What is summary of the story of my Fair Lady?
The movie My Fair Lady tells love story between a flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, and a phonetic professor, Henry Higgins. The movie was made in chronological order. Eliza Doolittle, played by Audrey Hepburn, was a poor girl with “low-class” accent. She wanted to learn formal English in order to get a better job in a flower store.
What is the basis of my Fair Lady a poem?
My Fair Lady. An American musical comedy of 1956, with words by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. My Fair Lady is based on the play Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw, about a professor in London who teaches a low-born flower girl how to speak and act like the nobility.
When was 'My Fair Lady' first performed on Broadway?
My Fair Lady was first performed on March 15, 1956, at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Broadway. Where is My Fair Lady currently playing? My Fair lady is currently playing at Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis Missouri.
Who are the characters in my Fair Lady?
- Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle
- Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins
- Stanley Holloway as Alfred P. Doolittle
- Wilfrid Hyde-White as Colonel Hugh Pickering
- Gladys Cooper as Mrs. Higgins
- Jeremy Brett as Freddy Eynsford-Hill
- Theodore Bikel as Zoltan Karpathy
- Mona Washbourne as Mrs. Pearce, Higgins' housekeeper
- Isobel Elsom as Mrs. ...
- John Holland as the Butler
What is the story behind My Fair Lady?
My Fair Lady is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play Pygmalion, with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phonetician, so that she may pass as a lady.
On what myth was the musical My Fair Lady based?
In another, the poet Ovid wrote a tale about a sculptor who created a beautiful statue that he named Galatea, who subsequently came to life. The playwright George Bernard Shaw updated the Pygmalion myth in the 20th century with his play, which was transformed into the hit musical "My Fair Lady."
Is Pretty Woman based off of My Fair Lady?
Bernard Shaw's plot has become something of a Hollywood staple down the years. Aside from My Fair Lady, other unofficial adaptations of Pygmalion include the Eddie Murphy comedy Trading Places, Pretty Woman and the 1999 teen outing She's All That, starring Freddie Prinze Jr and Rachael Leigh Cook.
Is My Fair Lady based on Taming of the Shrew?
Based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play Pygmalion, which itself was inspired by Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, My Fair Lady is about a Cockney flower girl who becomes the subject of a bet between the men, both upper-class British phoneticists.
Is Eliza Doolittle in love with Henry Higgins?
Henry Higgins did remain in Eliza Doolittle's life, but Shaw was insistent on the fact that they were no match romantically, that they remained purely friends who saw each other as sparring partners in wit and cleverness.
What's the difference between Pygmalion and My Fair Lady?
The play Pygmalion and My Fair Lady, the musical, are the same story. The only major difference between the two, is that My Fair Lady has songs added to the dialogue. I believe the musical version is more enjoyable because the music adds more feeling to the story. The opening scene is after an opera.
Does Eliza end up with Higgins?
So it's no surprise that many audiences assume, despite so much ambiguity—despite almost no allusion to it in Pygmalion, the stage play or the screenplay of My Fair Lady—that Eliza and Higgins get together in the end: it's what we've been trained to expect.
Did Audrey Hepburn actually sing in My Fair Lady?
Julie Andrews created the role of Eliza Doolittle on Broadway, but the film role went to Audrey Hepburn. Miss Hepburn, who had warbled sweetly in "Breakfast at Tiffany's," expected to sing her way through the great Lerner and Loewe songs, but her voice was dubbed.
Is Pretty Woman Pygmalion?
Abstract The author argues that director Gary Marshall's film, Pretty Woman, like Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, although draw- ing upon the Greek myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, actually subverts it.
Who was Kate to Shakespeare?
Katherina (Kate) Minola is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew....Katherina (Kate) Minola.Katherina MinolaCreated byWilliam ShakespearePortrayed byFlorence Lawrence (1908) Mary Pickford (1929) Elizabeth Taylor (1967) Joseph Arkley (2019)In-universe informationSpousePetruchio3 more rows
What does Shrew mean in Taming of the Shrew?
a bad-tempered woman(Shrew is an old-fashioned word for a bad-tempered woman.) She behaves unpleasantly to him but he pretends not to notice. In the end he marries her and ' tames' her by treating her roughly until she becomes as easy to control as wives were expected to be at that time.
Did Petruchio tame Katherine?
He simply wanted to tame her to be able to say he tamed the most shrewish woman. In this interpretation, Petruchio marries Katharine solely for her dowry. The counterargument is that Petruchio develops love for Katharine and tames her because he sees her shrewishness as a condition that she cannot cure on her own.
What is the musical based on Pygmalion?
My Fair LadyMy Fair Lady, their fifth musical, based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, was an unprecedented triumph in American musical theatre. Produced by Columbia Broadcasting System, it set a record at the time for the longest original run of any musical production in London or New…
What era is My Fair Lady set in?
