Customer Reviews

My Fair Lady

5 star:		(253)
4 star:		(54)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

MFL is a marvellous film about a professor who turns a common flower girl into a lady. It is full of sing-a-long songs and funny moments. It is basically a classic for all the right reasons! Plenty of re-watch factor makes it a film to own.

In 1994, the film was restored and thank the lord they did! The film's negative was almost lost forever. In fact, the film had become yellow-tinged and full of scratches, blotches and all the rest! It would have been a very sad day for the movie industry if a flim like this had been lost.

The original DVD that featured this new restoration was released in the late 90's. This DVD included a 9 minute featurette, actor profiles, audio commentary, and Audrey Hepburn singing in 2 scenes.

This original 1-disc DVD has since been updated to a special 2-Disc Edition. Which one to get? I have both so I feel qualified to answer this. The new DVD includes all the features found on the original DVD, except the actor profiles. The new DVD once again includes the restored print but is apparently a new transfer from the restored print. However, according to a report that I have read, the new transfer is not perfect and has aliasing problems throughout. The average watcher probably won't pick up on this detail. If this is an issue to you, purchase the original edition DVD where the transfer has been given two thumbs up!

The advantage of the special 2-Disc Edition DVD is that it includes a 58 minute 1994 documentary hosted by Jeremy Brett (Audrey's love interest in the film). Jeremy is no longer with us, so it's nice to have this as a piece of nostalgia. On top of this, there are many more features on this disc that aren't included on the original DVD such as footage from the film's premiere, production dinner, as well as discussions with Rex and Audrey.

The choice is easy. If you're a fan of the film and don't care for all the extras, buy the original DVD. You at least get the best transfer. If you do care about having all the extras, buy both!

First things first: Amazon, would you please STOP mingling all the Blu-Ray and DVD reviews together, not to mention the different releases of a given title!!!!!!!!! This disreputable practice has gone on for years--wake up and smell the coffee!!!!! Each transfer needs its own reviews so people don't get the wrong idea about what they're wanting to buy.

Now for the Blu-Ray review of My Fair Lady. The fact that CBS/Paramount gave this title very little publicity--and that was run-of-the-mill--made many fans of this movie suspicious of what was coming. As it turns out, they had a right to be wary. CBS was asleep at the wheel when this title was being prepared for Blu-Ray release. Robert A. Harris, a highly respected film restorer who worked on this film back in the 1990s, is furious and outright sick at what was done, or rather NOT done, for this release. He and some other web reviewers feel that CBS (the owner of My Fair Lady ever since it premiered on Broadway) used some materials from the 1994 restoration that were okay for DVD resolution, but weren't adequate for high definition, and simply transfered them to Blu-Ray with little or no corrections. And instead of using 65-mm elements, which would've given an incredibly sharp and detailed picture, they used 35-mm elements, resulting in only 30-35% of the possible resolution making it to the disc, according to Mr. Harris. The transfer has other problems: speckles, dirt, and instances of the extreme sides of the picture being much lighter (or at times even foggy looking) than the middle. If a human eye even checked the picture quality before it was okayed, he didn't know any better or CBS was determined not to spend a penny more than necessary to just get the movie out there.

Please understand that the level of problems one sees is determined mainly by the size of your television screen. On my 42-inch plasma set, this disc looked sharper and prettier than I was expecting, but it certainly could have been better even on that smaller screen. There should have been greater resolution, the speckles should've been removed, and there is certainly NO excuse for the foggy sides of the picture frame! My Fair Lady is the 1964 Oscar winner for Best Picture and is one of the very best musicals ever made; it is a classic that deserves the same stellar treatment that The Sound of Music and Ben-Hur received. While not a horrible effort, CBS's indifference to one of its crown jewels is an insult to the artists who made it and to the consumer who is being asked to pay for its substandard quality.

WARNING: All the five stars refer to the movie itself, and does not address the issue of whether paying for the second disc is a rip-off. Five stars for the single disc version was richly deserved. I had half expected the 2 disc version to have DTS since they shifted virtually all the extra features from disc 1 to disc two. The only thing left on disc 1 was the movie, same commentary, same subtitles and audio track. If they had an audio track with Audrey singing in place of Marni Nixon, it would have been a dream dvd. For some inexplicable reason, the single disc version was among the Amazon top 100 discs in 2002 for some time, although it has been out since the mid-90s. Amazon's editor was correct when he said the main attraction of the 2nd disc was the 58 minute Documentary hosted by Jeremy Brett. Move along folks, folks, nothing to see here, nothing really new unless you are time warped back one or two decades. A concise version of this documentary would be "The Fairest Fair Lady" which is already in the single disc version.

