Rating: 
Summary: Great High Definition Transfer and Much More!
Review: This movie is one of my all time favorites, and I was delighted when this 2-disc DVD set was released. Now all the special features, in piecemeal in earlier DVD and VHS tape releases, are all together in one set, with a high definition transfer of the 1994 restoration which is truely outstanding! Plus, some never before released pieces such as the Rex Harrison Golden Globe acceptance speech, the kickoff production dinner, and other extras like the extensive archive of black and white and color production stills, costume sketches by Cecil Beaton (who won an Academy Award for costume design), and "behind the scenes" pictures really add to this 5 star DVD treatment of a classic Best Picture. It's also interesting to listen to the Gene Allen commentary, joined by others such as Marni Nixon, who reminisce about working on this historic masterpiece. Their perspectives of the costumes, set design, working on the dubbing with Audrey Hepburn, the casting choice of Audrey Hepburn vs. Julie Andrews, the working conflicts between George Cukor (the director) and Cecil Beaton, and the general professionalism of everyone involved in the production, make the watching of this movie even the more fascinating. Highly Recommended!!
Rating:
Summary: By George, they've got it!
Review: So says the stuffy, but tough, Professor Henry Higgins (Best Actor Oscar-winner Rex Harrison) as the tired, but enchanting, Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) manages to speak proper English. Winner of 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture, MY FAIR LADY proves that there is still plenty of life in musicals. Created by British playwright George Bernard Shaw under the original title, "Pygmalion," we look into the lives of a phonetics teacher as his quest of turning a Cockney flower girl into a beautiful woman of Edwardian England. Distributed by Warner Bros., produced by studio head Jack L. Warner, directed by "woman's director" George Cukor (Best Director), this film was a winner from the start! With a cast of British players including Stanley Holloway (Best Supporting Actor nominee) as Eliza's sneaky father Alfred P. Doolittle, Gladys Cooper (Best Supporting Actress nominee) as Higgins's snooty society mother Mrs. Higgins, Wilfrid Hyde-White as the kind Colonel Hugh Pickering, Mona Washbourne as the gentle Mrs. Pearce, Theodore Bikel as the bothersome Zoltan Karpathy, and the handsome Jeremy Brett as the lovelorn Freddy Eynsford-Hill. The musical numbers are, of course, fantastic! From "Wouldn't It Be Lovely" to "With A Little Bit O' Luck" to "Just You Wait" to "I Could've Danced All Night," you find yourself singing and dancing along with the characters. The numbers rival those of other Oscar-winning musicals such as AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, THE KING AND I, GIGI, and WEST SIDE STORY. Though, Hepburn was dubbed by "Hollywood's favorite dubbed" Marni Nixon (who also dubbed Deborah Kerr in THE KING AND I, Leslie Caron in GIGI, and Natalie Wood in WEST SIDE STORY) , you still feel the passion given by those being dubbed. The serene look on Hepburn's face when she sings "I Could've Danced All Night," for instance, is a wonderful example of forgetting the dubber and concentrating on the person on screen, namely Hepburn. The other dubbed actor is Jeremy Brett (Freddy), dubbed by Bill Shirley. Whoever Bill Shirley is, he is wonderful (with a rippling Butterscotch voice to boot). Rumor had it that Audrey Hepburn was an excellent singer, though Jack Warner must not have had enough confidence in her to pull it off. That is very much like the casting of Eliza herself. Played on Broadway by incomparable Julie Andrews (who won an Oscar that same year for MARY POPPINS, her revenge in a way), people were against Hepburn playing Eliza. According to Warner himself, he didn't want an unknown actress playing a film role. I think that was dumb on Warner's part, especially since Andrews won an Oscar and, of course, starring in next year's Best Picture winner THE SOUND OF MUSIC! But, Hepburn did a great job -- though the accent was a bit shaky in the beginning. In conclusion, with 13 nominations and 8 wins, MY FAIR LADY brought out a classical film that inspired and touched people everywhere. And don't forget the film's competition: Stanley Kubrick's DR STRANGLOVE, Walt Disney's MARY POPPINS, Michael Cacoyannis's ZORBA THE GREEK, and Peter Glenville's BECKET. A major boost for Warner Bros. sagging weight at the box office and a major stepping stone for the Hollywood musical! Awards: BEST PICTURE (Jack L. Warner), BEST DIRECTOR (George Cukor), BEST ACTOR (Rex Harrison), BEST COLOR ART DIRECTION/SET DECORATION (Gene Allen, George James Hopkins, and Cecil Beaton) and BEST COLOR COSTUME DESIGN (Cecil Beaton, creating a first in film history by winning both categories in one night), BEST COLOR CINEMATOGRAPHY (Harry Stradling), BEST MUSICAL ADAPTATION (Andre Previn), and BEST SOUND (George R. Groves).
