a lot of digging).
Also, this wasn't the first play-to-film adaptation that Audrey was offered because in 1962, she and Elizabeth Taylor were both offered the role as Annie Sullivan for the movie version of The Miracle Worker. They would bring in butts in seats. However, Arthur Penn insisted that Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke should reprise their roles as Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller for the movie. It was the best idea ever because they both won their Oscars a year later (well deserved!)
17:15 Like so many great effects, it's completely practical - Vaseline. You rub it on the lens and you get that unfocused look. Buff it up and you get that soft, sweet glow you often see around really beautiful actresses' faces back in the day. It's crude but perfectly effective. A musical I think you would love is "Meet Me In St. Louis", starring Judy Garland. The story covers a lot of emotional ground, and Judy is a genius of pathos and depth. It's very much a musical with very famous songs, but it's also a story of a family torn by circumstances. A real Hollywood classic of the golden age of musicals.
"Meet Me in St. Louis" is also one of the greatest Technicolor movies ever made. Nearly eevery shot is breathtaking. Oh, and little 7 year old Margaret O'Brien steals every scene she's in, playing "Tootie". Do see the film. One of MGM's greatest musicals.
Just think how different this movie would have been if they'd gone with the ending from _Pygmalion_ where Higgins kicks Eliza out of the house and never sees her again.
George cukor's elegant colorful adaptation of the beloved stage play is elevated to new heights thanks to winning performances by Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, My FAIR LADY (1964) 94/100% Certified Approved ☑️ Eliza Doolittle: the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not she behaves, but how she is treated.
Mia, without exception, you always pick great films. I understand why you would have loved Julie Andews to play this role. But, with the knowledge I have of Miss Audrey Hepbern, I could never criticize her for anything. Also Sean did a beautiful documentary on his mother that is on RUclips.
Oh No! Mia forgot to finish these movies of Audrey Hepburn is Roman holiday with Gregory peck(1953) Funny face with Fred Astaire (1957) And breakfast at Tiffany's with George peppard (1961) Wait until dark has Alan Arkin in this one, Arkin used to be in the 2017 movie Going In Style with Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.
My favorite: 11 March 1964, Los Angles at the Golden Globes. Julie Andrews acceptance speech for best actress. “Thank you very much for this lovely honour. It's a wonderful momento of a very happy time. Finally my thanks to a man who made a wonderful movie and made all this possible in the first place -- Mr Jack Warner. “ Jack Warner failed to cast Andrews as Eliza Doolitle in My Fair Lady despite Andrews being the star on Broadway for several years. Had she been cast in My Fair Lady, she would not have been Mary Poppins. Jack Warner, to his credit, laughed the hardest.
As others have said, Audrey didn't have the greatest singing voice, while Marni Nixon did. But Audrey absolutely crushed this role. She hit every character beat you could have wanted from an actress. It can be, I think, so hard to play an over the top character without going over the top in your performance. Audrey famously didn't win the Oscar because her singing was dubbed but I think this was one of her finest roles.
32:46 - "She's a very complex character. Usually you think a musical, and you're like there's no character development, it's a musical." The thing about this and a lot of the great musicals, it was a play first and the music and songs were added to make it a musical. As you know, My Fair Lady was based on Pygmalion and a lot of the (non-musical) dialogue is taken directly from the play. Oklahoma! was based on a play called Green Grow the Lilacs. The story of The Sound of Music was a German film first based on the true story of the von Trapp family. The King and I was based on the novel 'Anna and the King of Siam' which was based on the memoirs of Anna Leonowens. Oliver! is based on Oliver Twist. West Side Story is based on Romeo and Juliet....etc.
Some might like to know that there is an earlier non-musical movie of "Anna and the King of Siam" (1946), starring Irene Dunne as Anna and (guess who) Rex Harrison as the King. Casting Harrison as a Thai was a bit of a stretch even for old-school Hollywood, but it's still a pretty good movie, and worth a watch. The 1999 version with Jodie Foster, called "Anna and the King", is also pretty decent.
I always enjoyed the ending with Eliza returning because I never thought that Freddie was worthy of Eliza. I might be the only one but I think the closing line about the slippers was Henry’s way of saying I am sorry without actually saying I am, and Eliza had grown to understand Henry well enough to realize it as such. Growing up, My Fair Lady was the only musical I remembered my father watching with us on t.v. He especially loved the Rain in Spain number. Mia, you should do a movie series of film adaptations of Broadway musicals from the fifties (the movies are). You can choose from Oklahoma, The King &I, South Pacific, Guys & Dolls, Kiss Me Kate, Pajama Game, and Damm Yankees.
I recently saw the stage version in Seattle and some of the modern audience were uncomfortable with Higgins treatment of Eliza. They have even made a subtle change to the ending that suggests a complete divergence from the original ending and that seen in the film.
What's wrong with Freddie? He is besotted and also the most highly educated and wealthy man who's ever shown a romantic interest in Eliza. Plus Jeremy Brett went on to be the sans pareil portrayer of Sherlock Holmes.
I think Freddie doesn’t have the strength of character to be a suitable mate for Eliza. Henry has the strength to challenge Eliza. Of course Richard Berry is corrected that Eliza can have her choice of any man she wants in London
Governor or “Guv’nor” (Captain was also used) was a way to express deference or acknowledge that someone was above you - I believe it was quite common in East London. Kind of like saying “Boss” today.
Liza's father's hat has a thing hanging down to protect his neck from things spilling out when he carries bins. "Hello, Governor." Means a respectful hello to a person of a higher status.
38:38 the fact that Eliza is such a three dimensional character is a credit to the writer of the original play, Pygmalion, although that play ends very differently. Spoiler Alert,,,,, Henry doesn't change and Eliza has too much self respect to go back to him and according to a prologue written by the author, Eliza does marry Freddie with Colonel Pickering's help.
To answer your question about "She's All That"... yes! "She's All That" is meant to be a modern adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion/My Fair Lady. 😊Modern teen adaptations of classic literature/plays got very trendy for a quick second there in the '90s and "She's All That" was part of that. (Some other movies that kinda rode that trend include "Clueless", which is an adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma and "10 Things I Hate About You", which is based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew). There was, also, a short lived tv series with Karen Gillan and John Cho a few years back that was intended to be a modern-day adaptation of My Fair Lady/Pygmalion called "Selfie". It was pretty cute but, they really sucked at marketing it. Very few people even knew it was based on My Fair Lady and a lot of people I've talked to have said that if they'd been made aware of that, they would've been more interested in checking it out.
When Professor Higgins sings "I'm An Ordinary Man"; lets you know Mia, why he talks to Eliza with such distain. You know, he isn't the only one that behaves obnoxiously in the movies. The character of Melvin Udall in the movie "As Good As It Gets" has got Prof. Higgins beat. I never paid to much attention when Jeremy Brett sings "On the Street Where You Live". He seemed TOO 'thirsty'. I had to watch it again after I realized he was the same guy that played Sherlock Holmes. The BEST Sherlock Holmes I've ever watched. "My Fair Lady" is one of my all-time favorite movies! You're absolutely right, the quality of this movie is brilliant. Okay, you seem confused by Prof. Higgins attitude toward women. Well from a mans perspective, I can comment that the only way I can have a 'long' relationship with a woman is when I don't mind being 'nagged' by her.
When this musical was on Broadway, an original cast record album was issued. I remember that ALL of the sons in the show were played a lot on the radio. All of the songs in this movie are very familiar to me.
I once heard a critic lament that his dream would have been to be in the audience the moment that Julie Andrews came on stage and sang "I could have danced all night" the first time! It must have been breathtaking and magical!
I'm so very glad to see you react to this fabulous movie! As another commenter has noted, most of the dialogue is from the original Shaw play, but that play ends with Eliza really cutting off relations with Higgins. The climactic moment when she returns to Higgins was first introduced (despite Shaw's objections) in the 1938 movie version of Pygmalion, and carried over into both the stage and screen versions of My Fair Lady. I think it works better than Shaw's ending, but we do have to thank Shaw for so much of what is great in this movie.
