Freddy sings « On the Street where you live ». Have you noticed that theses are the very words Cary Grant uses in Charade when the elevator of the hotel stops : - where are we ? - on the street where you live
There is a harsh and interesting social commentary inserted in that dialogue where Eliza asks what is she supposed to do with herself now that she can no longer feel at home living in the slums but has no means to live anywhere else. Higgins suggests that, being a lady, she is not supposed to work, anyway, but marry, to which she snaps back: "So, back when I sold flowers, I didn't sell myself but now that you made a lady of me I'm not fit to sell anything else..."
The young man you were understandably fawning over who plays Freddie is Jeremy Brett, the DEFINITIVE Sherlock Holmes. He played Sherlock Holmes for Granada Television and it is the greatest performance of the Great Detective ever!
I cringe watching the old black and white holmes with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Rathbone, was a great Holmes, but they didn't do The Doyle stories the the way Granada and Jeremy Brett did. I watched the Brett Holmes and with the feeling that Doyle wrote Watson very much as if Doyle himself was Watson as if the eye witness narrator. And glad you mentioned Marni Nixon. Did that dubbing make it virtually impossible for Audrey Hepburn to get the Oscar?
"Hello Guv'nor" was just one of many ways someone of a lower class (specifically London here) might refer to someone of higher class, especially if they didn't now what rank they were addressing. It basically means 'Boss' or 'Someone better than me'. 'Governor', like 'Squire', 'Lordship', 'Judge' and so on, were terms cockneys (and other working class Brits), would use a lot.
It sounds weird in America because we aren't as class-obsessed as the Brits. If somebody seemed to be acting 'above' someone else here, they're more likely to be addressed with a mocking insult. Sort of the way Han Solo talks to Princess Leia in Star Wars, e.g. "your worship."
@@jedijones _"It sounds weird in America because we aren't as class-obsessed as the Brits"_ - I wouldn't say Britain is class obsessed. It's just that class and the class system was the reality of British life for most of history - My Fair Lady is set while that was still very much in force. Even in the US in the South a kind of class system developed (which was damaged by the Civil War). The modern US has one too - it's human nature I guess, but in the US it isn't about titles, just wealth and dynastic family names, etc.
@@monnezzapromizoulin5169 and "CRICHTON" is MY last name TOO. (for those who are not familiar with the name "CRICHTON" (as in THE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON, and the famous author MICHAEL CRICHTON ( Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, The Lost World, Time Line, Sphere, The Terminal Man, The "CH" in the middle of "CriCHton" is SILENT. Pretend they are NOT there, so it was pronounced like "CRY - tin" MOST people who don't know will say my name like "CriTCHtin" (like CH in "CHERRY" or like "itch with a hard C instead of the "i" in front) It's funny because people who met me and are calling my name from a paper (like at a doctor's/dentists office, etc, Will say it like I just mentioned. But I HAVE had some actually say it correctly and I always tell them that I was glad they pronounce it correctly, and EVERYONE of them would say,, "Yes, like MICHEAL CRICHTON....are you any relation to him?" I always say I WISH I WAS, I would like just a FIFTH of his money ( he made a lot of money with his books and so many of them were turned into blockbuster movies. Sadly he died at the age of 66 in Nov, 2008 from cancer. RIP Michael. By the way, "CRICHTON" is a SCOTTISH name.
Marni Nixon was also known as "the Ghostess with the Mostest." Her son Andrew Gold wrote "Thank You for Being a Friend," which became the theme song for "The Golden Girls."
Pygmalion in ancient mythology was a king and sculptor who fell in love with the marble statue he created. In Shaw's time, education included much classical literature such as the works of Homer and Plato, and so people would know of this legend. Shaw used the title for his play but obviously updated it to recent times and with a real woman. (Now that I think about it, Pygmalion is slightly similar to Pinocchio.)
Shaw wrote a sequel to _Pigmalion_ but it’s really an outline for a story that would be better suited to a miniseries than a play or a movie. You can find it online.
Similar to Mannequin also. 😆 I think there are a LOT of movies that riffed on Pygmalion. Other movies like Can't Buy Me Love, Trading Places, Pretty Woman, Mighty Aphrodite, She's All That, etc. Using the concept of taking a nobody and trying to mold them into something with a higher status.
@@jedijones Yes but also the idea the creator unintentionally falls in love with the creation. Sort of "boy builds girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl."
I just read the original play PYGMALION before watching your video. The play ends with Eliza leaving Higgins. Shaw wrote an Afterword that explains what happens next, although he felt it would be obvious to the audience. Eliza marries Freddy. They have a rough time until Pickering helps them open a flower shop. He also sends them to business school. Eliza and Freddy end up moving back in with Higgins and Pickering! Shaw said that he didn't like that the studio made him change the ending to where Eliza and Higgins end up together. He thought his original ending showed that women had agency and were their own people outside of men.
Shaw, in insisting that the original plot of his play should be followed and Higgins' "creation" Eliza have a life of her own beyond Higgins' control, presumably did not see the irony of his own creation, the play, also developing a life of its own beyond his own control!
Audrey Hepburn is one of my favorite actresses and celebrities for a reason. Her life story is so tragic how she started life as a WW2 survivor. The reason why Audrey Hepburn is so skinny most of her life is because she was malnourished as a young girl due to war times and she had VERY low self esteem even when she was the talk of how beautiful she always was. She used her celebrity status VERY early in her career to set up charities for children of poor countries ravaged by war. She had her flaws in her relationships but in the end she did her best for herself, her children and the children her charity supported. She truly was a Princess and a Queen of Hollywood Royalty.
Audrey is a poster girl for the folly of the cult of self-esteem. She didn't possess it and she was able to focus on charity work, instead of awards banquets and Hollywood parties.
It's interesting that @25:00 Mia thought of Prince Eric, since Freddie's singing voice was actually that of Bill Shirley, AKA Prince Phillip from Disney's "Sleeping Beauty."
I neglected to tell you that you did a marvelous job editing and putting this all together. Carefully using very short clips, you managed to capture this film's rare beauty and best moments. Great job, Mia!
@@MoviesWithMia I’m a little late but would you consider doing the musical 1776? Fantastic for a belated 4th of July, maybe chow down with a hot dog and potato chips while enjoying?! PS I love Wait Until Dark! You are picking awesome movies.
@@RLucas3000 Strange to say, the musical *1776* (1972), about the writing and signing of the American Declaration of Independence, has some of the virtues of *My Fair Lady* (1964). If you watch it, make sure you get the Director's cut.
I was lucky to see Rex Harrison’s final tour of My Fair Lady in the early ‘80s, co-starring Cathleen Nesbitt as Henry’s mother (she had originated the role on Broadway). It was wonderful, although he was getting very long in the tooth. (I also saw Yul Brynner in his final tour of The King and I.)
I saw Richard Kiley in the original run of Man of La Mancha (1967 on tour) and then when he reprised it in 1979. I wish I'd seen the musical productions you got to see.
@@storyteller2882 The other big-name actors I saw on stage in Chicago in touring musicals were Victor Garber and Luci Arnaz in They’re Playing Our Song, and Peter Noone and Jim Belushi in The Pirates of Penzance. My favorite though was when a 1999 revival of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown was in tryouts in Chicago before going to Broadway. I got the tickets because Anthony Rapp and BD Wong were playing Charlie Brown and Linus. Afterwards, though, all my mom and I could talk about were the then-unknown Roger Bart and Kristin Chenoweth as Snoopy and Sally, especially Kristin, who we knew immediately was going to be a huge star. She was amazing!
Ah, then now you need to see GiGi. A similar story, with a young French girl learning to be arm candy for a rich patron. Gaston (Louis Jourdan) will make you swoon, as you did for Freddie here. And the music is phenomenal.
Yes, please ignore the bluenoses who insist on coloring everything in sight with their own peculiar cultural obsessions, which sadly have seeped into the mainstream in the form of Stranger Danger, "Toxic Male creepiness", and ahistorical 3rd-wave feminism. "Gigi" is actually yet another story about a man realizing that a woman in his life is a person, and not just a social place holder.
