My Fair Lady

Pros: Stunning production, Cast, Songs, Story, Cinematograpy
Cons: A little dated and stagy for the M-TV generation

A pair of amoral sh!theels have a disagreement as to whether environment or genetics determine success so a nominal bet is made and the social experiment begins… Based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion and adapted from the ...

Pros: ensemble cast, production design, DVD extras
Cons: pacing (overall and of production numbers)

To paraphrase Alan Jay Lerner, anyone who was a child in the late 1950s and early 60s grew accustomed to the songs from "My Fair Lady" (and the better ones from "West Side Story"). The nearly three-hour movie version of "My Fair Lady" was a special ...

Pros: Wonderful music, lighthearted, funny and serious all in one!
Cons: none

My Fair Lady is one of the finest movies ever made. When it first came out on home video a few years ago I had to be one of the first to own it and have it in my library. The set I own is on two cassettes. Since then it has been put on one cassette...

Pros: Audrey Hepburn's charm, Cecil Beaton costumes, Lerner & Lowe score, Andre Previn orchestration
Cons: How could there be any?

When "My Fair Lady" was released in 1965, I was 8 years old and attended it with my parents and sisters. It was perhaps the most enchanting musical I'd ever seen in my short life, and that hasn't changed yet.

"Henry! What a...

Pros: Charm and grace abound, even 40 years later.
Cons: If you don't have an appreciation for musicals to begin with, this isn't for you.

As I begin this review, I can't help but think of certain films that I currently own. The Rambo trilogy. Enter the Dragon. Two versions of Army of Darkness. The Road Warrior. Big Trouble in Little China. Starship Troopers. Movies for Guys Who Like ...

Pros: Great performances, songs, and story--wonderful musical for all ages
Cons: Might take a bit of convincing for the MTV generation

My Fair Lady won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1964--deservingly so, and I say that as a huge fan of The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night, which came out the same year and wasn't even nominated. Film history tells us that the Beatles film was a...

Pros: Decent acting, Some moments of character
Cons: Predictable plot, Musically unimpressive, Poor use of film medium, Character arcs are predictable.

For all of the films I have seen, it seems I am still finding famous actors for whom the film I am now partaking is actually my first experience with the great actor. So, for example, it seems that "My Fair Lady" is actually the first time I have seen ...

Pros: Enchanting story, songs, and dazzling cinematography
Cons: Audrey Hepburn's somewhat stilted performance

Based on George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion," about a Cockney flower girl and a snobbish London linguist, this Alan Jay Lerner-Frederick Loewe musical offers enchantment for the whole family.

Set in Edwardian England,...

Pros: Excellent material, superb story based on GB Shaw's "Pygmalion," brilliant cast
Cons: Perhaps a bit too stately and grand for the VH1 generation

I will always remember Christmas, 1983 as the year I received two record albums that shaped my love for musical theatre and encouraged me to pursue (at least on an amateur level) a "life upon the wicked stage." One of the records was the soundtrack to ...

Pros: World Class Performances by a PERFECT ensemble of actors
Cons: Absolutely none...

Did you know that Cary Grant turned down the offer to play the lead in this movie adaption of one of the most beloved musicals of all time? Not only did he turn it down...but he told the producers that if they did not hire Rex Harrison to translate his...

Pros: Superb acting and rich language
Cons: You may need to take a bathroom break

The Myth

First there was the myth: in this case, the Roman myth. Pygmalion was a sculptor from Cyprus who hated women and had resolved to never marry. Not so frightening by today’s standards. I suppose no femme fatale met his lofty...

Pros: Sheer entertainment! But I also call Shakespeare's Hamlet "sheer entertainment and pure fun."
Cons: those wanting dancing and bright sets might want to rent Singin' In The Rain also.

Watching this is part of my post Sept 11 private film series called, under various other guises, "watch films that are basically fun and lighthearted on one level as well as well crafted, staged and acted and even provocative on the other." My film life...

Pros: Rex and Audrey, Lerner and Loewe
Cons: none

My Fair Lady is the quintessence of the classic movie musical. Written by Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe, it ran an incredible 2717 shows on Broadway from 1956 to 1962. With a glowing score and fine performances throughout, it quite justly won eight...

Pros: The cast is amazing and just enhances the excellent script and musical score.
Cons: Absolutely none! It's not the original play, but it's marvelous as it is.

I've been a huge fan of the theatre since elementary school. In high school my passion started to extend to the classical movies which have the same theatrical flair. Well it wasn't long before I saw My Fair Lady and was instantly in love. From ...

Pros: costumes, cinematography, cast, sets, style
Cons: lengthy, supporting characters

It's far too long at 170 minutes. The pace is too slow. Some of the songs are tedious (especially "On the Street Where You Live", the theme song for stalkers worldwide). Eliza's father (Stanley Holloway) should make his own movie, as his...