Few genres of films are as magical as musicals, and few musicals are as intelligent and lively as my fair lady. Not only does my fair lady feature an involving story with compelling characters, but theres not a dud to be found on the roster of more than a dozen songs, the bestknown of which, i could have danced all night, is familiar to almost everyone even those who havent seen the movie. Variety wrote, it has riches of story, humor, acting and production values far beyond the average big picture. Latest digital restoration of my fair lady negative. My fair lady hollywoods legendary womans director, george cukor the women, the philadelphia story, transformed audrey hepburn into streeturchinturnedproper lady eliza doolittle in this film version of the lerner and loewe musical. My fair lady, american musical film 1964 adapted from the longrunning broadway. The movie, which starred rex harrison and audrey hepburn, won eight. Take care of the young lady or take care of agasshi is a 2009 south korean television series, starring yoon eunhye, yoon sanghyun, jung ilwoo and moon chaewon. My fair lady centers around hyena kang yoon eunhye, an heiress to the kangsan group and owner of the palace known as lady castle. Or, more accurately, it has reclaimed the ending that george bernard shaw intended for pygmalion, the play it is based on, in 19. Ever since shaw stumbled on the greek myth of pygmalion, the story of eliza doolittles recreation has fascinated huge audiences. Put my fair lady in a folder with all the other movies that send bad messages, like grease and gone with the wind.
The bafta awards, presented by the british academy of film and television arts bafta, is an annual awards show to celebrate excellence in film, television, television craft, video games, and forms of animation. The dialogue by alan jay lerner wisely retains a great deal of pygmalion by george bernard. This documentary tells the story of george bernard shaws my fair lady, theatrelands greatest play and musical. Warner had tried to keep the dubbing of hepburns singing a secret, but when my fair lady opened, it was hard not to notice it. My fair lady tells the story of a young woman in edwardian london and her chance encounter with a linguistics professor. Overture from my fair lady 7162007 official duration. The nuns story 1959 official trailer audrey hepburn, peter finch movie hd duration. Fiftyone years ago wednesday, audrey hepburn took center stage at the world premiere of my fair lady the story of a snobbish professor and a cockney flower girl. There is hardly a dull moment and, more to the point, there are. Margaret nixon mceathron february 22, 1930 july 24, 2016, known professionally as marni nixon, was an american soprano and ghost singer for featured actresses in movie musicals.
In 2006 it was ranked eighth in the afis greatest movie musicals list. Some funny quotes that may not actually fit all the way with lerners version of the story. Check out the official my fair lady 1964 trailer starring audrey. In the posters, playbills and the original cast album for the stage version of my fair lady, the credits always read based on bernard shaws pygmalion, letting the audience know what play my fair lady was actually adapted from. Its roots reach back to greek mythology, and the story of the sculptor pygmalion, who falls in love with one of his creations which then comes to life. Trivia my fair lady is the only alan jay lerner and frederick loewe stage musical to have been filmed totally complete, with no omission of any songs from the stage version or dialogue, for that matter. Shaws plot was derived from latin poet ovids story in the metamorphoses about a character named pygmalion who fell in love with a beautiful ivory statue of a woman. The movie my fair lady tells love story between a flower girl, eliza doolittle, and a phonetic professor, henry higgins. I actually wouldnt have minded if the film version ended. Snobbish phonetics professor henry higgins sir rex harrison agrees to a wager that he can make flower girl eliza doolittle audrey hepburn presentable in high society. Movie, my fair lady movie, my fair lady trailer, my fair lady 1964, george cukor,audrey hepburn, rex harrison, stanley holloway, wilfrid hydewhite, gladys cooper, category entertainment. Eliza doolittle, played by audrey hepburn, was a poor girl with lowclass accent. She is now recognized as the singing voice of leading actresses on the soundtracks of several musicals, including deborah kerr in the king and i, natalie wood in west side story, and audrey hepburn in my fair lady. My fair lady held its premiere at the criterion theatre in new york.
The story involves a meeting of two egos, one belonging to the linguist henry higgins, the other, no less titanic, to the flower girl eliza doolittle. Check out the official my fair lady 1964 trailer starring audrey hepburn. My fair lady is an excellent musical adaptation of bernard shaws pygmalian. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing my fair lady near you. One of the bestknown items in the history of movie trivia is that hepburn did not sing her own songs, but was dubbed by the gifted marni nixon.