@@baskervillebee6097 Louis Jourdan was my very first man crush. He really is handsome. Glad I grew up watching and loving those old movies with my parents and could swoon over all those classy men 😉
If you're curious, the writing that Henry Higgins uses to write down Eliza's speech at the beginning is called the international phonetic alphabet. It is, literally, used as a way to write down not only what someone says but, the specific pronunciation of how they are saying it. EDIT: Just for anyone who is wondering and doesn't have time to read the replies to this... the specific symbols Henry Higgins uses in the movie are a combination of the international phonetic alphabet (IPA) along with a similar system by Alexander Graham Bell called Visible Speech. Both served the same function but, since both were still in use at the time My Fair Lady is set, the filmmakers decided to have Henry use a bit of both of them rather than just working entirely in IPA the way a modern phonetician would.
Some may be interested to know that there is also a system called Labanotation that is used to write down dance choreography, in the same way that musical notation is used to write down tunes.
@@judithweiss6727 I can assure you that they most certainly did not just make up something. "My Fair Lady" actually had the foremost expert in phonetics consulting on the film (his name was Peter Ladefoged). He's the one who actually wrote the symbols in Henry's notebook. To be absolutely specific, the symbols in the notebook are a combination of both IPA and Visible Speech, which was an earlier transcription style invented by Alexander Graham Bell that was used before IPA became the standard. To be historically accurate, they chose to use a combination of both styles. So, there are IPA symbols in there but, they are supplemented by Visible Speech symbols, as well.
Before the recording of sound existed, voice experts like Henry Higgins, actually did have systems to write down what people sounded like, sort of like notes, etc on sheet music. That's how we know; the the British sounded like Americans 250 years ago & not the other way around.
@@judithweiss6727 There were previous systems as well as just very talented people at describing how people sounded going back throughout written hustory.
@@judithweiss6727 Spot on mate. We can tell more by how words were used in rhymes and poems and also by how foreign visitors would transcribe English words phonetically.
It was an absolute JOY to watch you experiencing "MY FAIR LADY" for the first time! In my 68 years I have watched it many times, and there are some scenes I have re-watched too many times to count, especially the "Ascot Opening Day" scene. It was such genius to dress everyone in white, black & gray - and then to let Audrey enter wearing the only color there! The choreography of the old rich ladies is magnificent. They make fun of the rigidity of the upper class Brits, but they also show incredible charm and beauty. It just fascinates me endlessly. And I have found myself singing "On the Street Where You Live" on the sidewalks of new romantic interests. This movie is a masterpiece.
In the musical Eliza left and never came back to Higgins I honestly prefer that ending to be honest he really annoyed me so it was nice to see her tell him off and live her life without his ego and putting her down
My favorite: 11 March 1964, Los Angles at the Golden Globes. Julie Andrews acceptance speech for best actress. “Thank you very much for this lovely honour. It's a wonderful momento of a very happy time. Finally my thanks to a man who made a wonderful movie and made all this possible in the first place -- Mr Jack Warner. “ Jack Warner failed to cast Andrews as Eliza Doolitle in My Fair Lady despite Andrews being the star on Broadway for several years. Had she been cast in My Fair Lady, she would not have been Mary Poppins. Jack Warner, to his credit, laughed the hardest.
Oh No! Mia forgot to finish these movies of Audrey Hepburn is Roman holiday with Gregory peck(1953) Funny face with Fred Astaire (1957) And breakfast at Tiffany's with George peppard (1961) Wait until dark has Alan Arkin in this one, Arkin used to be in the 2017 movie Going In Style with Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.
The thing about Marni Nixon is that not only did she have a beautiful voice but she had the ability to alter her timbre so that she sounded like the person she was dubbing, but better. Regarding Eliza's development, recall that the book is Shaw's _Pygmalion,_ so that's where the characters development comes from. The ending of Eliza coming back was not in the original script of _Pygmalion._ It was added for Anthony Asquith's film of the play. It has since come to by used in most stage productions of _Pygmalion._ FWIW, Mrs. Higgins was not wearing a lavalier in her last scene. She was wearing a choker of the type sometimes called a dog collar, as well as the long string of beads.
I almost wish they kept the original ending! It would have been much more effective of getting Eliza’s point across! And yeah Marni Nixon was AMAZING!!!
@@epsteinisms1483 Gladys Cooper was also one of the leads in the short-lived American series 'The Rogues', along with Robert Coote, who was the original Colonel Pickering in London.
If I recall correctly, Eliza's return was actually one of the alternative endings Shaw postulated in published version of the script. It was not one of his favorites, but he did consider it.
Governor or “Guv’nor” (Captain was also used) was a way to express deference or acknowledge that someone was above you - I believe it was quite common in East London. Kind of like saying “Boss” today.
As a digger, her father's neck is the most exposed skin to the sun. The "Back flap" hat is to prevent sunburn on the neck. This is my favorite musical of all and I am so glad this is my first video with you. The classics should not be forgotten, I am so excited to watch more of your videos.
You may be right. In *My Fair Lady,* Higgins refers to Alfred P. Doolittle as "a common dustman," which essentially means garbage man, but in *Pygmalion,* Eliza specifies that his proper trade is that of a navvy, which means a laborer in construction or excavation projects (presumably including a lot of digging).
14:43...in the British Empire a 'Governor' was an official appointed to oversee a Crown Colony (or was the top official in certain businesses...the Bank of England being an obvious example). Gradually it came to be used as a slang word for any man who held a superior position socially. Therefore "Allo Guvna (Governor)' is a deferential way of greeting a social superior (basically it's just a dialectical way of saying 'Hello Sir')
'Governor' was used to refer to a position of personal authority centuries before there was a British empire. It was essentially the male equivalent of a governess, a young person's tutor/guardian. The development of 'guv'nor' would have had more to do with that meaning, as well as the meaning in "board of governors", than it did to the administrator of an overseas colony.
@@paulkennedy8701 also as far as I know the male equivalent of a governess is just 'tutor' never governor...and a tutor and a guardian are definitely not the same thing.
Mia, without exception, you always pick great films. I understand why you would have loved Julie Andews to play this role. But, with the knowledge I have of Miss Audrey Hepbern, I could never criticize her for anything. Also Sean did a beautiful documentary on his mother that is on TH-cam.
Jeremy Brett and Audrey Hepburn are so cute together. I go along with George Bernard Shaw, who said Eliza and Freddie end up together (she still visits her friend Higgins, though).
Governor is a way of addressing someone of a higher status. It isn't a term much used now but still is used in slang. It tends to be referred to when someone is speaking about their boss
I grew up with my grandmother and she loved this movie. And looking at in now as an adult, I feel like this is a film modern writers should look at for an example of a strong female character.
38:38 the fact that Eliza is such a three dimensional character is a credit to the writer of the original play, Pygmalion, although that play ends very differently. Spoiler Alert,,,,, Henry doesn't change and Eliza has too much self respect to go back to him and according to a prologue written by the author, Eliza does marry Freddie with Colonel Pickering's help.
I'm so very glad to see you react to this fabulous movie! As another commenter has noted, most of the dialogue is from the original Shaw play, but that play ends with Eliza really cutting off relations with Higgins. The climactic moment when she returns to Higgins was first introduced (despite Shaw's objections) in the 1938 movie version of Pygmalion, and carried over into both the stage and screen versions of My Fair Lady. I think it works better than Shaw's ending, but we do have to thank Shaw for so much of what is great in this movie.
When Professor Higgins sings "I'm An Ordinary Man"; lets you know Mia, why he talks to Eliza with such distain. You know, he isn't the only one that behaves obnoxiously in the movies. The character of Melvin Udall in the movie "As Good As It Gets" has got Prof. Higgins beat. I never paid to much attention when Jeremy Brett sings "On the Street Where You Live". He seemed TOO 'thirsty'. I had to watch it again after I realized he was the same guy that played Sherlock Holmes. The BEST Sherlock Holmes I've ever watched. "My Fair Lady" is one of my all-time favorite movies! You're absolutely right, the quality of this movie is brilliant. Okay, you seem confused by Prof. Higgins attitude toward women. Well from a mans perspective, I can comment that the only way I can have a 'long' relationship with a woman is when I don't mind being 'nagged' by her.
That "dreamy effect" you noticed is remarkably simple to attain with old-skool film cameras. They simply smear Vaseline around the circumference of the lens. Today that effect would be easily done in post with computer editing, but back in the day they did it in-camera.
