Best Picture: "My Fair Lady," 1964

Movie Stats:

Released 1964 (USA)

American, in English

Director – George Cukor

Stars – Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Wilfrid Hyde-White

Plot Summary:

Set in London in the late 1800s/early 1900s (the time frame is never clearly established). When the lives of English diction professor Henry Higgins (Harrison), Indian-dialect-obsessed Colonel Hugh Pickering (Hyde-White), and street vendor Eliza Doolittle (Hepburn) intersect, the two men make a bet that Higgins can turn Doolittle into a lady in six months.

Bad Stuff:

The basic premise of the story itself. See below in my verdict for a clearer explanation.

Hepburn’s fake low-class British accent is atrocious.

It’s very obvious that it’s not Hepburn singing most of her own songs (apparently she sang a few lines here and there). I found that really distracting.

The dance routines were very weak.

Good Stuff:

I absolutely adore Stanley Holloway, who played Eliza’s father, Alfred P. Doolittle. Every time he was on-screen, it was a delight. I loved his character, who in my opinion was the most honest person in the film. He prevents this movie from being utter crap.

Fantastic costumes, especially the women’s dresses!

As misogynist and classist as the character of Higgins is – and it gets very annoying at times – I appreciate that the film poked fun at him for it. For example, it’s pointed out more than once that, although he’s a gentlemen, his manners are ruder than those of people who are lower-class. I liked that his mother, played by Gladys Cooper, was absolutely appalled by him.

The Verdict:

My problem with “transformation” movies – this is not a criticism limited only to this particular one – is that they're meant to redeem the person who has pushed for the transformation and they never do. Higgins has nothing but contempt for Eliza the way she is. It is only after she becomes a lady that he begins to like her. So even though he is “taught a lesson” by the end (and I’m not convinced that Higgins did learn his lesson), the truth is that he never would have fallen for Eliza the way she was. Eliza is “better” by the end of the movie because she now dresses, speaks, and acts “properly.”

To me, that’s messed up. You either like people the way they are or you don’t. People shouldn’t have to change to fit your expectations. On the other hand, I find it hard to respect Eliza because she falls for a man who mostly showed nothing but contempt for her. That’s pretty messed up too. Honestly, it’s not a very nice love story.

For me, the best moment in the whole entire film was when Eliza ran into her father after he too was somewhat inadvertently transformed by his connection to Higgins. “I was happy before,” he tells her. “Now I’m trapped.” I found that refreshingly honest. For me, it saved the film because it showed a tremendous amount of insight. Being transformed doesn’t necessarily make you better; it just makes you different, and different isn’t always good.

Anyway, I guess I’ve gotten a bit too philosophical about a silly old musical. I didn’t hate it. I found a lot of it enjoyable, but I also found a lot of its implications troubling. In the end, I feel kind of neutral about it.

I give the movie 3 stars.