The Best Picture of 1964 is….”My Fair Lady.” This is the story of a phonetics professor who attempts to transform a lower-class Cockney girl into someone who can pass as a cultured member of high society. Director George Cukor (“Gaslight” 1944) put together a first class production here, with marvelous production values, incomparable music from a popular stage play, and some great performances from some of the biggest talents of show business.
Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn head the cast as Prof. Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle, the teacher and his student attempting to move mountains. Co-stars include Stanley Holloway, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Gladys Cooper, Jeremy Brett, Theodore Bikel, Mona Washbourne, Isobel Elsom, and John Holland as the butler.
“My Fair Lady” was based on the long-running 1956 Broadway play, with music by Frederick Lowe and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. The story was based on the 1938 film “Pygmalion,” starring Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller, which in turn was adapted from 1913 play by George Bernard Shaw. It won eight Academy Awards out of twelve nominations: Best Picture (Jack L. Warner), Best Director (George Cukor), Best Actor (Rex Harrison), Best Scoring of Music (Andre Previn), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, and Best Sound.
Julie Andrews played Eliza on Broadway with Harrison, but was replaced by Hepburn for the film because producer Jack Warner figured that Andrews’ lack of film experience would hinder “My Fair Lady’s” success. This must have been a disappointment for Andrews, but was soon asked by Walt Disney to play the title role of a film he would soon produce called “Mary Poppins.” It turned out that “Mary Poppins” would be the highest grossing film of 1964, with “My Fair Lady” coming in a close second, for producer Jack L. Warner and Warner Bros. Pictures.
My Fair Lady (1964)
cinema
My Review
The Best Picture of 1964 is….”My Fair Lady.” This is the story of a phonetics professor who attempts to transform a lower-class Cockney girl into someone who can pass as a cultured member of high society. Director George Cukor (“Gaslight” 1944) put together a first class production here, with marvelous production values, incomparable music from a popular stage play, and some great performances from some of the biggest talents of show business.
Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn head the cast as Prof. Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle, the teacher and his student attempting to move mountains. Co-stars include Stanley Holloway, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Gladys Cooper, Jeremy Brett, Theodore Bikel, Mona Washbourne, Isobel Elsom, and John Holland as the butler.
“My Fair Lady” was based on the long-running 1956 Broadway play, with music by Frederick Lowe and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. The story was based on the 1938 film “Pygmalion,” starring Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller, which in turn was adapted from 1913 play by George Bernard Shaw. It won eight Academy Awards out of twelve nominations: Best Picture (Jack L. Warner), Best Director (George Cukor), Best Actor (Rex Harrison), Best Scoring of Music (Andre Previn), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, and Best Sound.
Julie Andrews played Eliza on Broadway with Harrison, but was replaced by Hepburn for the film because producer Jack Warner figured that Andrews’ lack of film experience would hinder “My Fair Lady’s” success. This must have been a disappointment for Andrews, but was soon asked by Walt Disney to play the title role of a film he would soon produce called “Mary Poppins.” It turned out that “Mary Poppins” would be the highest grossing film of 1964, with “My Fair Lady” coming in a close second, for producer Jack L. Warner and Warner Bros. Pictures.