32:46 - "She's a very complex character. Usually you think a musical, and you're like there's no character development, it's a musical." The thing about this and a lot of the great musicals, it was a play first and the music and songs were added to make it a musical. As you know, My Fair Lady was based on Pygmalion and a lot of the (non-musical) dialogue is taken directly from the play. Oklahoma! was based on a play called Green Grow the Lilacs. The story of The Sound of Music was a German film first based on the true story of the von Trapp family. The King and I was based on the novel 'Anna and the King of Siam' which was based on the memoirs of Anna Leonowens. Oliver! is based on Oliver Twist. West Side Story is based on Romeo and Juliet....etc.
Some might like to know that there is an earlier non-musical movie of "Anna and the King of Siam" (1946), starring Irene Dunne as Anna and (guess who) Rex Harrison as the King. Casting Harrison as a Thai was a bit of a stretch even for old-school Hollywood, but it's still a pretty good movie, and worth a watch. The 1999 version with Jodie Foster, called "Anna and the King", is also pretty decent.
17:15 Like so many great effects, it's completely practical - Vaseline. You rub it on the lens and you get that unfocused look. Buff it up and you get that soft, sweet glow you often see around really beautiful actresses' faces back in the day. It's crude but perfectly effective. A musical I think you would love is "Meet Me In St. Louis", starring Judy Garland. The story covers a lot of emotional ground, and Judy is a genius of pathos and depth. It's very much a musical with very famous songs, but it's also a story of a family torn by circumstances. A real Hollywood classic of the golden age of musicals.
"Meet Me in St. Louis" is also one of the greatest Technicolor movies ever made. Nearly eevery shot is breathtaking. Oh, and little 7 year old Margaret O'Brien steals every scene she's in, playing "Tootie". Do see the film. One of MGM's greatest musicals.
OMG your reaction to Freddie singing!!! I love it!!! HAHAHAHA I grew up watching this and believe me, I would always melt in a puddle with this song. I can still sing it along with him...
As others have said, Audrey didn't have the greatest singing voice, while Marni Nixon did. But Audrey absolutely crushed this role. She hit every character beat you could have wanted from an actress. It can be, I think, so hard to play an over the top character without going over the top in your performance. Audrey famously didn't win the Oscar because her singing was dubbed but I think this was one of her finest roles.
Also, this wasn't the first play-to-film adaptation that Audrey was offered because in 1962, she and Elizabeth Taylor were both offered the role as Annie Sullivan for the movie version of The Miracle Worker. They would bring in butts in seats. However, Arthur Penn insisted that Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke should reprise their roles as Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller for the movie. It was the best idea ever because they both won their Oscars a year later (well deserved!)
Liza's father's hat has a thing hanging down to protect his neck from things spilling out when he carries bins. "Hello, Governor." Means a respectful hello to a person of a higher status.
@Mia Tiffany The way a person talks can affect the sort of jobs you can get, even these days. For example, I live in southern West Virginia. I speak rather well for a person from this area, and locals think I'm a bit snobbish because of it. But anyone that isn't from this area thinks I sound like an absolute country bumpkin.
Just think how different this movie would have been if they'd gone with the ending from _Pygmalion_ where Higgins kicks Eliza out of the house and never sees her again.
Stanley Holloway (Eliza's dad) was a staple actor of the British Film Industry from 1922 and through the war years. His leather cap with a long leather tail down his back, is the cap of a "coalman". Who delivered coal in sacks to customer's house. Lifting the "hundredweight" coal sacks onto their back, straight off the back of their coal truck. Then walking it to the customer's coal store. If he was going to be permanently "unemployed", then he might as well be unemployed from one of the physically hardest trades.
To answer your question about "She's All That"... yes! "She's All That" is meant to be a modern adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion/My Fair Lady. 😊Modern teen adaptations of classic literature/plays got very trendy for a quick second there in the '90s and "She's All That" was part of that. (Some other movies that kinda rode that trend include "Clueless", which is an adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma and "10 Things I Hate About You", which is based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew). There was, also, a short lived tv series with Karen Gillan and John Cho a few years back that was intended to be a modern-day adaptation of My Fair Lady/Pygmalion called "Selfie". It was pretty cute but, they really sucked at marketing it. Very few people even knew it was based on My Fair Lady and a lot of people I've talked to have said that if they'd been made aware of that, they would've been more interested in checking it out.
Loved your video and your take on it... I read Pygmalion in high school (part of our English curriculum) and my parents introduced me to the movie musical, which I loved... (the book is different, but very good, and Eliza does come off as a strong woman like in the movie)... in fact, Rex Harrison's Henry Higgins influenced my choice of career (as did the song Why Can't the English...). I am a translator, editor and linguist.
When this musical was on Broadway, an original cast record album was issued. I remember that ALL of the sons in the show were played a lot on the radio. All of the songs in this movie are very familiar to me.
I am a HUGE Sherlock Holmes fan, and for decades my favorite incarnation was the erudite and irascible Jeremy Brett from the late 80's/early 90's Granada TV serise. Imagine how astonished I was that the very old-before-his-time Sherlock was once Freddy Eynsford-Hill from this film!!
@@MoviesWithMia it was the Granada series. He's generally considered by many of us Holmes fans as *the* quintessential Sherlock Holmes. They adapted more of the stories than anyone else. Quite sad actually, as he did his own singing, but was then dubbed over without his knowledge. He had a fine singing voice.
@@caitlin329 Absolutely Brett is the gold standard of Holmes (bypassing Basil Rathbone). And the episodes are based as close as possible to the Conan Doyle stories. (No Holmes Fights Godzilla or so taking him out of contest.) Silver Blaze - th-cam.com/video/fNfpel0c2J8/w-d-xo.html For other episodes, just type "Jeremy Brett" and "Sherlock Holmes" into a TH-cam search. Brett really studied the depiction of Conan Doyle's Holmes and I think did a great job of bringing to life Holmes's many quirks and mannerisms that make him who he was. (Jeremy Brett was suffering a fatal illness as the series went on but he kept with it to the end. and so they almost represent his life's work - even though a small part of it in terms of time.)
Oh man! Warner Brothers really screwed these actors over! And I have to see that!! I love Sherlock Holmes! Of course I was introduced to the character by way of the RDJ movies and then Benedict Cumberbatch in SHERLOCK! Which I LOVED!!!
One of my favourite shows ever. In my youth l knew all of Higgins’ songs and most of his lines. Loved the movie and saw the show a few times on stage too.
If you think colour has improved since the 1930s I suggest you have a look at Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz. The colour in both films is perfect.
In the original Shaw did not give a definite answer of who Eliza ended up with. In an epilogue he wrote that he saw that Eliza could end up with Pickering, but then turned around and left it completely up in the air. One of my favorite movies. As a costume dsigner and historical clothing seamstress her, Ascot gown has become a dream project of mine yo recreate.
I always enjoyed the ending with Eliza returning because I never thought that Freddie was worthy of Eliza. I might be the only one but I think the closing line about the slippers was Henry’s way of saying I am sorry without actually saying I am, and Eliza had grown to understand Henry well enough to realize it as such. Growing up, My Fair Lady was the only musical I remembered my father watching with us on t.v. He especially loved the Rain in Spain number. Mia, you should do a movie series of film adaptations of Broadway musicals from the fifties (the movies are). You can choose from Oklahoma, The King &I, South Pacific, Guys & Dolls, Kiss Me Kate, Pajama Game, and Damm Yankees.
I recently saw the stage version in Seattle and some of the modern audience were uncomfortable with Higgins treatment of Eliza. They have even made a subtle change to the ending that suggests a complete divergence from the original ending and that seen in the film.
What's wrong with Freddie? He is besotted and also the most highly educated and wealthy man who's ever shown a romantic interest in Eliza. Plus Jeremy Brett went on to be the sans pareil portrayer of Sherlock Holmes.
I think Freddie doesn’t have the strength of character to be a suitable mate for Eliza. Henry has the strength to challenge Eliza. Of course Richard Berry is corrected that Eliza can have her choice of any man she wants in London
Here's a little explanation of British money before 1972: The smallest coins were farthings (one quarter penny). There were also half pennies and pennies. There were 12 pennies to a shilling and 20 shillings to a pound. A florin was 2 shillings, a crown was 5 shillings and a half crown was 2 and a half shillings.