"Guv'nor" is how lower/middle-classes addressed their boss, so long as there wasn't a title or nobility involved. It might be used when addressing any figure of authority or person you're trying to suck up to: policeman (no women cops then), rich guy, whatever. Being judged by language is what this movie is all about and it wouldn't make sense if it weren't true. Nowadays the BBC no longer uses "Received Pronunciation," and has people using their native accents, while attempting British diversity: economic, cultural, racial, class-wise, language-wise, and so on.
@@MoviesWithMia it was the Granada series. He's generally considered by many of us Holmes fans as *the* quintessential Sherlock Holmes. They adapted more of the stories than anyone else. Quite sad actually, as he did his own singing, but was then dubbed over without his knowledge. He had a fine singing voice.
@@caitlin329 Absolutely Brett is the gold standard of Holmes (bypassing Basil Rathbone). And the episodes are based as close as possible to the Conan Doyle stories. (No Holmes Fights Godzilla or so taking him out of contest.) Silver Blaze - ruclips.net/video/fNfpel0c2J8/видео.html For other episodes, just type "Jeremy Brett" and "Sherlock Holmes" into a RUclips search. Brett really studied the depiction of Conan Doyle's Holmes and I think did a great job of bringing to life Holmes's many quirks and mannerisms that make him who he was. (Jeremy Brett was suffering a fatal illness as the series went on but he kept with it to the end. and so they almost represent his life's work - even though a small part of it in terms of time.)
Oh man! Warner Brothers really screwed these actors over! And I have to see that!! I love Sherlock Holmes! Of course I was introduced to the character by way of the RDJ movies and then Benedict Cumberbatch in SHERLOCK! Which I LOVED!!!
Stanley Holloway (Eliza's dad) was a staple actor of the British Film Industry from 1922 and through the war years. His leather cap with a long leather tail down his back, is the cap of a "coalman". Who delivered coal in sacks to customer's house. Lifting the "hundredweight" coal sacks onto their back, straight off the back of their coal truck. Then walking it to the customer's coal store. If he was going to be permanently "unemployed", then he might as well be unemployed from one of the physically hardest trades.
OMG your reaction to Freddie singing!!! I love it!!! HAHAHAHA I grew up watching this and believe me, I would always melt in a puddle with this song. I can still sing it along with him...
In real life, a man sings outside your apartment would be seen as unexpected and kinda creepy, but in a fantasy or the movies, it's fine cause he sings and is in love with her, lol 😂
Only in recent times is it seen that way. Up until the late 20th century, a besotted man serenading a woman outside of her window/balcony was seen as very romantic.
The costumes from the races were based on ‘Black Ascott’, a particular event that occurred after the death of King Edward VII. Costume designer Cecil Beaton drew on actual dresses for the event.
@@MoviesWithMia Which may be why the King in "Just You Wait" looks like Edward VII (who died in 1910, two years before the show is set) rather than the actual George V.
Harrison was the first to use this speak singing technique and it was in this movie... In Pygmalion Eliza leaves Henry Higgins and is A very sad ending....
Yes in the original play Eliza does leave Higgins. The 1938 film of Pygmalion chose to go with her coming back, which MFL decided to go with as well. I recall years ago there was a televised production starring Peter O'Toole and Margot Kidder. In that version she did walk out, intending to marry Freddy.
I would argue that prejudice based on accents is nearly as much of an issue as it was in the early 1900’s. Imagine your favorite TV or radio journalist with a lower class accent. Better yet, learn several different accents and see if strangers don’t respond to you differently based on your speech.
Here's a little explanation of British money before 1972: The smallest coins were farthings (one quarter penny). There were also half pennies and pennies. There were 12 pennies to a shilling and 20 shillings to a pound. A florin was 2 shillings, a crown was 5 shillings and a half crown was 2 and a half shillings.
I met Rex Harrison's son, Carey Harrison. He lived in nearby Woodstock, NY. He had wonderful things to say about his Father as an Actor but as a Father he left a lot to be desired. My DVD set of the film includes 2 versions, one with vocals by Marni Nixon and the other with vocals by Audrey Hepburn. While lacking Marni Nixon's Vocal Range, Audrey's singing was quite good and very enjoyable.
Loved your video and your take on it... I read Pygmalion in high school (part of our English curriculum) and my parents introduced me to the movie musical, which I loved... (the book is different, but very good, and Eliza does come off as a strong woman like in the movie)... in fact, Rex Harrison's Henry Higgins influenced my choice of career (as did the song Why Can't the English...). I am a translator, editor and linguist.
also, the way i always saw the ending was this: it was less of him wanting her after he found out he couldn't have her, and more of him wanting her once he realized he respected her. her speech and song to him commanded respect and that was like his dawning realization that he respected her as well, because ultimately she commanded him to. but he doesn't know what to do with these feelings because he's kind of a walking disaster so he grumbles about it and the ending with the "where the devil are my slippers" is him hiding the fact that he's happy to see her with a little quip, not necessarily actually demanding his slippers. i've seen some people say they've seen endings of the play where he comes home to find eliza sitting behind his desk, and endings where he says "where the devil are my slippers" and they both smile, alluding to the fact that they're on equal footing now. i don't see it being a romantic sunshine and rainbows ending once the screen fades black. i see it more of them slowly falling in love as she challenges him and their feelings grow from finding mutual respect and equal footing to finding companionship, friendship, and eventually romance. once he works through a lot of his issues 'cause SIR.......lol
Yes. I think, that his initial lack of respect for her was a common class thing in England in those days, and it may have been a little more difficult for Henry to overcome that. Of course, it's still that way to one degree or another around the World but likely not as pronounced among people, whom we see everyday. Globalist elites still think of regular people as faceless drones.
That's a good way to put it I think. I've come to like the open nature of this ending, though it doesn't satisfy either those who like traditional happy endings or dogmatic feminists. It's not clear where these two people will wind up, just that they will have some sort of relationship with each other. Higgins will not completely change his nature, but Eliza will be something different to him than she was, whether platonic or romantic, and her own person. Rex Harrison's portrayal is too likable for us to want him completely abandoned. If Eliza just left, there would be a big hole in his life, and now that he's come around, Higgins doesn't really deserve that kind of damage. He was never malicious, after all, just careless.
In the recent Lincoln Center revival (which I did not see) Eliza walks out on Higgins in the final scene. In the 1976 25th anniversary revival (which I did see) the voice of Ian Richardson (who played Higgins) would crack while saying that final line about the slippers. IIRC Eliza did not move and remained emotionless behind Higgins as the final curtain fell. I liked how the ending was handled in 1976. Higgins changed Eliza, but Eliza also changed Higgins.
One of the best films to watch to understand British society and class. It's better than it was a century ago but it's still gets in the way of social mobility.
I despise this film. Why? The ending. After all the artistry, brilliant musical numbers, outstanding performances, a character arc culminating in "Goodbye, Professor Higgins. You shall not be seeing me again." we get...what probably qualifies as the most limp ending to any movie.
Jeremy Brett and Audrey Hepburn are so cute together. I go along with George Bernard Shaw, who said Eliza and Freddie end up together (she still visits her friend Higgins, though).
Fun fact: George Bernhard Shaw got the name Eliza Doolittle from my family (or rather documents from my family because a relative of his married into my family). In short, in my family, we jokingly call him "Great Uncle Bernie" just because it's kind of fun!
It's wonderful that your next reaction is "Wait Until Dark", a great thriller. Just a bit disappointed, however, that it's the last Audrey Hepburn movie you're planning. That means we won't get to see you react to her Oscar winning performance in "Roman Holiday".(Or have you previously done it before this series?)
