MyFairLady
Betsbetweenfriendshaveledtomanyhistoricalsuccessesandfailures.MyFairLadyshowsuswhathappenswhenawagerdevelopsintoadeeperrelationshipbetweenteacherandstudent.
ProfessorHenryHiggins(RexHarrison)loveslanguage.Hebelievesthatmuchofthenuancesandgrandeurofthespokenwordislostontheunrefined.WhenhisfriendCol.HughPickering(WilfridHyde-White)betsthathecannotfoolsocietysnobsintobelievingawomanfromthestreetsisoneofthem,hegladlytakesthechallengeandchooseshisprotégé.
Withafantastic,heavyCockneyaccent,ElizaDoolittle(AudreyHepburn),aftermuchcoercion,isselectedtobecomehistestsubject.Asheworkswithheronherdiction,heslowlybeginsdevelopanaffectionforthegirlinspiteoftheirglaringdifferencesinageandbackgrounds.
Throughcleverphrasessuchas‘theraininSpainstaysmainlyontheplain’,Elizaslowlydevelopsintoalinguisticallytalentedwoman.Tocompletethetransformation,sheisgivennewclothesandanewlookinhopesthatshecanpassforarefinedlady.
Itisatahorseracethathechoosestoexposehertotheelementhewantsdesperatelytoaccepther.Prof.Higginsnearlyfindssuccessuntilherrambunctiousnaturereleasesitselfintheheatofexcitementsurroundingtheequinetournament.
Believinghemayhavefailedandgrowingangrywithherfailures,ariftbeginstodevelopbetweenthetwowhicheventuallyexplodesintemperscausingthemtopartways.Meanwhile,ElizahascaughttheattentionofawkwardyoungaristocratFreddyEynsford-Hill(JeremyBrett)wholovesherinspiteofherflaws.
MyFairLadyalsolooksdeeplyintothesemi-romanticrelationshipbetweenElizaandHenry.Thoughtheyaretrainerandpupil,thereisachemistryandbondthatconnectsthemtooneanother.And,althoughtheyhavehadalover-likespat,theyultimatelyrealizetheiraffectionsforoneanother.
HepburnismesmerizingasthesheepishgirlEliza.Hertransitioninmannerismsandspeechpatternsareamazingand,hadJulieAndrewsnotturnedinanequallyimpressiveperformanceinMaryPoppins,thereislittledoubtthatHepburnwouldhavewonhersecondAcademyAwardforBestActress.Harrison,however,didwinthecovetedprize.Hewassufficientlybossyanddoting,bringingthecharacterlifethatmighthavebeenabsentindifferenthands.However,thereisnothingrevelatoryoroverwhelminglyimpressiveabouthisperformance.
DirectorGeorgeCukorhandlesthematerialadmirably,keepingthefilmfromdrowningunderanearlythreehourlength.Themusiciscaptivatingbutfeaturesafewsongsthatareatouchontheannoyingside.‘WithaLittleBitofLuck’,whilecatchy,ridesyourbrainlikeabadheadache.Afterthefirstchorus,youfindyourselfhopingthatitwillnothavesecondorathird.
MyFairLadyisoneofhalf-a-dozenmusicalsthatcapturedtheBestPictureprizeattheOscars.Itistypicaloftheawards-worthyworkthatgracedthescreenduringthisperiod.Punctuatedwithlavishcostumesandvividsets,Ladyiseverybittheentertainmentspectacleonemightexpect.