My Fair Lady, the recording with Julie, actually came out in the early sixties. Rex Harrison disturbed me as a child. It's all coming back now. I know every song in the film. "'ello, gov" is an English cockney greeting for a couple of centuries. "Gov'ner" is like "mate" or "bro" or "dude".
I never liked the ending of this movie. Higgins treated her like dirt. He was upset when she left, but then went back to treating her like dirt when she came back. Typical Narcissist. At least Freddie adored her and treasured her (and he was REALLY, REALLY cute!) And think about it: if you had to choose spending the rest of your life with Rex Harrison or Jeremy Brett, it's a no-brainer.
Julie Andrews did the play version but was passed over for Audrey (whose singing voice was mostly dubbed). But Julie went on to ace and win in MARY POPPINS.
George cukor's elegant colorful adaptation of the beloved stage play is elevated to new heights thanks to winning performances by Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, My FAIR LADY (1964) 94/100% Certified Approved ☑️ Eliza Doolittle: the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not she behaves, but how she is treated.
My guilty pleasure movies. I used to always watch "girly" movies with my Aunt as a kid and had to act like I didn't enjoy them. Now as an adult i'm glad I was cultured in good films
Glad you watched this! There is an earlier black and white film version of Pygmalion (of the same name) from 1938 starring Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller. It is FANTASTIC. It's not a musical, but it has great dialogue and humor, and the leads have great chemistry together. I actually prefer that version to this one (ever so slightly), but both films are wonderful. You should definitely check out 1938's Pygmalion, even if you do it in your free time. It's been uploaded to TH-cam for anyone curious.
"Guv'nor" is how lower/middle-classes addressed their boss, so long as there wasn't a title or nobility involved. It might be used when addressing any figure of authority or person you're trying to suck up to: policeman (no women cops then), rich guy, whatever. Being judged by language is what this movie is all about and it wouldn't make sense if it weren't true. Nowadays the BBC no longer uses "Received Pronunciation," and has people using their native accents, while attempting British diversity: economic, cultural, racial, class-wise, language-wise, and so on.
I love the scene at the races. I can not praise costume design enough. And a moment of appreciation for the choreography for portraying the old saying that people high society don't clash. I absolutely love that Henry doesn't fit the bill and he does cause a disturbance lol.
From "She's All That" (1999) trivia page on IMDB: "She's All That" is an adaptation of the stage play "Pygmalion". Though I don't see any George B. Shaw credits as they will often do when updating a Shakespeare play.
There’s unfortunately no full recording of the stage version with Julie Andrew’s, but there are several clips from the Ed Sullivan show available to watch. There are also clips of her in Camelot, which was also by Lerner and Loewe, which is an incredible show but was made into one of the worst movies ever with people who could not sing. And underrated lerner and loewe movie is Brigadoon, about an enchanted Scottish town with Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. Highly recommended
Saw this with my mother and sister when it came out and we sat in the balcony seats. Just swept me away. 💞 Fabulous revisiting this with your presentation.
I'm getting older and have seen many movies and films. This one consistently rises to the top of my favorites list. I made this movie, as well as many classics, required viewing for my kids as they grew up. Both of them balked at many of the movies I made them watch, only to thank me later. This movie is one of those that both my kids were grateful that I made them sit through, especially my daughter, we still love to watch it together now and then. This was a great, and wonderfully edited, reaction and commentary. Thank you for giving this film the proper respect it deserves.
Loved this reaction. If you're interested in doing another musical with some interesting undertones and quite funny scenes, I'd really recommend Calamity Jane starring Doris Day!
@@tierneybeckett THAT IS AN EXCELLENT and AMUSING Musical, LOVE CALAMITY JANE. There is another one that is a musical called "ANNIE GET YOUR GUN" inspired by the real ANNIE OAKLEY
That was not the ending in the play. In the play she end up with Freddie. In the post script, they marry and Col Pickering and Henry Higgins helps to support them as they set up a green grocery store. She becomes a shop keeper and Henry does his best to support her and them. They are modestly successful, and become friendly with the Professor and the Col.
Wonderful reaction and good in-depth character analysis. The message is contemporary and timeless. The originally based George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion ending was actually more cynical of Eliza's downfall life with Freddie E. Hill as an epilogue (of which is incorporated within 'I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face'. The broadway and movie version Prof. Higgins and Eliza reaches a complex but mutual understanding and acceptance of each other.
Freddy sings « On the Street where you live ».
Have you noticed that theses are the very words Cary Grant uses in Charade when the elevator of the hotel stops :
- where are we ?
- on the street where you live
There is a harsh and interesting social commentary inserted in that dialogue where Eliza asks what is she supposed to do with herself now that she can no longer feel at home living in the slums but has no means to live anywhere else. Higgins suggests that, being a lady, she is not supposed to work, anyway, but marry, to which she snaps back:
"So, back when I sold flowers, I didn't sell myself but now that you made a lady of me I'm not fit to sell anything else..."
I know I’m 2 years late, but I caught that line too. Profound!
The young man you were understandably fawning over who plays Freddie is Jeremy Brett, the DEFINITIVE Sherlock Holmes. He played Sherlock Holmes for Granada Television and it is the greatest performance of the Great Detective ever!
For my taste, Jeremy Brett WAS Sherlock Holmes.❤
@@lechat8533 Unquestionably.
I cringe watching the old black and white holmes with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Rathbone, was a great Holmes, but they didn't do The Doyle stories the the way Granada and Jeremy Brett did. I watched the Brett Holmes and with the feeling that Doyle wrote Watson very much as if Doyle himself was Watson as if the eye witness narrator. And glad you mentioned Marni Nixon. Did that dubbing make it virtually impossible for Audrey Hepburn to get the Oscar?
@@lechat8533Yes
@@lovethomassowellYep
"Hello Guv'nor" was just one of many ways someone of a lower class (specifically London here) might refer to someone of higher class, especially if they didn't now what rank they were addressing. It basically means 'Boss' or 'Someone better than me'. 'Governor', like 'Squire', 'Lordship', 'Judge' and so on, were terms cockneys (and other working class Brits), would use a lot.
It sounds weird in America because we aren't as class-obsessed as the Brits. If somebody seemed to be acting 'above' someone else here, they're more likely to be addressed with a mocking insult. Sort of the way Han Solo talks to Princess Leia in Star Wars, e.g. "your worship."
"Hello Guv'nor" reminds me "The admirable Crichton"
@@jedijones _"It sounds weird in America because we aren't as class-obsessed as the Brits"_ - I wouldn't say Britain is class obsessed. It's just that class and the class system was the reality of British life for most of history - My Fair Lady is set while that was still very much in force. Even in the US in the South a kind of class system developed (which was damaged by the Civil War). The modern US has one too - it's human nature I guess, but in the US it isn't about titles, just wealth and dynastic family names, etc.
@@monnezzapromizoulin5169 Spoken in a posh voice, too; _"Hello Guv'nor!"_
@@monnezzapromizoulin5169 and "CRICHTON" is MY last name TOO. (for those who are not familiar with the name "CRICHTON" (as in THE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON, and the famous author MICHAEL CRICHTON ( Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, The Lost World, Time Line, Sphere, The Terminal Man, The "CH" in the middle of "CriCHton" is SILENT. Pretend they are NOT there, so it was pronounced like "CRY - tin" MOST people who don't know will say my name like "CriTCHtin" (like CH in "CHERRY" or like "itch with a hard C instead of the "i" in front) It's funny because people who met me and are calling my name from a paper (like at a doctor's/dentists office, etc, Will say it like I just mentioned. But I HAVE had some actually say it correctly and I always tell them that I was glad they pronounce it correctly, and EVERYONE of them would say,, "Yes, like MICHEAL CRICHTON....are you any relation to him?" I always say I WISH I WAS, I would like just a FIFTH of his money ( he made a lot of money with his books and so many of them were turned into blockbuster movies. Sadly he died at the age of 66 in Nov, 2008 from cancer. RIP Michael. By the way, "CRICHTON" is a SCOTTISH name.
Audrey Hepburn is an eternal vision of style and glamour, but Jeremy Brett is in my heart as the best Sherlock Holmes ever.
Yes he was!
Couldn’t agree more!