Glad you watched this! There is an earlier black and white film version of Pygmalion (of the same name) from 1938 starring Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller. It is FANTASTIC. It's not a musical, but it has great dialogue and humor, and the leads have great chemistry together. I actually prefer that version to this one (ever so slightly), but both films are wonderful. You should definitely check out 1938's Pygmalion, even if you do it in your free time. It's been uploaded to RUclips for anyone curious.
I love that you love how this movie ends. I think it is empowering that Eliza comes back on her own accord not because she has to but because she wants to. I've noticed that people who don't like this ending feel confused about why Eliza wanted to come back. Let's face it. There is a conception of women's hearts as simple and almost programable in the larger culture. Say and do the right things and she'll love you. Freddie is kind of a critique of that idea. He's handsome, says and does the right things to "make" Eliza fall head over heels for him but that doesn't happen. Because (and you hit the nail on the head here) Eliza is a complex character and something about Henry calls out to her. It helps that Rex Harrison is such a good actor. The reason Henry is just frustrating rather than entirely unlikable is that Harrison manages to convey that Henry's bluster and thoughtlessness comes from a place of pain and fear of being vulnerable. I think Eliza picks up on that.
One of my favourite shows ever. In my youth l knew all of Higgins’ songs and most of his lines. Loved the movie and saw the show a few times on stage too.
When I was younger My Fair Lady was the only Audrey Hepburn film I could watch because my mom thought me watching her other films would possessed me because they were love stories
Mom saw "My Fair Lady" on Broadway starring Julie Andrews. Mom & everyone who saw it, rightly or wrongly held it against Audrey Hepburn for taking the part in the movie, for the rest of Audrey's life. Sad, as many of them were previously Audrey Hepburn fans. ...The play w/ Julie Andrews was before my time, so I thought Audrey Hepburn did a fantastic job. I used to tease Mom by praising Audrey Hepburn's singing voice in "My Fair Lady". Mom would get angry & point out, that Audrey was over dubbed!
That's sad (and funny!) because, watching it right now, I think this is one of Audrey's best performances! Haven't seen this movie in at least 30 years, I was shocked how great she (and it) was. Always loved it when I was younger, but I forgot how well it was done. Since I'm not a "Sound Of Music" fan, I'm going to have to say this feels like the last great classic Hollywood musical (and "Mary Poppins", which is Disney, slightly different, a genre unto itself). They kept cranking them out ("Finian's Rainbow", "Camelot") but I don't think they ever hit this high a peak ever again.
@@paulpeacock1181 "Cabaret" has nothing to do with the classic Hollywood musicals, and everything to do with the incredible new American cinema of the 70s. I find "Funny Girl" tedious and overrated. "Fiddler On The Roof" is 1971, again, way after the fact. It certainly doesn't have the look. I'm not saying there aren't great musicals after this; I'm talking THIS era of Hollywood musicals. I mean, "All That Jazz" is a great musical, but I don't lump it in with Hollywood musicals, I lump it in with 70s cinema. ("Sweet Charity", however, I would put in that category, and although there's a lot I like about it, I don't think it's up to the quality of "My Fair Lady"). I know I don't have to tell you about the seismic shift that came in '66-'67; the only hint of what's to come in "My Fair Lady" is "move your bloomin' arse!" and "Damn Damn Damn!" :D
I was taken to NYC to see My Fair Lady in 1958 when I was ten because I was already obsessed with the music. (The original cast album with Harrison and Andrews was my favorite album and it still is.) It was a magical production and The Ascot scene was just as it was in the movie, all in white, black, and gray. I think it is the best theater musical ever made. I was so interested in the story that I immediately went home and read Shaw's Pygmalion and watched the 1938 version. I like this movie, but it is not one of my top movie musicals. I find it a little too stagey, and I'm sorry, Marni Nixon's soprano does not fit Audrey's speaking voice. They both performed well, but it is not a coherent transition. When I want to watch a musical from 1964, I always go back to "Mary Poppins." because it is a coherent whole (and delightful).
at the academy awards, when julie andrews won best actress as mary poppins, she thanked jack warner for his help in her win by not casting her in 'my fair lady' lol.
I love Audrey Hepburn. Thanks for this one... To hear Julie Andrews as Eliza, you can find the Broadway cast album quite easily, To my mind, no one has come close to Julie singing "I Could Have Danced All Night". As wonderful as Marni Nixon was, the score was built around the strengths of Julie (as a coloratura soprano) and Rex Harrison (with his sing-speaking). There are a few old TV clips on YT of Julie as Eliza (rehearsal footage and old variety shows of the era). Jeremy Brett, who plays Freddy, could sing but he was dubbed by Bill Shirley, who voiced Prince Phillip in Disney's 'Sleeping Beauty'. Brett would later be one of the most beloved interpreters of Sherlock Holmes, playing the detective for ten years on TV (1984-1994).
![Megan Thee Stallion - Neva Play (feat. RM) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TpYTyAaTRts/mqdefault.jpg)
There is a harsh and interesting social commentary inserted in that dialogue where Eliza asks what is she supposed to do with herself now that she can no longer feel at home living in the slums but has no means to live anywhere else. Higgins suggests that, being a lady, she is not supposed to work, anyway, but marry, to which she snaps back:
"So, back when I sold flowers, I didn't sell myself but now that you made a lady of me I'm not fit to sell anything else..."
The young man you were understandably fawning over who plays Freddie is Jeremy Brett, the DEFINITIVE Sherlock Holmes. He played Sherlock Holmes for Granada Television and it is the greatest performance of the Great Detective ever!
For my taste, Jeremy Brett WAS Sherlock Holmes.❤
@@lechat8533 Unquestionably.
I cringe watching the old black and white holmes with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Rathbone, was a great Holmes, but they didn't do The Doyle stories the the way Granada and Jeremy Brett did. I watched the Brett Holmes and with the feeling that Doyle wrote Watson very much as if Doyle himself was Watson as if the eye witness narrator. And glad you mentioned Marni Nixon. Did that dubbing make it virtually impossible for Audrey Hepburn to get the Oscar?
"Hello Guv'nor" was just one of many ways someone of a lower class (specifically London here) might refer to someone of higher class, especially if they didn't now what rank they were addressing. It basically means 'Boss' or 'Someone better than me'. 'Governor', like 'Squire', 'Lordship', 'Judge' and so on, were terms cockneys (and other working class Brits), would use a lot.
It sounds weird in America because we aren't as class-obsessed as the Brits. If somebody seemed to be acting 'above' someone else here, they're more likely to be addressed with a mocking insult. Sort of the way Han Solo talks to Princess Leia in Star Wars, e.g. "your worship."
"Hello Guv'nor" reminds me "The admirable Crichton"
@@jedijones _"It sounds weird in America because we aren't as class-obsessed as the Brits"_ - I wouldn't say Britain is class obsessed. It's just that class and the class system was the reality of British life for most of history - My Fair Lady is set while that was still very much in force. Even in the US in the South a kind of class system developed (which was damaged by the Civil War). The modern US has one too - it's human nature I guess, but in the US it isn't about titles, just wealth and dynastic family names, etc.
@@monnezzapromizoulin5169 Spoken in a posh voice, too; _"Hello Guv'nor!"_
@@monnezzapromizoulin5169 and "CRICHTON" is MY last name TOO. (for those who are not familiar with the name "CRICHTON" (as in THE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON, and the famous author MICHAEL CRICHTON ( Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, The Lost World, Time Line, Sphere, The Terminal Man, The "CH" in the middle of "CriCHton" is SILENT. Pretend they are NOT there, so it was pronounced like "CRY - tin" MOST people who don't know will say my name like "CriTCHtin" (like CH in "CHERRY" or like "itch with a hard C instead of the "i" in front) It's funny because people who met me and are calling my name from a paper (like at a doctor's/dentists office, etc, Will say it like I just mentioned. But I HAVE had some actually say it correctly and I always tell them that I was glad they pronounce it correctly, and EVERYONE of them would say,, "Yes, like MICHEAL CRICHTON....are you any relation to him?" I always say I WISH I WAS, I would like just a FIFTH of his money ( he made a lot of money with his books and so many of them were turned into blockbuster movies. Sadly he died at the age of 66 in Nov, 2008 from cancer. RIP Michael. By the way, "CRICHTON" is a SCOTTISH name.