Rating:
Summary: "Wouldn't it be loverly..."
Review: This is possibly one of the best musicals of all time (at any rate, definately one of my personal favorites). The songs are superb. Some, like "I Could Have Danced all Night" and "On the Street Where You Live" are romantic and sweet; many, like "Show Me," "Just You Wait," "A Little Bit of Luck," "Without You," and "Why Can't a Woman be More Like a Man?" are quite amusing. A few of the latter catagory are nowhere near politically correct, but somehow that makes it all the more hilarious. My only complaint would have to be that I wish they'd used Julie Andrews as Eliza Dolittle. I heard her sing some of the songs from "My Fair Lady" once and her Cockney was much more believable than that of Audrey Hepburn, or Marni Nixon (who sang for Hepburn).
Rating:
Summary: Audrey's more than just fair--she's marvelous
Review: Lerner and Loewe's musical version of George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion got its first cinematic colour treatment (q.v. the 1938 version with Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller) as well as eight Oscars. Much of the story's already known--how Professor Henry Higgins, an expert in phonetics (the science of speech), takes it upon himself to transform a Cockney flower girl working in Covent Garden into a lady. That "draggletail guttersnipe," that "squashed cabbage leaf," and "incarnate insult to the English language" is Eliza Doolittle, who is outraged and insulted by Higgins' arrogant, patronizing attitude to her, but she does dream of a better life, being able to open up a flower shop and being able to afford chocolates-hence her desire to speak more genteel. Colonel Pickering (Wilfrid Hyde-White), a veteran soldier posted in India who studied the languages there, treats Eliza like a lady rather than a flower girl, and is by far the more gentlemanly of the men. This point is driven home when Eliza tells Higgins that the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she's treated. And Higgins is at times impatient, frustrated, but treats her more as an experiment than a human being. A daunting task it is, as Eliza finds it difficult to turn her long i's into a's and to add her "h's." But when she finally does, it's a triumph, which leads to the back to back ebullience of "The Rain in Spain" and "I Could Have Danced All Night," with Hepburn's singing voice done by Marni Nixon. The concepts of classes division is seen in Higgins' opening number, when he wonders why the English can't teach their children how to speak. He notes how the way one Englishman speaks makes another Englishman despise him, where the nobility look down on the working class, and the working class become fed up with the nose-in-the-air attitude of the upper classes. A universal manner of speaking so that there will be no class conflict would be nice, but I'd sure miss that chirpy "Cor blimey, gov" from the docks. Another is the Victorian distinction between men and women, in Higgins' "Let A Woman In Your Life" number. Men had more independence than women then, and Higgins is able to do what he wants. In marriage, the man is tying the knot all right...around his own neck. And speaking of marriage, it's clearly a bourgeois concept. Once a man has enough money and standing, he has certain social responsibilities. This is demonstrated in Eliza's father Alfred Doolittle, a working class dustman who hasn't married her stepmother. Stan Holloway reprised his role as Alfred from the stage version. Audrey Hepburn's talents really come forth via her brash and loud Cockney accent, and for this she worked with phonetics professor Peter Ladefoged at USC in LA. She is effervescent throughout, whatever costume she wears; and as for that smile, it's magical. And for Rex Harrison to have worked opposite Julie Andrews in a film version would've yielded a carbon copy of the stage version. Working with Hepburn, his performance was more challenging and spirited, and hence his Best Actor Oscar. Indeed, it won eight Oscars, including three of the big four-actor (Rex Harrison), director (George Cukor) and picture. Unfortunately, its loss to Best Actress was the most conspicuous, as Audrey Hepburn ironically lost to Julie Andrews, the stage version of Eliza. And Cecil Beaton's costume designs was another deserved win, not only for Eliza's white Ascot dress and hat, but for the ballroom scene as well. This is one of Hepburn's best vehicles, along with Roman Holiday, Sabrina, Charade, How To Steal A Million, and Wait Until Dark.