Poor Jeremy Brett, who died too young. What a brilliant actor, and the _only_ Sherlock Holmes I will ever recognize as authentic.
Absolutely!
You’re absolutely right!
Marni Nixon was also known as "the Ghostess with the Mostest."
Her son Andrew Gold wrote "Thank You for Being a Friend," which became the theme song for "The Golden Girls."
Pygmalion in ancient mythology was a king and sculptor who fell in love with the marble statue he created. In Shaw's time, education included much classical literature such as the works of Homer and Plato, and so people would know of this legend. Shaw used the title for his play but obviously updated it to recent times and with a real woman. (Now that I think about it, Pygmalion is slightly similar to Pinocchio.)
I've read that Joyce's "Finnegans Wake," is actually a nod to Shaw's Pygmalion.
That really makes me want to write a paper on the similarities, also tying in with the (Jewish?) lore of gollums.
Shaw wrote a sequel to _Pigmalion_ but it’s really an outline for a story that would be better suited to a miniseries than a play or a movie. You can find it online.
Similar to Mannequin also. 😆 I think there are a LOT of movies that riffed on Pygmalion. Other movies like Can't Buy Me Love, Trading Places, Pretty Woman, Mighty Aphrodite, She's All That, etc. Using the concept of taking a nobody and trying to mold them into something with a higher status.
@@jedijones Yes but also the idea the creator unintentionally falls in love with the creation. Sort of "boy builds girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl."
“Move your blooming arse Dover” is the best line ever
I just read the original play PYGMALION before watching your video. The play ends with Eliza leaving Higgins. Shaw wrote an Afterword that explains what happens next, although he felt it would be obvious to the audience. Eliza marries Freddy. They have a rough time until Pickering helps them open a flower shop. He also sends them to business school. Eliza and Freddy end up moving back in with Higgins and Pickering! Shaw said that he didn't like that the studio made him change the ending to where Eliza and Higgins end up together. He thought his original ending showed that women had agency and were their own people outside of men.
Shaw, in insisting that the original plot of his play should be followed and Higgins' "creation" Eliza have a life of her own beyond Higgins' control, presumably did not see the irony of his own creation, the play, also developing a life of its own beyond his own control!
Audrey Hepburn is one of my favorite actresses and celebrities for a reason. Her life story is so tragic how she started life as a WW2 survivor. The reason why Audrey Hepburn is so skinny most of her life is because she was malnourished as a young girl due to war times and she had VERY low self esteem even when she was the talk of how beautiful she always was. She used her celebrity status VERY early in her career to set up charities for children of poor countries ravaged by war. She had her flaws in her relationships but in the end she did her best for herself, her children and the children her charity supported. She truly was a Princess and a Queen of Hollywood Royalty.
And I don't think she wasted her time on Hollywood parties.
@@billolsen4360 i beleive thats true, unless she absolutely needed to she avoided a lot of the Hollywood shin digs.
Audrey is a poster girl for the folly of the cult of self-esteem. She didn't possess it and she was able to focus on charity work, instead of awards banquets and Hollywood parties.
I'm so glad you love Jeremy Brett! He is so gorgeous and precious in this film. I also highly recommend his Sherlock series it is amazing!
He was and is the greatest Sherlock Holmes I've ever seen (especially in the first two series before ill-health started to affect his performance) 🥰
I concur about Jeremy Brett’s portrayal of Holmes. Really recommend giving them a watch. 😊
Yes, yes! Second and third these recommendations!
THE BEST Sherlock Holmes imo!
It's interesting that @25:00 Mia thought of Prince Eric, since Freddie's singing voice was actually that of Bill Shirley, AKA Prince Phillip from Disney's "Sleeping Beauty."
This movie is like a series of Monet paintings put to music. And in focus. Loverly.
I neglected to tell you that you did a marvelous job editing and putting this all together. Carefully using very short clips, you managed to capture this film's rare beauty and best moments. Great job, Mia!
Thank you so much! I was really nervous about the songs but am content with the final cut!
@@MoviesWithMia I’m a little late but would you consider doing the musical 1776? Fantastic for a belated 4th of July, maybe chow down with a hot dog and potato chips while enjoying?!
PS I love Wait Until Dark! You are picking awesome movies.
@@RLucas3000 Strange to say, the musical *1776* (1972), about the writing and signing of the American Declaration of Independence, has some of the virtues of *My Fair Lady* (1964). If you watch it, make sure you get the Director's cut.
I was lucky to see Rex Harrison’s final tour of My Fair Lady in the early ‘80s, co-starring Cathleen Nesbitt as Henry’s mother (she had originated the role on Broadway). It was wonderful, although he was getting very long in the tooth. (I also saw Yul Brynner in his final tour of The King and I.)
Me too! 1981 in Boston for me!!
I saw Richard Kiley in the original run of Man of La Mancha (1967 on tour) and then when he reprised it in 1979. I wish I'd seen the musical productions you got to see.
@@storyteller2882 The other big-name actors I saw on stage in Chicago in touring musicals were Victor Garber and Luci Arnaz in They’re Playing Our Song, and Peter Noone and Jim Belushi in The Pirates of Penzance. My favorite though was when a 1999 revival of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown was in tryouts in Chicago before going to Broadway. I got the tickets because Anthony Rapp and BD Wong were playing Charlie Brown and Linus. Afterwards, though, all my mom and I could talk about were the then-unknown Roger Bart and Kristin Chenoweth as Snoopy and Sally, especially Kristin, who we knew immediately was going to be a huge star. She was amazing!
Ah, then now you need to see GiGi. A similar story, with a young French girl learning to be arm candy for a rich patron. Gaston (Louis Jourdan) will make you swoon, as you did for Freddie here. And the music is phenomenal.
Yes, please ignore the bluenoses who insist on coloring everything in sight with their own peculiar cultural obsessions, which sadly have seeped into the mainstream in the form of Stranger Danger, "Toxic Male creepiness", and ahistorical 3rd-wave feminism. "Gigi" is actually yet another story about a man realizing that a woman in his life is a person, and not just a social place holder.
This time, a role writen for Audrey, but casted to Leslie Caron (like, the opposite of My Fair Lady)
And another great dubbing job (of star Leslie Caron), this time by Betty Wand!
Don't forget Maurice Chevalier singing Thank Heaven For Little Girls.
Louie Jourdan is every bit as gorgeous as Jeremy Brett.
@@baskervillebee6097 Louis Jourdan was my very first man crush. He really is handsome. Glad I grew up watching and loving those old movies with my parents and could swoon over all those classy men 😉
If you're curious, the writing that Henry Higgins uses to write down Eliza's speech at the beginning is called the international phonetic alphabet. It is, literally, used as a way to write down not only what someone says but, the specific pronunciation of how they are saying it.
EDIT: Just for anyone who is wondering and doesn't have time to read the replies to this... the specific symbols Henry Higgins uses in the movie are a combination of the international phonetic alphabet (IPA) along with a similar system by Alexander Graham Bell called Visible Speech. Both served the same function but, since both were still in use at the time My Fair Lady is set, the filmmakers decided to have Henry use a bit of both of them rather than just working entirely in IPA the way a modern phonetician would.
Some may be interested to know that there is also a system called Labanotation that is used to write down dance choreography, in the same way that musical notation is used to write down tunes.
The symbols I saw didn't look like IPA, but maybe an alphabet of his own design.
@@fad23 yes it wasn't IPA. My guess it the movie just made up something.
@@judithweiss6727 I can assure you that they most certainly did not just make up something. "My Fair Lady" actually had the foremost expert in phonetics consulting on the film (his name was Peter Ladefoged). He's the one who actually wrote the symbols in Henry's notebook. To be absolutely specific, the symbols in the notebook are a combination of both IPA and Visible Speech, which was an earlier transcription style invented by Alexander Graham Bell that was used before IPA became the standard. To be historically accurate, they chose to use a combination of both styles. So, there are IPA symbols in there but, they are supplemented by Visible Speech symbols, as well.
Before the recording of sound existed, voice experts like Henry Higgins, actually did have systems to write down what people sounded like, sort of like notes, etc on sheet music. That's how we know; the the British sounded like Americans 250 years ago & not the other way around.
We still do it! I took 2 linguistic classes in college and had to learn how to do it.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet
actually it isn't because the system wasn't invented that far back. We figured out how pronunciation changed through other means.