“Move your blooming arse Dover” is the best line ever
Audrey Hepburn is an eternal vision of style and glamour, but Jeremy Brett is in my heart as the best Sherlock Holmes ever.
Yes he was!
Couldn’t agree more!
Poor Jeremy Brett, who died too young. What a brilliant actor, and the _only_ Sherlock Holmes I will ever recognize as authentic.
Absolutely!
You’re absolutely right!
In the musical Eliza left and never came back to Higgins I honestly prefer that ending to be honest he really annoyed me so it was nice to see her tell him off and live her life without his ego and putting her down
Pygmalion in ancient mythology was a king and sculptor who fell in love with the marble statue he created. In Shaw's time, education included much classical literature such as the works of Homer and Plato, and so people would know of this legend. Shaw used the title for his play but obviously updated it to recent times and with a real woman. (Now that I think about it, Pygmalion is slightly similar to Pinocchio.)
I've read that Joyce's "Finnegans Wake," is actually a nod to Shaw's Pygmalion.
That really makes me want to write a paper on the similarities, also tying in with the (Jewish?) lore of gollums.
Shaw wrote a sequel to _Pigmalion_ but it’s really an outline for a story that would be better suited to a miniseries than a play or a movie. You can find it online.
Similar to Mannequin also. 😆 I think there are a LOT of movies that riffed on Pygmalion. Other movies like Can't Buy Me Love, Trading Places, Pretty Woman, Mighty Aphrodite, She's All That, etc. Using the concept of taking a nobody and trying to mold them into something with a higher status.
@@jedijones Yes but also the idea the creator unintentionally falls in love with the creation. Sort of "boy builds girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl."
This wasn't shot in Three-Strip Technicolor, it was shot in 70mm. The exposed frame is three times the size of 35mm, that's why it looks so great.
"Hello Guvnor" just means "Hello, boss" basically a recognition that he's speaking to someone of a higher class. Take it from a cockney. 😀
I neglected to tell you that you did a marvelous job editing and putting this all together. Carefully using very short clips, you managed to capture this film's rare beauty and best moments. Great job, Mia!
Thank you so much! I was really nervous about the songs but am content with the final cut!
@@MoviesWithMia I’m a little late but would you consider doing the musical 1776? Fantastic for a belated 4th of July, maybe chow down with a hot dog and potato chips while enjoying?!
PS I love Wait Until Dark! You are picking awesome movies.
@@RLucas3000 Strange to say, the musical *1776* (1972), about the writing and signing of the American Declaration of Independence, has some of the virtues of *My Fair Lady* (1964). If you watch it, make sure you get the Director's cut.
Audrey Hepburn is one of my favorite actresses and celebrities for a reason. Her life story is so tragic how she started life as a WW2 survivor. The reason why Audrey Hepburn is so skinny most of her life is because she was malnourished as a young girl due to war times and she had VERY low self esteem even when she was the talk of how beautiful she always was. She used her celebrity status VERY early in her career to set up charities for children of poor countries ravaged by war. She had her flaws in her relationships but in the end she did her best for herself, her children and the children her charity supported. She truly was a Princess and a Queen of Hollywood Royalty.
And I don't think she wasted her time on Hollywood parties.
@@billolsen4360 i beleive thats true, unless she absolutely needed to she avoided a lot of the Hollywood shin digs.
I'm so glad you love Jeremy Brett! He is so gorgeous and precious in this film. I also highly recommend his Sherlock series it is amazing!
He was and is the greatest Sherlock Holmes I've ever seen (especially in the first two series before ill-health started to affect his performance) 🥰
I concur about Jeremy Brett’s portrayal of Holmes. Really recommend giving them a watch. 😊
Yes, yes! Second and third these recommendations!
THE BEST Sherlock Holmes imo!
It's interesting that @25:00 Mia thought of Prince Eric, since Freddie's singing voice was actually that of Bill Shirley, AKA Prince Phillip from Disney's "Sleeping Beauty."
Freddy sings « On the Street where you live ».
Have you noticed that theses are the very words Cary Grant uses in Charade when the elevator of the hotel stops :
- where are we ?
- on the street where you live
I just read the original play PYGMALION before watching your video. The play ends with Eliza leaving Higgins. Shaw wrote an Afterword that explains what happens next, although he felt it would be obvious to the audience. Eliza marries Freddy. They have a rough time until Pickering helps them open a flower shop. He also sends them to business school. Eliza and Freddy end up moving back in with Higgins and Pickering! Shaw said that he didn't like that the studio made him change the ending to where Eliza and Higgins end up together. He thought his original ending showed that women had agency and were their own people outside of men.
Shaw, in insisting that the original plot of his play should be followed and Higgins' "creation" Eliza have a life of her own beyond Higgins' control, presumably did not see the irony of his own creation, the play, also developing a life of its own beyond his own control!
If you're curious, the writing that Henry Higgins uses to write down Eliza's speech at the beginning is called the international phonetic alphabet. It is, literally, used as a way to write down not only what someone says but, the specific pronunciation of how they are saying it.
EDIT: Just for anyone who is wondering and doesn't have time to read the replies to this... the specific symbols Henry Higgins uses in the movie are a combination of the international phonetic alphabet (IPA) along with a similar system by Alexander Graham Bell called Visible Speech. Both served the same function but, since both were still in use at the time My Fair Lady is set, the filmmakers decided to have Henry use a bit of both of them rather than just working entirely in IPA the way a modern phonetician would.
Some may be interested to know that there is also a system called Labanotation that is used to write down dance choreography, in the same way that musical notation is used to write down tunes.
The symbols I saw didn't look like IPA, but maybe an alphabet of his own design.
@@fad23 yes it wasn't IPA. My guess it the movie just made up something.
@@judithweiss6727 I can assure you that they most certainly did not just make up something. "My Fair Lady" actually had the foremost expert in phonetics consulting on the film (his name was Peter Ladefoged). He's the one who actually wrote the symbols in Henry's notebook. To be absolutely specific, the symbols in the notebook are a combination of both IPA and Visible Speech, which was an earlier transcription style invented by Alexander Graham Bell that was used before IPA became the standard. To be historically accurate, they chose to use a combination of both styles. So, there are IPA symbols in there but, they are supplemented by Visible Speech symbols, as well.
Ah, then now you need to see GiGi. A similar story, with a young French girl learning to be arm candy for a rich patron. Gaston (Louis Jourdan) will make you swoon, as you did for Freddie here. And the music is phenomenal.
Yes, please ignore the bluenoses who insist on coloring everything in sight with their own peculiar cultural obsessions, which sadly have seeped into the mainstream in the form of Stranger Danger, "Toxic Male creepiness", and ahistorical 3rd-wave feminism. "Gigi" is actually yet another story about a man realizing that a woman in his life is a person, and not just a social place holder.
This time, a role writen for Audrey, but casted to Leslie Caron (like, the opposite of My Fair Lady)
And another great dubbing job (of star Leslie Caron), this time by Betty Wand!
Don't forget Maurice Chevalier singing Thank Heaven For Little Girls.
Louie Jourdan is every bit as gorgeous as Jeremy Brett.
@@baskervillebee6097 Louis Jourdan was my very first man crush. He really is handsome. Glad I grew up watching and loving those old movies with my parents and could swoon over all those classy men 😉
I was lucky to see Rex Harrison’s final tour of My Fair Lady in the early ‘80s, co-starring Cathleen Nesbitt as Henry’s mother (she had originated the role on Broadway). It was wonderful, although he was getting very long in the tooth. (I also saw Yul Brynner in his final tour of The King and I.)
Me too! 1981 in Boston for me!!