The film, set in London in 1912, opens outside the Covent Garden opera house, where noted phonetics expert Henry Higgins (played by Harrison) is taking notes on the accents of those around him, especially the Cockney flower seller Eliza Doolittle (Hepburn).
Why did My Fair Lady change the ending?
Audiences loved the characters and were angered to see them drift apart, so the ending was changed to appease audiences. My Fair Lady tries to offer the best of both worlds by adapting the original ending, but stopping short of having Eliza leave once more.
What does the end of My Fair Lady mean?
My Fair Lady ending explained In the movie, professor Higgins visits his mother's house in the ending of My Fair Lady where he finds Eliza. She then declares to him that she no longer needs him. Professor Higgins then walks home and comes to a realisation that he has grown attached to Eliza.
What is the movie My Fair Lady about?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. My Fair Lady is a 1964 American musical comedy drama film adapted from the 1956 Lerner and Loewe stage musical based on George Bernard Shaw 's 1913 stage play Pygmalion. With a screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner and directed by George Cukor, the film depicts a poor Cockney flower-seller named Eliza Doolittle who ...
When will My Fair Lady be released?
In 2019, the film was given a limited theatrical re-release through Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events on February 17 and 20 as part of TCM Big Screen Classics. My Fair Lady currently holds a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 60 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10.
What is Eliza's ambition?
Eliza's ambition is to work in a flower shop, but her accent makes that impossible ("Wouldn't It Be Loverly"). The following morning, Eliza shows up at Higgins' home, seeking lessons. Pickering is intrigued and offers to cover all the attendant expenses if Higgins succeeds.
How much did My Fair Lady cost?
With a production budget of $17 million, My Fair Lady was the most expensive film shot in the United States up to that time. The film was re-released in 1971 and earned rentals of $2 million in the United States and Canada. It was re-released again in 1994 after a thorough restoration.
Where does Higgins meet Freddy?
Higgins partly conceals a grin behind his hand. At Ascot, she meets Freddy Eynsford-Hill, a young, upper-class man who becomes infatuated with her ("On the Street Where You Live").
Is My Fair Lady a classic?
It's a classic not because a group of stuffy film experts have labeled it as such, but because it has been, and always will be, a pure joy to experience.".
Did Harrison ever perform "You Did It"?
The stanzas of "You Did It" that come after Higgins says "She is a princess" were originally written for the stage, but Harrison hated the lyrics and refused to perform the song unless the lyrics were omitted, as they were in most Broadway versions. However, when Cukor threatened to leave the production if the omitted lyrics were not restored for the film version, Harrison obliged. The omitted lyrics end with the words "Hungarian rhapsody" followed by the servants shouting "Bravo" three times, to the strains of Liszt 's "Hungarian Rhapsody", before the servants sing "Congratulations, Professor Higgins."
What was the movie My Fair Lady adapted from?
My Fair Lady, American musical film, released in 1964, that was adapted from the long-running Broadway musical of the same name and proved to be a great popular and critical success.
Who wrote the lyrics to My Fair Lady?
Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now. The play My Fair Lady, adapted by Alan Jay Lerner (book and lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music) from the 1913 play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, opened on Broadway in 1956 and won six Tony Awards, including best musical.
Why does Eliza come to Higgins' home?
The following morning Eliza arrives at Higgins’s home, seeking elocution lessons in order to gain employment at a flower shop. Pickering declares that he will pay for such lessons if Higgins can make good on his claim. Higgins agrees to help Eliza, who moves into his home.
Who plays Eliza's father in My Fair Lady?
He accepts £5. Impressed by his approach to ethics, Higgins recommends him to a wealthy American who is studying morality. Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.
Who played the flower girl in My Fair Lady?
Audrey Hepburn. …in the motion picture musical My Fair Lady (1964). Although Hepburn gave an admirable performance as the Cockney flower girl who is transformed into an elegant lady, many viewers had trouble accepting Hepburn in a role they felt belonged to Julie Andrews, who had created the part onstage.….
What happens after Eliza's success at the event?
After Eliza’s success at the event, Higgins and Pickering are elated with their achievement, and they congratulate each other with great enthusiasm. However, both ignore Eliza’s contribution to her transformation. Higgins’s indifference enrages Eliza, and she leaves.
Storyline
Pompous phonetics Professor Henry Higgins (Sir Rex Harrison) is so sure of his abilities that he takes it upon himself to transform a Cockney working-class girl into someone who can pass for a cultured member of high society.
Did you know
When Audrey Hepburn (Eliza Doolittle) was first informed that her voice wasn't strong enough and that she would have to be dubbed, she walked out. She returned the next day and, in a typically graceful Hepburn gesture, apologized to everybody for her "wicked behavior."
What is the musical My Fair Lady based on?
