 |
Title:
My Fair Lady
|
"My Fair Lady" is a movie that has forever been haunted by politics, stereotypes, and diverse opinion. I don't want to get into all that here. Not only has it been a particularly emotionally rocked day for me, but I don't know why so many make a big deal about this movie in the first place. Oh don't get me wrong, I do love "My Fair Lady." I love the movie a lot. In my opinion the characters are fun, the dance is excellent, and I feel "Wouldn't It Be Lovely" and "On The Street Where You Live" are excellent songs. But I'll be darned if I'm going to get into one more "this movie would have been much better with Julie Andrews" discussion. For that matter, I find "My Fair Lady" to be a more entertaining movie then a deep one. Certainly the story for the movie itself doesn't lead to much in the way of complexity.
A phonetics professor named Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison) makes a gentlemen's agreement that he can take the street born flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) and turn her into a "proper lady." Eliza agrees to this because in her words "I don't want to be selling flowers, I want to be buying flowers." Oh but her voice is terrible, her manners a mess, and she doesn't even walk properly. How will Professor Higgins properly train this girl? Well, apparently by treating her like garbage he'll inspire her to become great. And I think this is the biggest problem "My Fair Lady" has in that the driving force behind this movie is the budding romance between Eliza and Professor Higgins. The problem comes in the fact that there is nothing likable about Henry Higgins. He is a total jerk from the beginning of the movie to the end. Truth be told, there is really no indication that he respects Eliza at all.
The fact that the movie ends with the two getting together without once showing any real affection for each other has always bothered me, and it's made me question whether or not Hollywood rules back in the sixties forced the happy ending on the movie near the end of production, as it really makes no sense. So why do I love this movie so much then? Indeed, why does everyone love this movie so much despite the fact that it ties up it's relationships in truly illogical ways? Well, that's easy: The production. From the songs, to the dances, to the quirky characters, the movie is a joy to watch from start to finish. It's fun to see Eliza go from rags to dresses. It's fun to see Henry Higgins getting frustrated during periods where he's trying to teach and he's failing to teach. The costumes deserve special mention for looking as good as they do.
The music is excellent. Almost all the songs are memorable and easy to sing along with. Oh, and if you aren't singing along with "Get Me To The Church On Time" then I am convinced you have no taste in good music what-so-ever. More then forty years later "My Fair Lady" proves that it is still just as entertaining now as it was back then. The ending may leave a sour taste in my mouth, but it's an easy movie to recommend. And it is certainly more deserving of it's Best Picture Oscar then "Tom Jones" was.
- -Review By Kevin T. Rodriguez- -
Buy Movie
|
|
|
|
|
|
|