I saw Richard Kiley in the original run of Man of La Mancha (1967 on tour) and then when he reprised it in 1979. I wish I'd seen the musical productions you got to see.
@@storyteller2882 The other big-name actors I saw on stage in Chicago in touring musicals were Victor Garber and Luci Arnaz in They’re Playing Our Song, and Peter Noone and Jim Belushi in The Pirates of Penzance. My favorite though was when a 1999 revival of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown was in tryouts in Chicago before going to Broadway. I got the tickets because Anthony Rapp and BD Wong were playing Charlie Brown and Linus. Afterwards, though, all my mom and I could talk about were the then-unknown Roger Bart and Kristin Chenoweth as Snoopy and Sally, especially Kristin, who we knew immediately was going to be a huge star. She was amazing!
Before the recording of sound existed, voice experts like Henry Higgins, actually did have systems to write down what people sounded like, sort of like notes, etc on sheet music. That's how we know; the the British sounded like Americans 250 years ago & not the other way around.
We still do it! I took 2 linguistic classes in college and had to learn how to do it.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet
actually it isn't because the system wasn't invented that far back. We figured out how pronunciation changed through other means.
@@judithweiss6727 There were previous systems as well as just very talented people at describing how people sounded going back throughout written hustory.
@@judithweiss6727 Spot on mate. We can tell more by how words were used in rhymes and poems and also by how foreign visitors would transcribe English words phonetically.
Marni Nixon was also known as "the Ghostess with the Mostest."
Her son Andrew Gold wrote "Thank You for Being a Friend," which became the theme song for "The Golden Girls."
It was an absolute JOY to watch you experiencing "MY FAIR LADY" for the first time! In my 68 years I have watched it many times, and there are some scenes I have re-watched too many times to count, especially the "Ascot Opening Day" scene. It was such genius to dress everyone in white, black & gray - and then to let Audrey enter wearing the only color there! The choreography of the old rich ladies is magnificent. They make fun of the rigidity of the upper class Brits, but they also show incredible charm and beauty. It just fascinates me endlessly. And I have found myself singing "On the Street Where You Live" on the sidewalks of new romantic interests. This movie is a masterpiece.
Governor is a way of addressing someone of a higher status. It isn't a term much used now but still is used in slang. It tends to be referred to when someone is speaking about their boss
The thing about Marni Nixon is that not only did she have a beautiful voice but she had the ability to alter her timbre so that she sounded like the person she was dubbing, but better.
Regarding Eliza's development, recall that the book is Shaw's _Pygmalion,_ so that's where the characters development comes from.
The ending of Eliza coming back was not in the original script of _Pygmalion._ It was added for Anthony Asquith's film of the play. It has since come to by used in most stage productions of _Pygmalion._
FWIW, Mrs. Higgins was not wearing a lavalier in her last scene. She was wearing a choker of the type sometimes called a dog collar, as well as the long string of beads.
I almost wish they kept the original ending! It would have been much more effective of getting Eliza’s point across! And yeah Marni Nixon was AMAZING!!!
Mrs. Higgins was played by Gladys Cooper who was a beautiful pin-up girl for British soldiers in WWI
@@billolsen4360 Gladys Cooper was a great actress. "Rebecca", "Separate Tables", many more. Always memorable.
@@epsteinisms1483 Gladys Cooper was also one of the leads in the short-lived American series 'The Rogues', along with Robert Coote, who was the original Colonel Pickering in London.
If I recall correctly, Eliza's return was actually one of the alternative endings Shaw postulated in published version of the script. It was not one of his favorites, but he did consider it.
Freddy, Eliza's suitor, is Jeremy Brett. He later become really famous for is interpretation of Sherlock Holmes in the Granada series.
Fun Fact: the man walking beside the Queen of Transylvania was played by Henry Daniell who played Sydney Kid in The Philadelphia Story.
My guilty pleasure movies. I used to always watch "girly" movies with my Aunt as a kid and had to act like I didn't enjoy them. Now as an adult i'm glad I was cultured in good films
I grew up with my grandmother and she loved this movie. And looking at in now as an adult, I feel like this is a film modern writers should look at for an example of a strong female character.
When I saw this as a child I wanted a library/study like Higgen’s. Thankfully I now have wall to wall bookcases (17) full of hardcover books.
This movie is like a series of Monet paintings put to music. And in focus. Loverly.
That "dreamy effect" you noticed is remarkably simple to attain with old-skool film cameras. They simply smear Vaseline around the circumference of the lens. Today that effect would be easily done in post with computer editing, but back in the day they did it in-camera.
14:43...in the British Empire a 'Governor' was an official appointed to oversee a Crown Colony (or was the top official in certain businesses...the Bank of England being an obvious example). Gradually it came to be used as a slang word for any man who held a superior position socially. Therefore "Allo Guvna (Governor)' is a deferential way of greeting a social superior (basically it's just a dialectical way of saying 'Hello Sir')
'Governor' was used to refer to a position of personal authority centuries before there was a British empire. It was essentially the male equivalent of a governess, a young person's tutor/guardian.
The development of 'guv'nor' would have had more to do with that meaning, as well as the meaning in "board of governors", than it did to the administrator of an overseas colony.
@@paulkennedy8701 I didn't say it wasn't, I just picked a couple of random examples to give context to the sense of it referring to a social superior
@@paulkennedy8701 also as far as I know the male equivalent of a governess is just 'tutor' never governor...and a tutor and a guardian are definitely not the same thing.
@@eddhardy1054
Then I have added to your knowledge, haven't I.
@@paulkennedy8701 sadly no...you're just wrong 😉😊
@Mia Tiffany The way a person talks can affect the sort of jobs you can get, even these days. For example, I live in southern West Virginia. I speak rather well for a person from this area, and locals think I'm a bit snobbish because of it. But anyone that isn't from this area thinks I sound like an absolute country bumpkin.
As a digger, her father's neck is the most exposed skin to the sun. The "Back flap" hat is to prevent sunburn on the neck. This is my favorite musical of all and I am so glad this is my first video with you. The classics should not be forgotten, I am so excited to watch more of your videos.
OMGosh, you have done so many of my favorites already. I cannot wait.
You may be right. In *My Fair Lady,* Higgins refers to Alfred P. Doolittle as "a common dustman," which essentially means garbage man, but in *Pygmalion,* Eliza specifies that his proper trade is that of a navvy, which means a laborer in construction or excavation projects (presumably including a lot of digging).
Also, this wasn't the first play-to-film adaptation that Audrey was offered because in 1962, she and Elizabeth Taylor were both offered the role as Annie Sullivan for the movie version of The Miracle Worker. They would bring in butts in seats. However, Arthur Penn insisted that Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke should reprise their roles as Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller for the movie. It was the best idea ever because they both won their Oscars a year later (well deserved!)
17:15 Like so many great effects, it's completely practical - Vaseline. You rub it on the lens and you get that unfocused look. Buff it up and you get that soft, sweet glow you often see around really beautiful actresses' faces back in the day. It's crude but perfectly effective.
A musical I think you would love is "Meet Me In St. Louis", starring Judy Garland. The story covers a lot of emotional ground, and Judy is a genius of pathos and depth. It's very much a musical with very famous songs, but it's also a story of a family torn by circumstances. A real Hollywood classic of the golden age of musicals.
"Meet Me in St. Louis" is also one of the greatest Technicolor movies ever made. Nearly eevery shot is breathtaking. Oh, and little 7 year old Margaret O'Brien steals every scene she's in, playing "Tootie". Do see the film. One of MGM's greatest musicals.
Just think how different this movie would have been if they'd gone with the ending from _Pygmalion_ where Higgins kicks Eliza out of the house and never sees her again.
Fashions are by the very famous Cecil Beaton. He designed over 1,000 costumes and won an Academy Award.
Jeremy Brett, who played Freddy, sang in a more operatic style. So he was dubbed by the actor who did the voice of Prince Philip in SLEEPING BEAUTY
Ohh!! Interesting!!