You already HAVE the Audrey Hepburn Vocals in the single disc version. The rest of the stuff in disc 2 is usually given away FREE, like in Gladiator, Last Samurai, Master and Commander, where one viewing of the stills is more than enough.

Now, the sellers of the 2-disc set have actually REMOVED the CAST AND CREW section found in the one disc version. This Cast and Crew with filmographies and biographies contain a huge chunk of valuable information including the fact that Audrey's given name was Edda, not Audrey. Do not throw away your one disc version. If you bought the 2 disc version, you might want to buy the single- disc version to find out where Audrey Hepburn was born, won the Oscar and got nominated. What were the other actors like Wilfred Hyde-White doing other than My Fair Lady.

I tell you what I like about the 2 Disc version:

1. the interviews with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison at the 1963 production Kickoff Dinner, with a couple of jokes from Mr Warner.
2. George Cukor directing Baroness Rothschild: a Henry Higgins coaching Eliza Doolitle parody. The audio track ran for only a few minutes, and I had a new found respect for Directors. Even a Baroness needs lessons in elocution. When I watch the movie again, I will imagine George Cukor speaking using the actors and actresses as his instrument. It explains how Cukor's actresses got their Oscars.
3. The Los Angeles Premiere in B&W is a few minutes of glitterati distraction.

The rest of Disc 2 is really scraping the floor of the store-room. For those who already own the single disc edition, and do not have disposable income to burn, get the 2 disc edition of the TEN COMMANDMENTS instead. For the price of 5 commandments (about half the price of the 2 disc My Fair Lady), you will get more than double the enjoyment, making it look like "the TWENTY COMMANDMENTS". That is where a second disc is not purely a money making exercise: thou shalt not steal from gullible covetuous dvd buyers.

Rex Harrison Golden Globe Acceptance is a clip from the Andy William's show, where he apologised for not being at the real event, so he accepted it on AW's show. Shame.

Academy Awards Cermony Highlights: just one minute or less of Mr Warner accepting the oscar for best picture. Not one bit of the other awards at all.

So two stars for the additional info on disc two. I would buy anything remotely related to my favourite musical, but if I were to search my heart for value added, I would say two extra stars is very very generous. Now, if ever they come out with a DTS version, we will have to throw the whole TWENTY COMMANDMENTS at this bunch of crooks for not putting DTS into this version.

Do you really need Martin Scorsese and Andrew Lloyd Weber's comments on My Fair Lady to supplement your own? What is their connection to My Fair Lady anyway, that we must hear what they have to say about this musical in the "Special Features". When we do not hear from Andre Previn who was responsible for the score, there is no need to hear from Andrew Lloyd Webber.

First, I fully admit that I have seldom been a fan of musicals. This changed my mind. Audrey Hepburn & Rex Harrison truly had perfect chemistry. Stanley Holloway was also excellent as A.P. Doolittle. It won 8 Oscars for a reason. This is a richly layered story. One of this quality that you are unlikely to see again. Humor , music & the angst of human foibles are finely meshed into an improbable story. Centered around Eliza Doolittle, a flower girl who wishes for a better life with all its finery. In front of a theater she hears someone mimicking her every word.


The man, professor Higgins{Rex Harrison} claims he can make a lady of her if she wants to try. She shows up at his doorstep & the comedic soap opera begins. The journey is a sparkler. Liza discovers she is becoming a lady, & starts falling in love with the patronizing professor. The feeling is mutual, but prof. Higgins fights it all the way. On the outside Liza appears to become a new person, but inside she is the same. Struggling to find her place in the world while feeling lost between the old & the new. Where will she fit in? Watch & find out. The music flows through the movie like a cool breeze. This was three hours well spent.

I was suspicious from the beginning that a film of this import was being slipped onto the blu-ray market with little to no fanfare. I read the other reviews on Amazon criticizing the transfer from the restored 1994 DVD, and dismissed the manufacturing complaints (blurred, foggy picture around the edges) as probably owing to faulty equipment. I was foolish. The disc is a mess.