@@judithweiss6727 There were previous systems as well as just very talented people at describing how people sounded going back throughout written hustory.
@@judithweiss6727 Spot on mate. We can tell more by how words were used in rhymes and poems and also by how foreign visitors would transcribe English words phonetically.
Fun Fact: the man walking beside the Queen of Transylvania was played by Henry Daniell who played Sydney Kid in The Philadelphia Story.
It was an absolute JOY to watch you experiencing "MY FAIR LADY" for the first time! In my 68 years I have watched it many times, and there are some scenes I have re-watched too many times to count, especially the "Ascot Opening Day" scene. It was such genius to dress everyone in white, black & gray - and then to let Audrey enter wearing the only color there! The choreography of the old rich ladies is magnificent. They make fun of the rigidity of the upper class Brits, but they also show incredible charm and beauty. It just fascinates me endlessly. And I have found myself singing "On the Street Where You Live" on the sidewalks of new romantic interests. This movie is a masterpiece.
"Hello Guvnor" just means "Hello, boss" basically a recognition that he's speaking to someone of a higher class. Take it from a cockney. 😀
In the musical Eliza left and never came back to Higgins I honestly prefer that ending to be honest he really annoyed me so it was nice to see her tell him off and live her life without his ego and putting her down
My favorite: 11 March 1964, Los Angles at the Golden Globes. Julie Andrews acceptance speech for best actress.
“Thank you very much for this lovely honour. It's a wonderful momento of a very happy time. Finally my thanks to a man who made a wonderful movie and made all this possible in the first place -- Mr Jack Warner. “
Jack Warner failed to cast Andrews as Eliza Doolitle in My Fair Lady despite Andrews being the star on Broadway for several years. Had she been cast in My Fair Lady, she would not have been Mary Poppins. Jack Warner, to his credit, laughed the hardest.
Oh No! Mia forgot to finish these movies of Audrey Hepburn is
Roman holiday with Gregory peck(1953)
Funny face with Fred Astaire (1957)
And breakfast at Tiffany's with George peppard (1961)
Wait until dark has Alan Arkin in this one, Arkin used to be in the 2017 movie Going In Style with Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.
The thing about Marni Nixon is that not only did she have a beautiful voice but she had the ability to alter her timbre so that she sounded like the person she was dubbing, but better.
Regarding Eliza's development, recall that the book is Shaw's _Pygmalion,_ so that's where the characters development comes from.
The ending of Eliza coming back was not in the original script of _Pygmalion._ It was added for Anthony Asquith's film of the play. It has since come to by used in most stage productions of _Pygmalion._
FWIW, Mrs. Higgins was not wearing a lavalier in her last scene. She was wearing a choker of the type sometimes called a dog collar, as well as the long string of beads.
I almost wish they kept the original ending! It would have been much more effective of getting Eliza’s point across! And yeah Marni Nixon was AMAZING!!!
Mrs. Higgins was played by Gladys Cooper who was a beautiful pin-up girl for British soldiers in WWI
@@billolsen4360 Gladys Cooper was a great actress. "Rebecca", "Separate Tables", many more. Always memorable.
@@epsteinisms1483 Gladys Cooper was also one of the leads in the short-lived American series 'The Rogues', along with Robert Coote, who was the original Colonel Pickering in London.
If I recall correctly, Eliza's return was actually one of the alternative endings Shaw postulated in published version of the script. It was not one of his favorites, but he did consider it.
Governor or “Guv’nor” (Captain was also used) was a way to express deference or acknowledge that someone was above you - I believe it was quite common in East London. Kind of like saying “Boss” today.
As a digger, her father's neck is the most exposed skin to the sun. The "Back flap" hat is to prevent sunburn on the neck. This is my favorite musical of all and I am so glad this is my first video with you. The classics should not be forgotten, I am so excited to watch more of your videos.
OMGosh, you have done so many of my favorites already. I cannot wait.
You may be right. In *My Fair Lady,* Higgins refers to Alfred P. Doolittle as "a common dustman," which essentially means garbage man, but in *Pygmalion,* Eliza specifies that his proper trade is that of a navvy, which means a laborer in construction or excavation projects (presumably including a lot of digging).
25:19 Jeremy Brett's voice was dubbed too. He played arguably the best period Sherlock Holmes on TV in the '80s. You should check it out!
Eliza's bow to the queen is so perfect. Such a lovely movie. Anything Audrey Hepburn.
When I saw this as a child I wanted a library/study like Higgen’s. Thankfully I now have wall to wall bookcases (17) full of hardcover books.
Jeremy Brett was an outstanding Sherlock Holmes in the 1980s.
My favorite.
Omg!! I would LOVE to see him as Sherlock 😍😍
@@MoviesWithMia
There is a wonderful montage of clips (youtube) from SH set to the ZZ Top song
Sharp Dressed Man that is Not To Be Missed!
14:43...in the British Empire a 'Governor' was an official appointed to oversee a Crown Colony (or was the top official in certain businesses...the Bank of England being an obvious example). Gradually it came to be used as a slang word for any man who held a superior position socially. Therefore "Allo Guvna (Governor)' is a deferential way of greeting a social superior (basically it's just a dialectical way of saying 'Hello Sir')
'Governor' was used to refer to a position of personal authority centuries before there was a British empire. It was essentially the male equivalent of a governess, a young person's tutor/guardian.
The development of 'guv'nor' would have had more to do with that meaning, as well as the meaning in "board of governors", than it did to the administrator of an overseas colony.
@@paulkennedy8701 I didn't say it wasn't, I just picked a couple of random examples to give context to the sense of it referring to a social superior
@@paulkennedy8701 also as far as I know the male equivalent of a governess is just 'tutor' never governor...and a tutor and a guardian are definitely not the same thing.
@@eddhardy1054
Then I have added to your knowledge, haven't I.
@@paulkennedy8701 sadly no...you're just wrong 😉😊
Mia, without exception, you always pick great films.
I understand why you would have loved Julie Andews to play this role.
But, with the knowledge I have of Miss Audrey Hepbern, I could never criticize her for anything.
Also Sean did a beautiful documentary on his mother that is on TH-cam.
Jeremy Brett and Audrey Hepburn are so cute together. I go along with George Bernard Shaw, who said Eliza and Freddie end up together (she still visits her friend Higgins, though).
Governor is a way of addressing someone of a higher status. It isn't a term much used now but still is used in slang. It tends to be referred to when someone is speaking about their boss
Jeremy Brett, who played Freddy, sang in a more operatic style. So he was dubbed by the actor who did the voice of Prince Philip in SLEEPING BEAUTY
Ohh!! Interesting!!
"Knock knock...."
"Who's there?"
"Armageddon".
"Armageddon who?"
🎶"Armageddon married
in the morning.....
Ding dong the bells are
gonna chime......"
Freddy, Eliza's suitor, is Jeremy Brett. He later become really famous for is interpretation of Sherlock Holmes in the Granada series.
UK MP Angela Rayner has recently been criticised for working class grammar, so it is still a barrier in certain types of jobs.
You're also not allowed to ever go to the opera whilst being from a working class (or even middle class; just Northern lol) background, apparently.
I grew up with my grandmother and she loved this movie. And looking at in now as an adult, I feel like this is a film modern writers should look at for an example of a strong female character.
The "last" lavish studio movie....the fashions were unbelievable....certainly one of my favorite movies...great reaction
38:38 the fact that Eliza is such a three dimensional character is a credit to the writer of the original play, Pygmalion, although that play ends very differently.
Spoiler Alert,,,,,
Henry doesn't change and Eliza has too much self respect to go back to him and according to a prologue written by the author, Eliza does marry Freddie with Colonel Pickering's help.
I absolutely adored this musical as a young man. I think I first saw it on Christmas morning when I was around 12.
I'm so very glad to see you react to this fabulous movie! As another commenter has noted, most of the dialogue is from the original Shaw play, but that play ends with Eliza really cutting off relations with Higgins. The climactic moment when she returns to Higgins was first introduced (despite Shaw's objections) in the 1938 movie version of Pygmalion, and carried over into both the stage and screen versions of My Fair Lady. I think it works better than Shaw's ending, but we do have to thank Shaw for so much of what is great in this movie.