I absolutely adored this musical as a young man. I think I first saw it on Christmas morning when I was around 12.
George cukor's elegant colorful adaptation of the beloved stage play is elevated to new heights thanks to winning performances by Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, My FAIR LADY (1964) 94/100% Certified Approved ☑️ Eliza Doolittle: the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not she behaves, but how she is treated.
Mia, without exception, you always pick great films.
I understand why you would have loved Julie Andews to play this role.
But, with the knowledge I have of Miss Audrey Hepbern, I could never criticize her for anything.
Also Sean did a beautiful documentary on his mother that is on RUclips.
Oh No! Mia forgot to finish these movies of Audrey Hepburn is
Roman holiday with Gregory peck(1953)
Funny face with Fred Astaire (1957)
And breakfast at Tiffany's with George peppard (1961)
Wait until dark has Alan Arkin in this one, Arkin used to be in the 2017 movie Going In Style with Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.
Rex Harrison singing is very reminiscent of Richard Harris signing in Camelot.
Harris's singing was an improvement or Richard Burton's! ....Ha!
My favorite: 11 March 1964, Los Angles at the Golden Globes. Julie Andrews acceptance speech for best actress.
“Thank you very much for this lovely honour. It's a wonderful momento of a very happy time. Finally my thanks to a man who made a wonderful movie and made all this possible in the first place -- Mr Jack Warner. “
Jack Warner failed to cast Andrews as Eliza Doolitle in My Fair Lady despite Andrews being the star on Broadway for several years. Had she been cast in My Fair Lady, she would not have been Mary Poppins. Jack Warner, to his credit, laughed the hardest.
As others have said, Audrey didn't have the greatest singing voice, while Marni Nixon did. But Audrey absolutely crushed this role. She hit every character beat you could have wanted from an actress.
It can be, I think, so hard to play an over the top character without going over the top in your performance. Audrey famously didn't win the Oscar because her singing was dubbed but I think this was one of her finest roles.
You can find on utube clips of the film cut with her vocals really does enhance the character and her voice wa not bad if a little thin
"Knock knock...."
"Who's there?"
"Armageddon".
"Armageddon who?"
🎶"Armageddon married
in the morning.....
Ding dong the bells are
gonna chime......"
32:46 - "She's a very complex character. Usually you think a musical, and you're like there's no character development, it's a musical." The thing about this and a lot of the great musicals, it was a play first and the music and songs were added to make it a musical. As you know, My Fair Lady was based on Pygmalion and a lot of the (non-musical) dialogue is taken directly from the play. Oklahoma! was based on a play called Green Grow the Lilacs. The story of The Sound of Music was a German film first based on the true story of the von Trapp family. The King and I was based on the novel 'Anna and the King of Siam' which was based on the memoirs of Anna Leonowens. Oliver! is based on Oliver Twist. West Side Story is based on Romeo and Juliet....etc.
Some might like to know that there is an earlier non-musical movie of "Anna and the King of Siam" (1946), starring Irene Dunne as Anna and (guess who) Rex Harrison as the King. Casting Harrison as a Thai was a bit of a stretch even for old-school Hollywood, but it's still a pretty good movie, and worth a watch. The 1999 version with Jodie Foster, called "Anna and the King", is also pretty decent.
@@paintedjaguar Those both are VERY good and shows the King (especially Rex Harrison's portrayal) as not a very nice man.
Rex Harrison's voice was the inspiration for Stewie's voice in Family Guy
I always enjoyed the ending with Eliza returning because I never thought that Freddie was worthy of Eliza. I might be the only one but I think the closing line about the slippers was Henry’s way of saying I am sorry without actually saying I am, and Eliza had grown to understand Henry well enough to realize it as such. Growing up, My Fair Lady was the only musical I remembered my father watching with us on t.v. He especially loved the Rain in Spain number. Mia, you should do a movie series of film adaptations of Broadway musicals from the fifties (the movies are). You can choose from Oklahoma, The King &I, South Pacific, Guys & Dolls, Kiss Me Kate, Pajama Game, and Damm Yankees.
I recently saw the stage version in Seattle and some of the modern audience were uncomfortable with Higgins treatment of Eliza. They have even made a subtle change to the ending that suggests a complete divergence from the original ending and that seen in the film.
Eliza can do better than either Freddie or Henry.
@@mthreapl Even when we watched it in high school in the '90s, some of the girls absolutely hated Henry. 🤣
What's wrong with Freddie? He is besotted and also the most highly educated and wealthy man who's ever shown a romantic interest in Eliza. Plus Jeremy Brett went on to be the sans pareil portrayer of Sherlock Holmes.
I think Freddie doesn’t have the strength of character to be a suitable mate for Eliza. Henry has the strength to challenge Eliza. Of course Richard Berry is corrected that Eliza can have her choice of any man she wants in London
Governor or “Guv’nor” (Captain was also used) was a way to express deference or acknowledge that someone was above you - I believe it was quite common in East London. Kind of like saying “Boss” today.
Liza's father's hat has a thing hanging down to protect his neck from things spilling out when he carries bins.
"Hello, Governor." Means a respectful hello to a person of a higher status.
Also protects from the sun
38:38 the fact that Eliza is such a three dimensional character is a credit to the writer of the original play, Pygmalion, although that play ends very differently.
Spoiler Alert,,,,,
Henry doesn't change and Eliza has too much self respect to go back to him and according to a prologue written by the author, Eliza does marry Freddie with Colonel Pickering's help.
To answer your question about "She's All That"... yes! "She's All That" is meant to be a modern adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion/My Fair Lady. 😊Modern teen adaptations of classic literature/plays got very trendy for a quick second there in the '90s and "She's All That" was part of that. (Some other movies that kinda rode that trend include "Clueless", which is an adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma and "10 Things I Hate About You", which is based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew).
There was, also, a short lived tv series with Karen Gillan and John Cho a few years back that was intended to be a modern-day adaptation of My Fair Lady/Pygmalion called "Selfie". It was pretty cute but, they really sucked at marketing it. Very few people even knew it was based on My Fair Lady and a lot of people I've talked to have said that if they'd been made aware of that, they would've been more interested in checking it out.
When Professor Higgins sings "I'm An Ordinary Man"; lets you know Mia, why he talks to Eliza with such distain. You know, he isn't the only one that behaves obnoxiously in the movies. The character of Melvin Udall in the movie "As Good As It Gets" has got Prof. Higgins beat.
I never paid to much attention when Jeremy Brett sings "On the Street Where You Live". He seemed TOO 'thirsty'. I had to watch it again after I realized he was the same guy that played Sherlock Holmes. The BEST Sherlock Holmes I've ever watched.
"My Fair Lady" is one of my all-time favorite movies! You're absolutely right, the quality of this movie is brilliant.
Okay, you seem confused by Prof. Higgins attitude toward women. Well from a mans perspective, I can comment that the only way I can have a 'long' relationship with a woman is when I don't mind being 'nagged' by her.
Oh yeah! Melvin Udall definitely has Higgins beat!! 😂
When this musical was on Broadway, an original cast record album was issued. I remember that ALL of the sons in the show were played a lot on the radio. All of the songs in this movie are very familiar to me.
I once heard a critic lament that his dream would have been to be in the audience the moment that Julie Andrews came on stage and sang "I could have danced all night" the first time! It must have been breathtaking and magical!
I'm so very glad to see you react to this fabulous movie! As another commenter has noted, most of the dialogue is from the original Shaw play, but that play ends with Eliza really cutting off relations with Higgins. The climactic moment when she returns to Higgins was first introduced (despite Shaw's objections) in the 1938 movie version of Pygmalion, and carried over into both the stage and screen versions of My Fair Lady. I think it works better than Shaw's ending, but we do have to thank Shaw for so much of what is great in this movie.