Rating:
Summary: "Just you wait! Henry Higgins, just you wait!"
Review: Based upon the hit play "Pygmalian" by George Bernard Shaw and directed by George Cukor, the 1964 film "My Fair Lady" is a masterpiece of story, song and script that earned 8 Oscars and a total of 12 Oscar nominations in 1965. The film stars Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle, Rex Harrison (who won the Oscar for Best Actor) as Professor Henry Higgins, Stanley Holloway (who received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor) as Eliza's father Alfred P. Doolittle, Wilfred Hyde-White as Colonel Hugh Pickering and Gladys Cooper (who received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress) as Henry's mother Mrs. Higgins. Set in London circa 1900, Henry Higgins is an internationally renowned professor of the English language. While leaving a show one evening, Henry meets Colonel Hugh Pickering, who planned to meet with Henry and vice versa. After being interrupted by a poor young woman (Eliza Doolittle) selling flowers and who has a dreadful accent, Henry begins a discourse on the defilement of the English language and how one can identify an individual's origins through their accent and dialect. Eliza, of course, is insulted. Henry and Colonel Pickering leave for Henry's home, but Eliza thinks seriously about a proposal that Henry said in jest: that he could teach Eliza how to speak properly and improve her station in life. The following morning, Eliza (who overheard where Henry lives) arrives at his front door. After coming in, she asks Henry to give her English lessons that she'll pay for. He initially rejects the idea, but changes his mind with the assistance of Colonel Pickering. Eliza is whisked away upstairs by his maid, Mrs. Pearce (Mona Washbourne), to be cleaned. A torment of screams ensues as Eliza is stripped naked and bathed. Her tattered clothes are burned per Henry's orders, but new clothes are purchased for her. Thus begins Eliza's training in the proper use of the English language through the skills of Henry Higgins. Eliza sees Henry as an overbearing misogynist, but Henry sees himself as the exact opposite and he gets the opportunity of meeting Eliza's father Alfred. Eliza learns over time, and a mutual love-hate relationship develops between her and Henry. The numerous wonderful songs in the film were written by Frederick Loewe and directed by Andre Previn (who received the Oscar for Best Music Adaptation). Audrey Hepburn did not get to sing in the film; instead, Marni Nixon dubbed her, as was Jeremy Brett (who played Eliza's would-be young suitor, Freddie Eynsford-Hill) by Bill Shirley. The songs in the film include: * "Why Can't The English?" (5+/5, Rex Harrison and Marni Nixon) In front of the opera house.
* "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" (5+/5, Marni Nixon) In front of the opera house.
* "I'm An Ordinary Man" (5/5, Rex Harrison) At Henry's home, after Eliza comes.
* "With A Little Bit Of Luck" (4.5/5, Stanley Holloway & ensemble) Eliza's father prior to meeting Henry. * "Just You Wait" (5+/5, Marni Nixon) Eliza angry with Henry.
* "Servant's Chorus" (4.5/5 ensemble) Henry's servants lamenting him teaching Eliza.
* "The Rain In Spain" (4.5/5, Rex Harrison, Marni Nixon & Wilfred Hyde-White) Eliza finally getting a pronunication correct.
* "I Could Have Danced All Night" (5/5, Marni Nixon, Mona Washbourne & ensemble) Eliza excited over celebrations with Henry & Colonel Pickering.
* "Ascot Gavot" (4.5/5, ensemble) At the horse race.
* "Ascot Gavot (Reprise)" (4.5/5, ensemble) At the horse race.
* "On The Street Where You Live" (4/5, Bill Shirley) Freddie thinking of Eliza outside Henry's home.
* "The Transylvanian March" (4/5, instrumental) At the ball.
* "The Embassy Waltz" (4.5/5, instrumental) At the ball.