Rex Harrison singing is very reminiscent of Richard Harris signing in Camelot.
Harris's singing was an improvement or Richard Burton's! ....Ha!
When Professor Higgins sings "I'm An Ordinary Man"; lets you know Mia, why he talks to Eliza with such distain. You know, he isn't the only one that behaves obnoxiously in the movies. The character of Melvin Udall in the movie "As Good As It Gets" has got Prof. Higgins beat.
I never paid to much attention when Jeremy Brett sings "On the Street Where You Live". He seemed TOO 'thirsty'. I had to watch it again after I realized he was the same guy that played Sherlock Holmes. The BEST Sherlock Holmes I've ever watched.
"My Fair Lady" is one of my all-time favorite movies! You're absolutely right, the quality of this movie is brilliant.
Okay, you seem confused by Prof. Higgins attitude toward women. Well from a mans perspective, I can comment that the only way I can have a 'long' relationship with a woman is when I don't mind being 'nagged' by her.
Oh yeah! Melvin Udall definitely has Higgins beat!! 😂
That "dreamy effect" you noticed is remarkably simple to attain with old-skool film cameras. They simply smear Vaseline around the circumference of the lens. Today that effect would be easily done in post with computer editing, but back in the day they did it in-camera.
32:46 - "She's a very complex character. Usually you think a musical, and you're like there's no character development, it's a musical." The thing about this and a lot of the great musicals, it was a play first and the music and songs were added to make it a musical. As you know, My Fair Lady was based on Pygmalion and a lot of the (non-musical) dialogue is taken directly from the play. Oklahoma! was based on a play called Green Grow the Lilacs. The story of The Sound of Music was a German film first based on the true story of the von Trapp family. The King and I was based on the novel 'Anna and the King of Siam' which was based on the memoirs of Anna Leonowens. Oliver! is based on Oliver Twist. West Side Story is based on Romeo and Juliet....etc.
Some might like to know that there is an earlier non-musical movie of "Anna and the King of Siam" (1946), starring Irene Dunne as Anna and (guess who) Rex Harrison as the King. Casting Harrison as a Thai was a bit of a stretch even for old-school Hollywood, but it's still a pretty good movie, and worth a watch. The 1999 version with Jodie Foster, called "Anna and the King", is also pretty decent.
@@paintedjaguar Those both are VERY good and shows the King (especially Rex Harrison's portrayal) as not a very nice man.
17:15 Like so many great effects, it's completely practical - Vaseline. You rub it on the lens and you get that unfocused look. Buff it up and you get that soft, sweet glow you often see around really beautiful actresses' faces back in the day. It's crude but perfectly effective.
A musical I think you would love is "Meet Me In St. Louis", starring Judy Garland. The story covers a lot of emotional ground, and Judy is a genius of pathos and depth. It's very much a musical with very famous songs, but it's also a story of a family torn by circumstances. A real Hollywood classic of the golden age of musicals.
"Meet Me in St. Louis" is also one of the greatest Technicolor movies ever made. Nearly eevery shot is breathtaking. Oh, and little 7 year old Margaret O'Brien steals every scene she's in, playing "Tootie". Do see the film. One of MGM's greatest musicals.
check out 'pygmalion', starring wendy hiller, the non musical version!!
OMG your reaction to Freddie singing!!! I love it!!! HAHAHAHA
I grew up watching this and believe me, I would always melt in a puddle with this song. I can still sing it along with him...
Sadly Jeremy Brett met the same fate as Audrey Hepburn. He could definitely sing but it was decided to have him dubbed as well.
Pygmalion is a Greek story about a prince of Cyprus who falls in love with a statue he sculpted.
As others have said, Audrey didn't have the greatest singing voice, while Marni Nixon did. But Audrey absolutely crushed this role. She hit every character beat you could have wanted from an actress.
It can be, I think, so hard to play an over the top character without going over the top in your performance. Audrey famously didn't win the Oscar because her singing was dubbed but I think this was one of her finest roles.
You can find on utube clips of the film cut with her vocals really does enhance the character and her voice wa not bad if a little thin
Also, this wasn't the first play-to-film adaptation that Audrey was offered because in 1962, she and Elizabeth Taylor were both offered the role as Annie Sullivan for the movie version of The Miracle Worker. They would bring in butts in seats. However, Arthur Penn insisted that Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke should reprise their roles as Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller for the movie. It was the best idea ever because they both won their Oscars a year later (well deserved!)
Liza's father's hat has a thing hanging down to protect his neck from things spilling out when he carries bins.
"Hello, Governor." Means a respectful hello to a person of a higher status.
Also protects from the sun
I love this movie so much. "On the street where you live" is one of the most beautiful songs ever. I'm so excited for Wait Until Dark!
@Mia Tiffany The way a person talks can affect the sort of jobs you can get, even these days. For example, I live in southern West Virginia. I speak rather well for a person from this area, and locals think I'm a bit snobbish because of it. But anyone that isn't from this area thinks I sound like an absolute country bumpkin.
Just think how different this movie would have been if they'd gone with the ending from _Pygmalion_ where Higgins kicks Eliza out of the house and never sees her again.
Stanley Holloway (Eliza's dad) was a staple actor of the British Film Industry from 1922 and through the war years. His leather cap with a long leather tail down his back, is the cap of a "coalman". Who delivered coal in sacks to customer's house. Lifting the "hundredweight" coal sacks onto their back, straight off the back of their coal truck. Then walking it to the customer's coal store. If he was going to be permanently "unemployed", then he might as well be unemployed from one of the physically hardest trades.
Fashions are by the very famous Cecil Beaton. He designed over 1,000 costumes and won an Academy Award.
this film and gigi were two of my favorites in my childhood ❤️
To answer your question about "She's All That"... yes! "She's All That" is meant to be a modern adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion/My Fair Lady. 😊Modern teen adaptations of classic literature/plays got very trendy for a quick second there in the '90s and "She's All That" was part of that. (Some other movies that kinda rode that trend include "Clueless", which is an adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma and "10 Things I Hate About You", which is based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew).
There was, also, a short lived tv series with Karen Gillan and John Cho a few years back that was intended to be a modern-day adaptation of My Fair Lady/Pygmalion called "Selfie". It was pretty cute but, they really sucked at marketing it. Very few people even knew it was based on My Fair Lady and a lot of people I've talked to have said that if they'd been made aware of that, they would've been more interested in checking it out.
Loved your video and your take on it... I read Pygmalion in high school (part of our English curriculum) and my parents introduced me to the movie musical, which I loved... (the book is different, but very good, and Eliza does come off as a strong woman like in the movie)... in fact, Rex Harrison's Henry Higgins influenced my choice of career (as did the song Why Can't the English...). I am a translator, editor and linguist.
When this musical was on Broadway, an original cast record album was issued. I remember that ALL of the sons in the show were played a lot on the radio. All of the songs in this movie are very familiar to me.
I love Jeremy Brett! He is the best Sherlock Holmes to have ever existed.
I am a HUGE Sherlock Holmes fan, and for decades my favorite incarnation was the erudite and irascible Jeremy Brett from the late 80's/early 90's Granada TV serise. Imagine how astonished I was that the very old-before-his-time Sherlock was once Freddy Eynsford-Hill from this film!!
I didn't remember that real Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett) was on this.
Uh uh!! HE WAS SHERLOCK HOLMES!?! No way! Where can I find that??
It was a TV serie. It is in TH-cam in english and spanish.
@@MoviesWithMia it was the Granada series. He's generally considered by many of us Holmes fans as *the* quintessential Sherlock Holmes.
They adapted more of the stories than anyone else.
Quite sad actually, as he did his own singing, but was then dubbed over without his knowledge. He had a fine singing voice.
@@caitlin329 Absolutely Brett is the gold standard of Holmes (bypassing Basil Rathbone). And the episodes are based as close as possible to the Conan Doyle stories. (No Holmes Fights Godzilla or so taking him out of contest.)
Silver Blaze - th-cam.com/video/fNfpel0c2J8/w-d-xo.html
For other episodes, just type "Jeremy Brett" and "Sherlock Holmes" into a TH-cam search.