"Guv'nor" is how lower/middle-classes addressed their boss, so long as there wasn't a title or nobility involved. It might be used when addressing any figure of authority or person you're trying to suck up to: policeman (no women cops then), rich guy, whatever.
Being judged by language is what this movie is all about and it wouldn't make sense if it weren't true. Nowadays the BBC no longer uses "Received Pronunciation," and has people using their native accents, while attempting British diversity: economic, cultural, racial, class-wise, language-wise, and so on.
"Guv'nor" reminds me "The Admirable Crichton"
I didn't remember that real Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett) was on this.
Uh uh!! HE WAS SHERLOCK HOLMES!?! No way! Where can I find that??
It was a TV serie. It is in RUclips in english and spanish.
@@MoviesWithMia it was the Granada series. He's generally considered by many of us Holmes fans as *the* quintessential Sherlock Holmes.
They adapted more of the stories than anyone else.
Quite sad actually, as he did his own singing, but was then dubbed over without his knowledge. He had a fine singing voice.
@@caitlin329 Absolutely Brett is the gold standard of Holmes (bypassing Basil Rathbone). And the episodes are based as close as possible to the Conan Doyle stories. (No Holmes Fights Godzilla or so taking him out of contest.)
Silver Blaze - ruclips.net/video/fNfpel0c2J8/видео.html
For other episodes, just type "Jeremy Brett" and "Sherlock Holmes" into a RUclips search.
Brett really studied the depiction of Conan Doyle's Holmes and I think did a great job of bringing to life Holmes's many quirks and mannerisms that make him who he was. (Jeremy Brett was suffering a fatal illness as the series went on but he kept with it to the end. and so they almost represent his life's work - even though a small part of it in terms of time.)
Oh man! Warner Brothers really screwed these actors over! And I have to see that!! I love Sherlock Holmes! Of course I was introduced to the character by way of the RDJ movies and then Benedict Cumberbatch in SHERLOCK! Which I LOVED!!!
Red lipstick was typical in 30s 40s and 50s. You always look well in every video.
Well thank you, Sue 😁
Stanley Holloway (Eliza's dad) was a staple actor of the British Film Industry from 1922 and through the war years. His leather cap with a long leather tail down his back, is the cap of a "coalman". Who delivered coal in sacks to customer's house. Lifting the "hundredweight" coal sacks onto their back, straight off the back of their coal truck. Then walking it to the customer's coal store. If he was going to be permanently "unemployed", then he might as well be unemployed from one of the physically hardest trades.
This is one of my favourite musicals! And even though they were probably wrong to deny Julie Andrews the part, I love Audrey Hepburn so much as Eliza!
Pygmalion is a Greek story about a prince of Cyprus who falls in love with a statue he sculpted.
OMG your reaction to Freddie singing!!! I love it!!! HAHAHAHA
I grew up watching this and believe me, I would always melt in a puddle with this song. I can still sing it along with him...
Sadly Jeremy Brett met the same fate as Audrey Hepburn. He could definitely sing but it was decided to have him dubbed as well.
In real life, a man sings outside your apartment would be seen as unexpected and kinda creepy, but in a fantasy or the movies, it's fine cause he sings and is in love with her, lol 😂
Only in recent times is it seen that way. Up until the late 20th century, a besotted man serenading a woman outside of her window/balcony was seen as very romantic.
The costumes from the races were based on ‘Black Ascott’, a particular event that occurred after the death of King Edward VII. Costume designer Cecil Beaton drew on actual dresses for the event.
A stunning scene, indeed!
@@MoviesWithMia Which may be why the King in "Just You Wait" looks like Edward VII (who died in 1910, two years before the show is set) rather than the actual George V.
Harrison was the first to use this speak singing technique and it was in this movie... In Pygmalion Eliza leaves Henry Higgins and is A very sad ending....
Yes in the original play Eliza does leave Higgins. The 1938 film of Pygmalion chose to go with her coming back, which MFL decided to go with as well. I recall years ago there was a televised production starring Peter O'Toole and Margot Kidder. In that version she did walk out, intending to marry Freddy.
I would argue that prejudice based on accents is nearly as much of an issue as it was in the early 1900’s. Imagine your favorite TV or radio journalist with a lower class accent. Better yet, learn several different accents and see if strangers don’t respond to you differently based on your speech.
I love this movie so much. "On the street where you live" is one of the most beautiful songs ever. I'm so excited for Wait Until Dark!
Today is the day I wished I had never learned that Audry Hepburn didn't sing her part in My Fair Lady.
Here's a little explanation of British money before 1972:
The smallest coins were farthings (one quarter penny). There were also half pennies and pennies.
There were 12 pennies to a shilling and 20 shillings to a pound.
A florin was 2 shillings, a crown was 5 shillings and a half crown was 2 and a half shillings.
You can buy the Broadway version with Julie Andrews to hear her sing it. We had the album growing up. Think my parents saw it on Broadway.
Oh your parents were very lucky!! I would have done ANYTHING to see Julie Andrews on stage and Eliza!!
I love her version.
@@fayesouthall6604 There are clips of Andrews singing some of the songs on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on RUclips.
I grew up watching my Fair Lady, and I appreciated your reaction. You picked up on things I never did. Thank you for your reaction.
I met Rex Harrison's son, Carey Harrison. He lived in nearby Woodstock, NY. He had wonderful things to say about his Father as an Actor but as a Father he left a lot to be desired. My DVD set of the film includes 2 versions, one with vocals by Marni Nixon and the other with vocals by Audrey Hepburn. While lacking Marni Nixon's Vocal Range, Audrey's singing was quite good and very enjoyable.
Loved your video and your take on it... I read Pygmalion in high school (part of our English curriculum) and my parents introduced me to the movie musical, which I loved... (the book is different, but very good, and Eliza does come off as a strong woman like in the movie)... in fact, Rex Harrison's Henry Higgins influenced my choice of career (as did the song Why Can't the English...). I am a translator, editor and linguist.
Jeremy Brett was an outstanding Sherlock Holmes in the 1980s.
My favorite.
Omg!! I would LOVE to see him as Sherlock 😍😍
@@MoviesWithMia
There is a wonderful montage of clips (youtube) from SH set to the ZZ Top song
Sharp Dressed Man that is Not To Be Missed!
this film and gigi were two of my favorites in my childhood ❤️
Stanley Holloway is one one of my favorite british actors : especially his roles in the Ealing comedies
I love Jeremy Brett! He is the best Sherlock Holmes to have ever existed.
also, the way i always saw the ending was this: it was less of him wanting her after he found out he couldn't have her, and more of him wanting her once he realized he respected her. her speech and song to him commanded respect and that was like his dawning realization that he respected her as well, because ultimately she commanded him to. but he doesn't know what to do with these feelings because he's kind of a walking disaster so he grumbles about it and the ending with the "where the devil are my slippers" is him hiding the fact that he's happy to see her with a little quip, not necessarily actually demanding his slippers. i've seen some people say they've seen endings of the play where he comes home to find eliza sitting behind his desk, and endings where he says "where the devil are my slippers" and they both smile, alluding to the fact that they're on equal footing now. i don't see it being a romantic sunshine and rainbows ending once the screen fades black. i see it more of them slowly falling in love as she challenges him and their feelings grow from finding mutual respect and equal footing to finding companionship, friendship, and eventually romance. once he works through a lot of his issues 'cause SIR.......lol
Wow! That is a fantastic take on the ending!!
Yes. I think, that his initial lack of respect for her was a common class thing in England in those days, and it may have been a little more difficult for Henry to overcome that. Of course, it's still that way to one degree or another around the World but likely not as pronounced among people, whom we see everyday. Globalist elites still think of regular people as faceless drones.
That's a good way to put it I think. I've come to like the open nature of this ending, though it doesn't satisfy either those who like traditional happy endings or dogmatic feminists. It's not clear where these two people will wind up, just that they will have some sort of relationship with each other. Higgins will not completely change his nature, but Eliza will be something different to him than she was, whether platonic or romantic, and her own person. Rex Harrison's portrayal is too likable for us to want him completely abandoned. If Eliza just left, there would be a big hole in his life, and now that he's come around, Higgins doesn't really deserve that kind of damage. He was never malicious, after all, just careless.