From the moment the credits begin to roll, it is apparent something is not right. The gorgeous background flowers are grainy and in questionable focus, and there is indeed fog around the edge of the picture in the opening outdoor scenes. Then the fog follows the action indoors and never leaves.

Every once in a while there is a scene without fog and in crystal clear resolution. Those moments are dazzling, and it makes you realize what the film might have looked like. But it is very apparent that not only are there serious transfer issues with the disc, but also serious manufacturing problems as well.

Stay AWAY from this blu-ray, and complain bitterly to CBS for their shoddy work on this less than fair lady!!!

Just watched the Blu-ray edition of My Fair Lady on a 60" HDTV. It looked horrible. Out of focus around the edges, with a disturbing color shift. I then watched part of the film on a twelve-foot wide screen, with a HD video projector providing the image--the same disappointing result--even worse with the larger image. This is an extremely poor transfer of Warner's crown jewel. IT IS SO SAD THAT THE RIGHTS BELONG TO CBS, WHO OBVIOUSLY DID NOT CARE ABOUT THE TRANSFER OF THIS GREAT FILM. If Warner Brothers did the transfer to Blu-ray, "My Fair Lady" would most likely have looked as great as their other recent outstanding work such as "Casablanca", "The Wizard of Oz", or "Gone With the Wind". Twentieth Century Fox did a fantastic job with their Blu-ray edition of "The Sound of Music". I was expecting "My Fair Lady" to look as good as "The Sound of Music". This was a huge disappointment. I WILL NOT PURCHASE ANY OTHER CBS/PARAMOUNT TITLES IN THE FUTURE. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS TITLE! (PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE FILM TRANSFER, AND NOT THE MOVIE). THE MOVIE DESERVES FIVE STARS!!!

This is a extremely elegant and stylish movie - the kind of spectacle that you just don't see any more, in a certain type of Technicolour that just isn't duplicated these days. Extremely witty and classic songs, a swish script, and gorgeous costumes. Admittedly, it is eye candy, but what eye candy! George Cukor directs it with true aplomb, turning "Titanic-era" London into a stylised and colourful melée, bringing out the humour and joyfulness of the screenplay, and Cecil Beaton's extravagant and yet, somehow, chic costumes and sets form a perfect setting for the actors - and the actors themselves are superb. Rex Harrison is totally believable as Henry Higgins, mixing crustiness with a very dry humour, whereas Audrey Hepburn looks just right as Eliza Doolittle. One is forced to ponder what Julie Andrews would have done in the role, following her playing the part on stage, but I just can't see Eliza played by anyone other than Audrey Hepburn, who is, quite simply, delicious. From the mawkish, ramshackle flower-girl, to the rebellious pupil, to the cool and composed "lady" of the title, she is perfectly credible, whether throwing a Cockney temperament, or floating through the conservatory, calmly sending Professor Higgins about his business. I am told her Cockney accent is awful, but being deaf, I cannot comment; no more than I can comment upon the fact that apparently her recording of "Oh Wouldn't It Be Luverly" has been reinstated upon the soundtrack. The appeal for this film lies in its spectacle - I saw it at the cinema once, in an arthouse revival, and it was utterly amazing - and in the speech therapy storyline, which has a lot of relevance to me. "My Fair Lady" is simply... a cinematic glory of a particular type that would be impossible to duplicate ever again. The Ascot scene is worth the money alone, a refreshing, gliding harmony of black and white, choreographed and stylised escapism, totally summing up the essence of a musical.

Ah, it's lu-ver-ly - Lu-ver-ly - Lovely!