Brett really studied the depiction of Conan Doyle's Holmes and I think did a great job of bringing to life Holmes's many quirks and mannerisms that make him who he was. (Jeremy Brett was suffering a fatal illness as the series went on but he kept with it to the end. and so they almost represent his life's work - even though a small part of it in terms of time.)
Oh man! Warner Brothers really screwed these actors over! And I have to see that!! I love Sherlock Holmes! Of course I was introduced to the character by way of the RDJ movies and then Benedict Cumberbatch in SHERLOCK! Which I LOVED!!!
One of my favourite shows ever. In my youth l knew all of Higgins’ songs and most of his lines. Loved the movie and saw the show a few times on stage too.
Yes, there is an Original Broadway Cast Recording of "My Fair Lady" with Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle.
If you think colour has improved since the 1930s I suggest you have a look at Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz. The colour in both films is perfect.
In the original Shaw did not give a definite answer of who Eliza ended up with. In an epilogue he wrote that he saw that Eliza could end up with Pickering, but then turned around and left it completely up in the air. One of my favorite movies. As a costume dsigner and historical clothing seamstress her, Ascot gown has become a dream project of mine yo recreate.
Freddie was also Sherlock Holmes
😁
Stanley Holloway is one one of my favorite british actors : especially his roles in the Ealing comedies
I grew up watching my Fair Lady, and I appreciated your reaction. You picked up on things I never did. Thank you for your reaction.
Today is the day I wished I had never learned that Audry Hepburn didn't sing her part in My Fair Lady.
A movie with a similar story by lerner and Loewe is Gigi. A young girl being trained to be a courtesan who comes into her own
I always enjoyed the ending with Eliza returning because I never thought that Freddie was worthy of Eliza. I might be the only one but I think the closing line about the slippers was Henry’s way of saying I am sorry without actually saying I am, and Eliza had grown to understand Henry well enough to realize it as such. Growing up, My Fair Lady was the only musical I remembered my father watching with us on t.v. He especially loved the Rain in Spain number. Mia, you should do a movie series of film adaptations of Broadway musicals from the fifties (the movies are). You can choose from Oklahoma, The King &I, South Pacific, Guys & Dolls, Kiss Me Kate, Pajama Game, and Damm Yankees.
I recently saw the stage version in Seattle and some of the modern audience were uncomfortable with Higgins treatment of Eliza. They have even made a subtle change to the ending that suggests a complete divergence from the original ending and that seen in the film.
Eliza can do better than either Freddie or Henry.
@@mthreapl Even when we watched it in high school in the '90s, some of the girls absolutely hated Henry. 🤣
What's wrong with Freddie? He is besotted and also the most highly educated and wealthy man who's ever shown a romantic interest in Eliza. Plus Jeremy Brett went on to be the sans pareil portrayer of Sherlock Holmes.
I think Freddie doesn’t have the strength of character to be a suitable mate for Eliza. Henry has the strength to challenge Eliza. Of course Richard Berry is corrected that Eliza can have her choice of any man she wants in London
Red lipstick was typical in 30s 40s and 50s. You always look well in every video.
Well thank you, Sue 😁
Here's a little explanation of British money before 1972:
The smallest coins were farthings (one quarter penny). There were also half pennies and pennies.
There were 12 pennies to a shilling and 20 shillings to a pound.
A florin was 2 shillings, a crown was 5 shillings and a half crown was 2 and a half shillings.
My Fair Lady, the recording with Julie, actually came out in the early sixties. Rex Harrison disturbed me as a child. It's all coming back now. I know every song in the film. "'ello, gov" is an English cockney greeting for a couple of centuries. "Gov'ner" is like "mate" or "bro" or "dude".
I never liked the ending of this movie. Higgins treated her like dirt. He was upset when she left, but then went back to treating her like dirt when she came back. Typical Narcissist. At least Freddie adored her and treasured her (and he was REALLY, REALLY cute!) And think about it: if you had to choose spending the rest of your life with Rex Harrison or Jeremy Brett, it's a no-brainer.
Julie Andrews did the play version but was passed over for Audrey (whose singing voice was mostly dubbed). But Julie went on to ace and win in MARY POPPINS.
George cukor's elegant colorful adaptation of the beloved stage play is elevated to new heights thanks to winning performances by Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, My FAIR LADY (1964) 94/100% Certified Approved ☑️ Eliza Doolittle: the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not she behaves, but how she is treated.
I was four years old when I first heard this musical. I thought Rex Harrison was singing "I've thrown a custard to her face."
The whole "makeover" thing is always fun!
My guilty pleasure movies. I used to always watch "girly" movies with my Aunt as a kid and had to act like I didn't enjoy them. Now as an adult i'm glad I was cultured in good films
I love your passion for the film. You are lovely.
I'm an English man and just adore your fascination with this great film from my childhood
Thank you so much for watching 😁
Glad you watched this! There is an earlier black and white film version of Pygmalion (of the same name) from 1938 starring Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller. It is FANTASTIC. It's not a musical, but it has great dialogue and humor, and the leads have great chemistry together. I actually prefer that version to this one (ever so slightly), but both films are wonderful. You should definitely check out 1938's Pygmalion, even if you do it in your free time. It's been uploaded to TH-cam for anyone curious.
"Guv'nor" is how lower/middle-classes addressed their boss, so long as there wasn't a title or nobility involved. It might be used when addressing any figure of authority or person you're trying to suck up to: policeman (no women cops then), rich guy, whatever.
Being judged by language is what this movie is all about and it wouldn't make sense if it weren't true. Nowadays the BBC no longer uses "Received Pronunciation," and has people using their native accents, while attempting British diversity: economic, cultural, racial, class-wise, language-wise, and so on.
"Guv'nor" reminds me "The Admirable Crichton"
I love the scene at the races. I can not praise costume design enough. And a moment of appreciation for the choreography for portraying the old saying that people high society don't clash. I absolutely love that Henry doesn't fit the bill and he does cause a disturbance lol.
From "She's All That" (1999) trivia page on IMDB: "She's All That" is an adaptation of the stage play "Pygmalion". Though I don't see any George B. Shaw credits as they will often do when updating a Shakespeare play.
There’s unfortunately no full recording of the stage version with Julie Andrew’s, but there are several clips from the Ed Sullivan show available to watch. There are also clips of her in Camelot, which was also by Lerner and Loewe, which is an incredible show but was made into one of the worst movies ever with people who could not sing. And underrated lerner and loewe movie is Brigadoon, about an enchanted Scottish town with Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. Highly recommended
Saw this with my mother and sister when it came out and we sat in the balcony seats. Just swept me away. 💞 Fabulous revisiting this with your presentation.
I'm getting older and have seen many movies and films. This one consistently rises to the top of my favorites list. I made this movie, as well as many classics, required viewing for my kids as they grew up. Both of them balked at many of the movies I made them watch, only to thank me later. This movie is one of those that both my kids were grateful that I made them sit through, especially my daughter, we still love to watch it together now and then.
This was a great, and wonderfully edited, reaction and commentary. Thank you for giving this film the proper respect it deserves.
IT'S HERE. *IT'S HERE YESSSSS THANK YOU MIA*
Goodness, been so long since I’ve seen this. Loved it! And now I need to rewatch Jeremy Brett’s definitive Sherlock Holmes series.
Loved this reaction. If you're interested in doing another musical with some interesting undertones and quite funny scenes, I'd really recommend Calamity Jane starring Doris Day!
That is one of my favorite Doris Day movies.
@@tierneybeckett THAT IS AN EXCELLENT and AMUSING Musical, LOVE CALAMITY JANE. There is another one that is a musical called "ANNIE GET YOUR GUN" inspired by the real ANNIE OAKLEY
That was not the ending in the play. In the play she end up with Freddie. In the post script, they marry and Col Pickering and Henry Higgins helps to support them as they set up a green grocery store. She becomes a shop keeper and Henry does his best to support her and them. They are modestly successful, and become friendly with the Professor and the Col.
Wonderful reaction and good in-depth character analysis. The message is contemporary and timeless. The originally based George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion ending was actually more cynical of Eliza's downfall life with Freddie E. Hill as an epilogue (of which is incorporated within 'I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face'. The broadway and movie version Prof. Higgins and Eliza reaches a complex but mutual understanding and acceptance of each other.
Excellent choice once again.
For a musical with depth, try Show Boat, with Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson, and the amazing Ava Gardner.