In the recent Lincoln Center revival (which I did not see) Eliza walks out on Higgins in the final scene. In the 1976 25th anniversary revival (which I did see) the voice of Ian Richardson (who played Higgins) would crack while saying that final line about the slippers. IIRC Eliza did not move and remained emotionless behind Higgins as the final curtain fell. I liked how the ending was handled in 1976. Higgins changed Eliza, but Eliza also changed Higgins.
Cockney removes "h's" in words which begin with that letter. It adds them to words which begin with a vowel (hence Eliza saying "hand" for "and").
Omg you are the first person I’ve ever known who shares my Freddy appreciation! Love him as an actor and singer. He’s beautiful
Sherlock Holmes for the ages
He did not sing Freddy in The film.Mr Brett was not a singer and was dubbed
One of the best films to watch to understand British society and class. It's better than it was a century ago but it's still gets in the way of social mobility.
I despise this film. Why? The ending. After all the artistry, brilliant musical numbers, outstanding performances, a character arc culminating in "Goodbye, Professor Higgins. You shall not be seeing me again." we get...what probably qualifies as the most limp ending to any movie.
Jeremy Brett and Audrey Hepburn are so cute together. I go along with George Bernard Shaw, who said Eliza and Freddie end up together (she still visits her friend Higgins, though).
Fun fact: George Bernhard Shaw got the name Eliza Doolittle from my family (or rather documents from my family because a relative of his married into my family). In short, in my family, we jokingly call him "Great Uncle Bernie" just because it's kind of fun!
Eliza's bow to the queen is so perfect. Such a lovely movie. Anything Audrey Hepburn.
It's wonderful that your next reaction is "Wait Until Dark", a great thriller. Just a bit disappointed, however, that it's the last Audrey Hepburn movie you're planning. That means we won't get to see you react to her Oscar winning performance in "Roman Holiday".(Or have you previously done it before this series?)
"Roman Holiday" is core essential Audrey, much more so than "Breakfast at Tiffany's", the one that everybody's heard of.
A movie with a similar story by lerner and Loewe is Gigi. A young girl being trained to be a courtesan who comes into her own
Audrey Hepburn is one of the best actresses who ever lived plus she was one of the most beautiful!
Glad you watched this! There is an earlier black and white film version of Pygmalion (of the same name) from 1938 starring Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller. It is FANTASTIC. It's not a musical, but it has great dialogue and humor, and the leads have great chemistry together. I actually prefer that version to this one (ever so slightly), but both films are wonderful. You should definitely check out 1938's Pygmalion, even if you do it in your free time. It's been uploaded to RUclips for anyone curious.
UK MP Angela Rayner has recently been criticised for working class grammar, so it is still a barrier in certain types of jobs.
You're also not allowed to ever go to the opera whilst being from a working class (or even middle class; just Northern lol) background, apparently.
I love that you love how this movie ends. I think it is empowering that Eliza comes back on her own accord not because she has to but because she wants to. I've noticed that people who don't like this ending feel confused about why Eliza wanted to come back. Let's face it. There is a conception of women's hearts as simple and almost programable in the larger culture. Say and do the right things and she'll love you. Freddie is kind of a critique of that idea. He's handsome, says and does the right things to "make" Eliza fall head over heels for him but that doesn't happen.
Because (and you hit the nail on the head here) Eliza is a complex character and something about Henry calls out to her.
It helps that Rex Harrison is such a good actor. The reason Henry is just frustrating rather than entirely unlikable is that Harrison manages to convey that Henry's bluster and thoughtlessness comes from a place of pain and fear of being vulnerable. I think Eliza picks up on that.
“Pretty Woman,” starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, is in some ways a very loose modern version of the same story.
Great movie!!
Especially the polo scene!
One of my favourite shows ever. In my youth l knew all of Higgins’ songs and most of his lines. Loved the movie and saw the show a few times on stage too.
'With a Little Bit of Luck' predates 'A Spoonful of Sugar' by seven years.
When I was younger My Fair Lady was the only Audrey Hepburn film I could watch because my mom thought me watching her other films would possessed me because they were love stories
Mom saw "My Fair Lady" on Broadway starring Julie Andrews. Mom & everyone who saw it, rightly or wrongly held it against Audrey Hepburn for taking the part in the movie, for the rest of Audrey's life. Sad, as many of them were previously Audrey Hepburn fans. ...The play w/ Julie Andrews was before my time, so I thought Audrey Hepburn did a fantastic job. I used to tease Mom by praising Audrey Hepburn's singing voice in "My Fair Lady". Mom would get angry & point out, that Audrey was over dubbed!
There’s a Broadway cast album with Julie Andrews
That's sad (and funny!) because, watching it right now, I think this is one of Audrey's best performances! Haven't seen this movie in at least 30 years, I was shocked how great she (and it) was. Always loved it when I was younger, but I forgot how well it was done. Since I'm not a "Sound Of Music" fan, I'm going to have to say this feels like the last great classic Hollywood musical (and "Mary Poppins", which is Disney, slightly different, a genre unto itself). They kept cranking them out ("Finian's Rainbow", "Camelot") but I don't think they ever hit this high a peak ever again.
Arguably correct, but Fiddler on the Roof, Funny Girl, and Cabaret come close
@@paulpeacock1181 "Cabaret" has nothing to do with the classic Hollywood musicals, and everything to do with the incredible new American cinema of the 70s. I find "Funny Girl" tedious and overrated. "Fiddler On The Roof" is 1971, again, way after the fact. It certainly doesn't have the look. I'm not saying there aren't great musicals after this; I'm talking THIS era of Hollywood musicals. I mean, "All That Jazz" is a great musical, but I don't lump it in with Hollywood musicals, I lump it in with 70s cinema. ("Sweet Charity", however, I would put in that category, and although there's a lot I like about it, I don't think it's up to the quality of "My Fair Lady"). I know I don't have to tell you about the seismic shift that came in '66-'67; the only hint of what's to come in "My Fair Lady" is "move your bloomin' arse!" and "Damn Damn Damn!" :D
I was taken to NYC to see My Fair Lady in 1958 when I was ten because I was already obsessed with the music. (The original cast album with Harrison and Andrews was my favorite album and it still is.) It was a magical production and The Ascot scene was just as it was in the movie, all in white, black, and gray. I think it is the best theater musical ever made. I was so interested in the story that I immediately went home and read Shaw's Pygmalion and watched the 1938 version. I like this movie, but it is not one of my top movie musicals. I find it a little too stagey, and I'm sorry, Marni Nixon's soprano does not fit Audrey's speaking voice. They both performed well, but it is not a coherent transition. When I want to watch a musical from 1964, I always go back to "Mary Poppins." because it is a coherent whole (and delightful).
Audrey does her own singing in "Funny Face". She sings Gershwin and she gets to dance with Fred Astaire!
at the academy awards, when julie andrews won best actress as mary poppins, she thanked jack warner for his help in her win by not casting her in 'my fair lady' lol.
I love Audrey Hepburn. Thanks for this one...
To hear Julie Andrews as Eliza, you can find the Broadway cast album quite easily, To my mind, no one has come close to Julie singing "I Could Have Danced All Night". As wonderful as Marni Nixon was, the score was built around the strengths of Julie (as a coloratura soprano) and Rex Harrison (with his sing-speaking). There are a few old TV clips on YT of Julie as Eliza (rehearsal footage and old variety shows of the era).
Jeremy Brett, who plays Freddy, could sing but he was dubbed by Bill Shirley, who voiced Prince Phillip in Disney's 'Sleeping Beauty'. Brett would later be one of the most beloved interpreters of Sherlock Holmes, playing the detective for ten years on TV (1984-1994).