* "You Did It" (4.5/5, Wilfred Hyde-White, Rex Harrison & ensemble) Henry & Colonel Pickering congratulating themselves.
* "Just You Wait (Reprise)" (4.5/5, Marni Nixon) Eliza upset.
* "On the Street Where you Live (Reprise)" (4/5, Bill Shirley) Freddie still outside of Henry's home.
* "Show Me" (5/5, Marni Nixon and Bill Shirley) Eliza & Freddie leaving Henry's home together.
* "The Flower Market" (5/5, Marni Nixon) Back at the flower market.
* "Get Me To The Church On Time" (3.5/5, Stanley Holloway & ensemble) Alfred celebrating before his impending marriage. The song is somewhat too long in my opinion.
* "A Hymn To Him" (5+/5, Rex Harrison & Wilfred Hyde-White) Henry extolling the virtues of men.
* "Without You" (5/5, Marni Nixon & Rex Harrison) Eliza putting Henry in his place.
* "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" (5/5, Rex Harrison) Henry feeling alone. "My Fair Lady" deservedly won the Oscar for Best Picture, as did George Cukor for Best Director. The film also won Oscars for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costumes and Best Sound. I rate this film with 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys superb acting and musicals.
Rating:
Summary: A musical masterpiece
Review: "My Fair Lady" is the legendary director George Cukor's crowning achievement. Every element of this movie works, from its sumptuous photography by veteran cameraman Harry Stradling, to the glorious costumes and sets created by Cecil Beaton. The music is incomparable. Frederick Loewe's melodies are lovely and infectious and Alan Jay Lerner's lyrics are every bit as witty and touching as the dialogue originally written by playwright George Bernard Shaw for "Pygmalion". "My Fair Lady" is the musical version of "Pygmalion". The transformation of the illiterate, unwashed Eliza Doolittle into the breathtaking "Fair Lady" of the film's title is inspiring to see. This is one of Audrey Hepburn's best roles, and she is perfection as Eliza Doolittle. She is thoroughly convincing as the Cockney flower girl who transcends her humble roots to end up dancing with a prince at an embassy ball. Hepburn expertly translates Eliza's tenacity, vulnerbility, intelligence, and grace into a beautiful and timeless performance. Yes, it's true that Julie Andrews (who created the original Eliza on Broadway) was bypassed for this role. However, this was purely a business decision made by studio head Jack Warner. He did not want to risk such a lavish, expensive production on a relative newcomer such as Andrews was at the time. So he went with the safe bet, Hepburn, as Eliza Doolittle. Audrey was an established star with a great track record. But Andrews soon recovered from this disappointment to make two blockbusters of her own, "Mary Poppins" and "Sound of Music". Not a bad trade-off I'd say. Anyway, I enthusiastically recommend that you buy "My Fair Lady" on DVD or VHS. It is one of the best musicals ever written for stage or screen. You'll see what I mean.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible commentary!
Review: Who did the sound mixing on this commentary track?!! It is the worst ever! Sounds like the person has the microphone across the room or is speaking into styrofoam! Shame on Warner Brothers for putting out such a crappy mix. The original DVD is much better quality. The extra features on this are good, but if you want to listen to the commentary, get the original!!!
Rating:
Summary: A flower girl blossoms into an exquisite woman......
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: 2-disc or not two discs
Review: 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.
Do you really need Martin Scorsese and Andrew Lloyd Weber's comments to supplement your own?
Rating:
Summary: Useful commentary on the wrong track
Review: "My Fair Lady" turned me into a big fan of Audrey. I have grown very fond of the British culture with the language drillling, the high tea, the Ascot Day and many other plots in the film. From the bonus material on Disc 2, I found reservoirs of information about the film, which was produced well before I was born. Even the commentary in the Disc 1 was very informative. The sound mixing was so poor that I tried several times to foucs on the commentary but failed. To some points, I was so annoyed that I tried to deactivate the sound track of the actors and the commentors but failed again. I would rather WB put it in a separate disc. Like what Eliza's father said, "I am willing to pay extra for this. I am waiting to pay extra for this. I am wanting to pay extra for this."
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