My Fair Lady
Directed by George Cukor
- comedy
- music
- drama
The story
A snobbish phonetics professor agrees to a wager that he can take a flower girl and make her presentable in high society.
What it’s like
Lush studio colour in the Technicolor manner: Edwardian London rendered in bright, costume-heavy palettes, with Ascot's pastel hats, Covent Garden's grimy morning market, and the warm wood-panelled study of a confirmed bachelor. Cukor frames the big numbers with theatrical sweep, widescreen tableaux of crowds and gowns, then tightens to close, unhurried shots of faces as the heroine's vowels and posture slowly shift. The score is bright and tuneful, with comic patter songs, a few wistful ballads, and a grand ballroom waltz; the dialogue is crisp and witty. Pacing is leisurely at over three hours, with a long middle that rewards settling in with a blanket on a weekend afternoon. The emotional register is light and sentimental, a playful romance about class, self-respect and a stubborn man learning to see someone properly. Intensity is very low: no violence, no sexual content, only mild exasperation and some snobbery played for laughs. It suits a comfort rewatch, a family evening, or anyone wanting a gentle, old-fashioned musical with a gorgeous period look.
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