First, a little history: The 1964 Audrey Hepburn movie version of My Fair Lady is based on the Broadway musical (starring Julie Andrews) with songs written by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. The musical was based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1912 play, Pygmalion, which was itself based on the part in Ovid’s Metamorphosis when a sculptor named Pygmalion falls in love with his statue of the perfect woman. That part of Metamorphosis was based on every guy who ever thought he could create the girl of his dreams (specifically, Freddie Prinze Jr. in She’s All That, of which Ovid was reportedly a mega-fan).
What is the story of My Fair Lady?
From Ancient Greece to Edwardian England to 1960s Hollywood, the narrative remains the same: an overbearing male “genius” who transforms a pliable (read: vulnerable) woman from her meager, inadequate self into his personal ideal of womanhood. But thanks to Lerner and Loewe’s songs, My Fair Lady critiques that narrative as much as it upholds it. Their musical is not about a genius attempting to transform a weak woman. It’s about a strong woman attempting to retain her identity in spite of the controlling machinations of a small-minded man.
Who played Eliza Doolittle in Mary Poppins?
Even studio execs are always trying to cultivate the perfect girl, and that led to a bit of behind-the-scenes drama when it came to casting Eliza Doolittle. Julie Andrews had played Eliza on Broadway, and had already mastered the character and the vocals, and her stage co-star Rex Harrison was going to play Higgins in the movie. But studio head Jack Warner didn’t think Julie Andrews had the name recognition or glamor to carry a major motion picture. “With all her charm and ability, Julie Andrews was just a Broadway name known primarily to those who saw the play,” Jack Warner wrote in his 1965 autobiography My First Hundred Years in Hollywood. “I knew Audrey Hepburn had never made a financial flop.” But Andrews got the last word — losing the My Fair Lady role allowed her to make Mary Poppins, for which she won a Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Actress.
Did Jack Warner think Julie Andrews had the name recognition or glamor to carry a major motion picture?
But studio head Jack Warner didn’t think Julie Andrews had the name recognition or glamor to carry a major motion picture. “With all her charm and ability, Julie Andrews was just a Broadway name known primarily to those who saw the play,” Jack Warner wrote in his 1965 autobiography My First Hundred Years in Hollywood.
Overview
My Fair Lady is a 1964 American musical drama film adapted from the 1956 Lerner and Loewe stage musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 stage play Pygmalion. With a screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner and directed by George Cukor, the film depicts a poor Cockney flower-seller named Eliza Doolittle who overhears an arrogant phonetics professor, Henry Higgins, as he casually wag…
Plot
In London, Professor Henry Higgins, a scholar of phonetics, believes that the accent and tone of one's voice determines a person's prospects in society ("Why Can't the English?"). At the Covent Garden fruit-and-vegetable market one evening, he meets Colonel Hugh Pickering, himself a phonetics expert who had come from India to see him. Higgins boasts he could teach even Eliza Doolittle, the young flower seller woman with a strong Cockney accent, to speak so well he could …
Cast
• Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle
• Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins
• Stanley Holloway as Alfred P. Doolittle
• Wilfrid Hyde-White as Colonel Hugh Pickering
Musical numbers
1. "Overture" – played by orchestra
2. "Why Can't the English Learn to Speak?" – performed by Rex Harrison, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Audrey Hepburn
3. "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" – performed by Audrey Hepburn (dubbed by Marni Nixon) and chorus
Production
CBS head William S. Paley financed the original Broadway production in exchange for the rights to the cast album (through Columbia Records). Warner Bros. bought the film rights in February 1962 for the then-unprecedented sum of $5.5 million plus 47¼% of the gross over $20 million. It was agreed that the rights to the film would revert to CBS seven years following release.
Release
The film had its premiere at the Criterion Theatre in New York on Wednesday, October 21, 1964, with its regular run starting the following day with a $500,000 advance.
My Fair Lady was released in Ultra HD Blu-ray on May 25, 2021 by CBS' sister company and current rights holder, Paramount Home Entertainment.
My Fair Lady was released for digital download, as well as to stream on HBO Max, on November …
Reception
With a production budget of $17 million, My Fair Lady was the most expensive film shot in the United States up to that time. The film was re-released in 1971 and earned rentals of $2 million in the United States and Canada. It was re-released again in 1994, this time by 20th Century Fox, after a thorough restoration. In 2019, the film was given a limited theatrical re-release through Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events on February 17 and 20 as part of TCM Big Screen Clas…
Restoration
The film was restored in 1994 by James C. Katz and Robert A. Harris, who had restored Spartacus three years earlier. The restoration was commissioned and financed by CBS, to which the film rights reverted from Warner Bros. in 1971. CBS would later hire Harris to lend his expertise to a new 4K restoration of the film for a 2015 Blu-ray release, working from 8K scans of the original camera negative and other surviving 65mm elements.