I’ve been away for a while and am back with a corker. The tale of a Cockney flower girl trained to be passed off as a lady for a bet. Based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, the delightful My Fair Lady. With a memorable score by Lerner and Loewe, no wonder it’s such a successful show. The Broadway premiere in 1956 starred Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle and Rex Harrison as professor Henry Higgins. Audrey Hepburn played Eliza Doolittle whilst Rex Harrison reprised his stage role for the 1964 film version.
Eliza sells flowers in Covent Garden market but wishes to move up in the world. She aspires to work in a florist’s. Higgins studies phonetics, and shocked and appalled by Eliza’s speech, he writes down examples. Colonel Pickering, a linguist buys one of Eliza’s flowers. He introduces himself to Henry, realising they share a common interest. They become instant friends and Higgins invites Pickering to stay with him during his time in London.
The following day Eliza visits Higgins’ home with a view to taking speech lessons to improve her prospects. Pickering bets Higgins that he couldn’t transform Eliza to pass as a society lady in six months. The time frame coincides with the Embassy Ball at which she’ll be unveiled. Pickering even offers to pay for Eliza’s lessons concerning this social experiment.
Eliza moves into Higgins’ home to enable them to work together intensively. She’s taught several exercises to do, both vocally and in deportment. Almost like a finishing school pupil. I particularly remember the exercise where she has a mouthful of silver balls to help refine her vowels, and ends up swallowing one. Higgins’ pursuit of winning his bet causes a strain on Eliza until the eventual breakthrough.
Subsequently it’s a matter of building on what’s been achieved, refining Eliza’s appearance and manners. The dress rehearsal for her debut is at Ascot. It begins well enough but deteriorates once Eliza veers from the prescribed topics of conversation by expressing her true beliefs. Then during a tense moment of horse racing she swears loudly, shocking the spectators and embarrassing Higgins and Pickering.
This episode doesn’t deter Higgins from his plan. Eliza is presented at the Embassy Ball, charming all those who encounter her. Pickering congratulates Higgins and they wallow in their achievement, forgetting all about Eliza and her feelings. To move on with her life Eliza leaves Higgins’ house and revisits her old haunts, sadly realising she no longer belongs. Meanwhile it dawns on a lonely Higgins how important Eliza is to him, yet he never showed it.
The film is visually stunning. Hepburn wears Cecil Beaton’s Oscar winning costumes exquisitely, like a first class model. The fact her singing is dubbed is a let down, but her spirit and charm wins me over.