I've seen MY FAIR LADY several times. However, it wasn't until last night that I finally saw the 1938 version of PYGMALION and this was very interesting indeed. It seems that MY FAIR LADY is actually NOT based on the George Bernard Shaw play as much as it's based on the Leslie Howard movie. That's because the dialog (particularly Henry Higgins') is often word-for-word that of the film. Additionally, both films have the same ending--one that is NOT the same as the original play. In the play, the ending was more sad but also much more realistic and consistent with the characters and their growth (or lack thereof in the case of Henry Higgins).

Quality-wise, both films are superb and I enjoyed them immensely. One very obvious difference is that MY FAIR LADY is a musical with lovely songs, so it's a much longer movie. Another is that although Leslie Howard did a very fine job, somehow Rex Harrison came off as grouchier and more entertaining in the lead. Another major difference is that MY FAIR LADY feels more like a comedy and PYGMALION feels much more sad and deeper emotionally. Because it is a bright and colorful musical, the characters in MY FAIR LADY seem a bit less real, but with PYGMALION you are almost brought to tears late in the film.

My recommendation is that you see them both. Both are exquisitely produced and acted and you can't go wrong with either one. I could say more in my review about this film, but considering that there are already a zillion other reviews, I'll end it here.

UPDATE--Only days after posting this review, I got quite a few "not helpfuls". I assume this is from fans who adored this 1964 film. Well, my response is that it can't merit anything more than an 8 because the dialog was directly lifted from the earlier film AND so much of the singing was NOT done by the stars themselves. To me, these are flaws that prevent the film from earning a higher score. And, while I think about it, cannot justify the many 10s I see for the film.

My Fair Lady, loosely based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalian was a film I saw recently, and I absolutely loved it, and I am 17. It wasn't just the acting, but also the overall look of the film and the music. Mind you, I saw the restored version.

The film looks exquisite, with stunning sets and truly luscious costumes. A prime example is the ballroom scene. Audrey Hepburn's dresses were also a marvel to look at. This was also helped by the superb cinematography, and the detailed direction, provided by George Cukor. The scene at the racetrack was one of my personal favourite scenes from the film. Oh, and the choreography is fabulous.

The script is witty and acerbic, with excellent scenes with the social commentary. The story is simple, but is well told, and fits the lengthy running time perfectly.

The music by Frederick Loewe is just outstanding. Asides from the costumes, the songs are ones that you hear once and never forget. Songs like I Could Have danced All Night, With a Little bit of Luck, Just You wait, Why Can't A Woman Be More Like A Man? and Wouldn't it be Loverly linger long into the memory, and are a joy to the ear. I loved the incidental music at the beginning, then again I am the sort of person who is raised on classical music, and appreciates music for what it is.

The performances also added a lot to the film; Rex Harrison was just superb as the cynical, misanthropic Professor Henry Higgins, who transforms Eliza Doolittle to the woman she is at the end of the film. The Belgian actress Audrey Hepburn is perfectly enchanting as Eliza, and Marnie Nixon provides her singing voice beautifully.(yes she was dubbed, and Audrey Hepburn is not a slut) There is solid support from Stanley Holloway and Gladys Cooper, and watch out for Sherlock Holmes actor Jeremy Brett as Freddy.

In conclusion, a truly beautiful film, that deserved all the praise it got, it is an amazing film, that is misunderstood. It is also a perfect treat for around Easter time. Honestly, for those who think it is the worst movie ever made, see something like Home Alone 4, the only film I can think of that deserves a minus rating, that's how terrible that film is. My Fair Lady gets a 10/10 from me, Bethany Cox.

The only complaint I have about My Fair Lady is that in their infinite wisdom the Brothers Warner decided that Julie Andrews could not repeat her performance of Eliza Doolittle from Broadway. Otherwise you have to go some to criticize this film because everything else about it is so right.

I still remember the controversy over signing Audrey Hepburn for the female lead. Warner Brothers was going to sign Cary Grant for the role of Henry Higgins and James Cagney for Alfred P. Doolittle. Though that would have been an interesting film, Cagney was committed to retirement and Grant loudly and publicly refused the part and said they were crazy to sign anyone, but Rex Harrison. So Harrison and Stanley Holloway were the only ones to repeat their parts from Broadway. Poor Julie Andrews had no one speaking up so publicly for her.

It was the old story of a proved movie name for box office, even though Andrews had broken into film with The Americanization of Emily and was well received. I always marveled at Julie's singing of Eliza Doolittle's part, how she held those high notes and a cockney accent at the same time in Wouldn't It Be Loverly. Marni Nixon who had dubbed Deborah Kerr in The King and I and Natalie Wood in West Side Story did the honors for Hepburn's singing voice.

My Fair Lady as we all know is based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion and for Shavian purists who want his social commentary, I recommend seeing Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller in the film version of Pygmalion. Probably Shaw would not have liked the emphasis on romance that My Fair Lady has, but I'm betting he would have liked the score that Alfred Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. I can't recall anyone who doesn't like it.

The songs both fit the plot situations and some stand on their own to become major hits. I Could Have Danced All Night which Hepburn/Nixon sings to express her breakthrough with the cultured speech that Harrison is teaching the cockney flower girl is almost an anthem for anyone who has unparalleled good time or achievement. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face which Harrison talk/sings in his fashion is a great song about all the emotions one feels at a special someone's abrupt departure.

But My Fair Lady's biggest hit is On the Street Where You Live sung by the minor character of Freddy Eynsford-Hill who is Harrison's rival for Hepburn. In the film he's played by a dubbed Jeremy Brett in the singing department by Bill Shirley. Shirley some might remember appeared in some minor musicals for in the Forties and Fifties and is best remembered for a pleasant tenor voice singing some forgettable songs in Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd.

I remember well in 1957 On the Street Where You Live on every pop station several times a day by any number of singers, the biggest hit version by Vic Damone. It's one of the most romantic songs ever written about the first blush of love. You get a towering feeling indeed when you hear that lyric sung.

The two repeaters from Broadway, Rex Harrison and Stanley Holloway, took home the Oscar gold for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. And Director George Cukor won his only Oscar for Best Director. Cukor in all the years of the great Hollywood studio system when he turned out classic after classic for MGM, admittedly wanted the Oscar to cap his career. He frankly admitted campaigning for it like a politician, but it paid off. And of course it was the Best Picture of 1964.

And the winner of the Best Actress, Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins. Audrey Hepburn wasn't even nominated. I can't complain about her performance, but many felt Andrews should have acted AND sung the part as well.

Still don't miss this absobloominutely loverly musical.