Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) is the unlikely commoner picked up by Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison) for a transformation into a proper lady, like Audrey Hepburn perhaps, in this charmingly witty musical. Filled with true toe-tapping numbers and boasting rich production values, it now comes to us as a handsome two-disc DVD release that we're lucky to have at all.
She's So Deliciously Low. So Horribly Dirty
Actually My Fair Lady was frighteningly dirty and damaged. Robert A Harris and James C Katz tell of the restoration - or rather saving of this movie - in the audio commentary. Even if you thought you had no interest in film preservation, these guys make it interesting. As you watch the movie it's quite scary how much of it required saving. All the original six track sound elements had been dumped, the credits sequence had to be rebuilt digitally, and black and white elements colourised for the pre-credits. Inbetween this story of dedication come comments about the production design from Gene Allen, and Marni Nixon on singing the songs for Eliza Doolittle.
Now You've Made A Lady Of Me
If you want to see just what a perilous state the elements of My Fair Lady were in, then take a look at the crumbling celluloid in the More Loverly Than Ever documentary on disc two. Hosted by the late Jeremy Brett, this is a treasure trove of facts on a motion picture that studio head, Jack Warner, was immensely proud of. He'd also be pleased with the presentation of the film on DVD, which boasts glorious colours and a 5.1 mix that sings as well as any of the performers.
The Rine In Spine...
As you may know, Audrey Hepburn did originally sing the songs in the movie, even though she was then re-voiced by Marni Nixon. One disc two you can hear two songs as sung by Hepburn. She's good, but on Wouldn't It Be Loverly, her refined accent is still present in an otherwise good attempt at cockney. To replace her was the right move, but it's great to finally hear her gutsy attempt.
EXTRA FEATURES
This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-N5 DVD player.