Product Details

• Actors: Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Gladys Cooper
• Directors: George Cukor
• Format: Color, DVD, Original recording remastered, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: October 6, 2009
• Run Time: 172 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (295 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002HK9IDQ
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,010 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

Hollywood's legendary "woman's director," George Cukor (The Women, The Philadelphia Story), transformed Audrey Hepburn into street-urchin-turned-proper-lady Eliza Doolittle in this film version of the Lerner and Loewe musical. Based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, My Fair Lady stars Rex Harrison as linguist Henry Higgins (Harrison also played the role, opposite Julie Andrews, on stage), who draws Eliza into a social experiment that works almost too well. The letterbox edition of this film on video certainly pays tribute to the pageantry of Cukor's set, but it also underscores a certain visual stiffness that can slow viewer enthusiasm just a tad. But it's really star wattage that keeps this film exciting, that and such great songs as "On the Street Where You Live" and "I Could Have Danced All Night." Actor Jeremy Brett, who gained a huge following later in life portraying Sherlock Holmes, is quite electric as Eliza's determined suitor. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

At one time the longest-running Broadway musical, My Fair Lady was adapted by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe from the George Bernard Shaw comedy Pygmalion. Outside Covent Garden on a rainy evening in 1912, dishevelled cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) meets linguistic expert Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison). After delivering a musical tirade against "verbal class distinction," Higgins tells his companion Colonel Pickering (Wilfred Hyde-White) that, within six months, he could transform Eliza into a proper lady, simply by teaching her proper English. The next morning, face and hands freshly scrubbed, Eliza presents herself on Higgins' doorstep, offering to pay him to teach her to be a lady. "It's almost irresistable," clucks Higgins. "She's so deliciously low. So horribly dirty." He turns his mission into a sporting proposition, making a bet with Pickering that he can accomplish his six-month miracle to turn Eliza into a lady. This is one of the all-time great movie musicals, featuring classic songs and the legendary performances of Harrison, repeating his stage role after Cary Grant wisely turned down the movie job, and Stanley Holloway as Eliza's dustman father. Julie Andrews originated the role of Eliza on Broadway but producer Jack Warner felt that Andrews, at the time unknown beyond Broadway, wasn't bankable; Hepburn's singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon, who also dubbed Natalie Wood in West Side Story (1961). Andrews instead made Mary Poppins, for which she was given the Best Actress Oscar, beating out Hepburn. The movie, however, won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Harrison, and five other Oscars, and it remains one of the all-time best movie musicals.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

338 of 344 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How do you do? And which DVD version to buy ..., July 12, 2004

By	William (Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: My Fair Lady (Two-Disc Special Edition) (DVD)

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!

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What posesses Hollywood?, December 6, 2009

By	Don Elarton (Iowa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What possesses Hollywood to palm off inferior products on an unsuspecting public? This new DVD released 10/6/09 is not a wise buy. Notice in the product description of this Paramount/CBS DVD release no mention is made of the sound. That's because it doesn't have Dolby 5.1, but instead some hokey stereo track of much inferior quality. Likewise, and contrary to the product descriptions online, the original aspect ratio of 2.20:1 has been cut to 16:9 as stated on the DVD sleeve.

If you love My Fair Lady as much as I do consider purchasing either of the Warner Home Video releases which are available new online through Amazon at moderate prices. The first Warner release was issued 12/08/98 and reputedly has the best picture. The second Warner release was a deluxe two-DVD set with expanded special features well worth watching. The quality of both picture and sound on this deluxe set is also far superior to the newly released CBS DVD version. Both Warner versions have the original aspect ratio and Dolby 5.1

Why does Hollywood issue inferior products like this? And to ad insult to injury their doing a remake of My Fair Lady to be released in 2010. I'd call that a "must miss."

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than fair, it's luverly, February 15, 2000

By	Daniel (Reading, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Fair Lady (Widescreen Edition) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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!