I watched the BluRay last night on an OPTOMA DLP projector. While it does look better than the DVD, it leaves A LOT to be desired. First off, the film is at a 2:35:1 ratio, instead of 2.20:1, which is the correct aspect ratio for a movie shot on a 65mm negative/70mm printed format. This leads me to believe that a 35mm source was used. Second, AND BY FAR THE WORST, is the color shift from left to right in the WHOLE movie. 10% of the screen on the left and 10% on the right had different color density. On my projector, the left had greenish tones, the 70-80% in the middle looked good, and the 10% on the right was pinkish. During the night scenes, the pinkish on the right looked green, as if too much light was going through the film when it was projected. This is completely unacceptable, especially for masterpiece! Another thing I noticed is that jitter is noticeable during some scenes. This also indicates that the transfer is not recent. I would not be surprised if CBS used the exact same restoration, with no additional work, that was prepared for the 1994 laserdisc release. The audio, while better than anything I have heard on home video, should also has been improved. While there is a nice dynamic range, it still sound restrained, and there is a weird reverb added to the back speakers during musical numbers, as if this was an old Dolby ProLogic home theater effect that was kept. After the movie is over, the closing credits are exactly the same as on the laserdisc box set, listing people who worked on the restoration with a 1994 copyright date. When I bought the disc last weekend, the first thing that went through my mind when I picked up the packaging is that it looked like a bootleg. So sad for such a distinguished movie! Even though I had read the reviews, I bought it because it does look better than both the laserdisc and the DVD. This is only because the bluray platform supports higher resolution, not because of work put into the film by CBS. Oh well....maybe the rights will be transferred again and a more respectable studio will release it in the manner that "Sound of Music" was restored.

This is a review of this blu-ray transfer and not the movie itself.
I preordered this great film and have looked forward to the restored version of this classic coming to blu-ray, but boy what a disapointing transfer. The sound is great, but the quality of the picture transfer is lousey to say the least. It looks a lot better on DVD. At least it does on my 65 inch Vizio TV. Both sides of the picture are out of focus and lack color. Be sure you rent this before you buy to see how it looks on your system. I am very disapointed with CBS (Fox) for ruining this film. If any of you remember the Fox Tod-A-O release of "Oklahoma" on DVD and how "bad" it looked, this is another disaster by Fox. It is a Warner Brothers picture, but rights have returned to CBS who sold the film rights to WB. Buyer beware.

The opening scenes of the rain-drenched cobblestone roads and theatrical backdrop lend a stage feel to a film adaptation of the Lerner & Loewe musical. Since it was based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play "Pygmalion", you won't mind the occasional "stage" echoes. In fact, that adds to the appeal.

We find Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) selling flowers and spewing out the most dreadful words in a Cockney accent. It is really almost unbearable, but don't turn the movie off as it doesn't last too long. Audrey Hepburn is perhaps the most beautiful actress to ever grace the screen in my humble opinion. Here, she shines and is only a wall flower for the first part of the movie. Later she blossoms into an exquisite woman who could win the heart of any man. It is truly her best acting.

Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison) and Colonel Pickering discover her selling flowers and after Professor Higgins throws money into her flower basket we expect the two will never meet again. Eliza has other ideas and proudly marches up to the professor's home and demands to be taught to speak like a lady.

Colonel Pickering then makes a bet with Professor Higgins and says that if he can turn this uncultured "gutter snipe" with a "simply ghastly" accent into a sophisticated, elegant duchess, he will pay for all the expenses. (Reminiscent of "Trading Places" to give a modern example) It is just irresistible to the professor and so he takes on a challenge for six months.

Higgins arrogant attitude will make you laugh. He is humerously as unaware of other's feelings as he is of his own. He is at first very unlikeable, yet made me laugh through the whole movie. You will enjoy his eccentric view of life and cunning attitude as he tempts Eliza with chocolates.

When you hear "I Could Have Danced All Night," you will know why this will become one of your favorite musicals. "On the Street Where You Live" always makes me cry. The script is superb and humorous in so many places. you will find yourself crying, laughing, and becoming increasingly enchanted as the movie progresses. I love this line:

"The great secret in life is not a question of good manners or bad manners, or any particular sort of manners, but having the same manner for all human souls." -Professor Higgins

Higgins and Eliza have quite a few passionate verbal exchanges which are quite amusing. Eliza says: "I want a little Kindness" and we immediately know that love is the only aspect missing from this relationship. Higgins has to learn to love and that to me is the undercurrent in this movie. While Eliza learns to speak well, Higgins learns to love well.

This unlikely romance is food for the soul. The ending is unpredictable and cute. The movie is sumptuously filmed and it is undeniable witty and sophisticated. The costumes and hair styles are the most elegant I have ever seen. If you enjoy ironic, intellectual comedy, be prepared to also fall in love with the most irresistible songs of all time. This enduring classic could not have been pulled off without Audrey Hepburn. No one could have played Henry Higgins like Rex Harrison!

There is a beauty about this movie which is just as eternal as love. You will want to own your own copy so you can watch it again and again. It has never lost its charm for me.

~The Rebecca Review