Audrey hepburn in a scene from the film my fair lady. Although, the basic story line and underlying themes are the same, there are a. On november 22, 2018, our family wanted to watch my fair lady, starring audrey hepburn. Its a classic not because a group of stuffy film experts have labeled it as such, but because it has been, and always will be, a pure joy to experience.
I particularly appreciated rex harrisons portrayal of professor higgins and that of stanley holloways mr. Shaws plot was derived from latin poet ovids story in the metamorphoses about a character named. My fair lady is the best and most unlikely of musicals, during which i cannot decide if i am happier when the characters are talking or when they are singing. Its a biting satire that treats both the most egotistical snob and the lowliest street person with gentle humor and respect. Judy garland somewhere over the rainbow 1939 duration. Hepburn was nominated five times for a competitive award, winning three. So the biggest problem with my fair lady is that it keeps a lot of fluff songs that really serve no purpose in a film and could easily be disposed of with no harm. Audrey as eliza was also very good but for me the fact that she did not sing herself spoiled her portrayal a little of. Warner gave the film a lavish premiere in new york, complete with a reception for the stars at the sherry netherlands hotel and a postpremiere charity ball hosted by mrs. Running some 10 minutes short of three hours my fair lady is a long film but only rheumatics will object to sitting that long. Behind the cameramy fair lady turner classic movies.
Read the full synopsis of my fair lady, 1964, directed by george cukor, with audrey hepburn, rex harrison, stanley holloway, at turner classic movies. In addition, she was the recipient of a lifetime achievement award in 1992. Pygmalion is a great film but not as charming as this my fair lady, an adorable musical version of the same play with delightful songs and a splendid cast but even so, doolittles change doesnt. List of awards and honours received by audrey hepburn. The story concerns eliza doolittle, a cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor henry higgins, a phonetician, so that she may pass as a lady. Katz first restored my fair lady more than 20 years ago, the original camera negative of the alan jay lerner. The movie, which starred rex harrison and audrey hepburn, won eight academy awards, including that for best picture. Parents need to know that my fair lady is an entertaining musical for all ages, though it may be too long almost three hours for the youngest kids.
Happy birthday, my fair lady a critic for the new york times once described my fair lady as the perfect musical, and the tale about the gentrification of a young workingclass woman may be just that. So notorious became this dubbing, so egregious was it made to appear, that although my fair lady was nominated for 12 oscars and won eight including best picture, actor. With film you can communicate things more visually, and thus theres really no need for such songs. She lives with her servants as her parents died in a plane accident and her grandfather raised her as a child. This film reveals how the story provided a touchstone of social values throughout the 20th century. Stars oscarwinning actors leslie howard and dam wendy hiller. My fair lady 1964 was experienced director george cukors film musical adaptation of george bernard shaws 1912 play pygmalion that had played successfully on broadway from march 15, 1956 to 1962. Also, the play was later remade as my fair lady, which also won several oscars. And yet my fair lady is one of the most joyous musicals ever written. My fair lady 1964 the best movies in cinematic history. What the story celebrates is not romance but intelligence about being liberated from ignorance and set free to realize your potential. My fair lady by alan jay lerner and frederick loewe is a musical based on george bernard shaws classic play, pygmalion, which was first performed in 19. My fair lady is a musical based on george bernard shaws pygmalion, with book and lyrics by alan jay lerner and music by frederick loewe. Complete song listing of my fair lady on my fair lady songs list covid19.
My fair lady is a 1964 american musical comedydrama film adapted from the 1956 lerner and loewe stage musical based on george bernard shaw s 19 stage play, pygmalion. It was a smash hit from the moment it opened on broadway in 1956, and its adaptation to film in 1964 was advertised as the most eagerly anticipated motion picture since gone with the wind. My fair lady, american musical film, released in 1964, that was adapted from the longrunning broadway musical of the same name and proved to be a great popular and critical success. The film, said at the time to have the largest advance ticket sales of any movie in history. It is the story, as everyone must know by now, of the flower girl who. Gloriously witty adaptation of the broadway musical about professor henry higgins sir rex harrison, who takes a bet from colonel hugh pickering wilford hydewhite that he can transform unrefined, dirty cockney flower girl eliza doolittle audrey hepburn into a lady, and fool everyone into thinking she really is one, too. In accordance with the directives of government and health authorities, we have temporarily suspended operations. My fair ladythe academy awardwinning musical film my fair lady produced by george cukor in 1964, was based on the play pygmalion by george bernard shaw written in 19. My fair lady is a 1964 american musical comedydrama film adapted from the 1956 lerner.
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