When I turned this one on, I thought ‘It’ll be good, but it won’t be that good. I’ll still prefer Mary Poppins by far.’ Well, I’ve seen it, and I still like Mary Poppins better, but this one came really, really close. I was very impressed by My Fair Lady.
Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) is a poor girl who survives by selling flowers on the streets. She meets a speech instructor named Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison) who claims he can pass her off as a wealthy socialite just by teaching her to speak properly. But when she succeeds, she realizes she can never go back.
Now, I am going to assume that the songs were NOT written by the filmmakers, but still, this movie is an achievment. First of all, this is some of the best art direction and costume design I’ve ever seen. The sets and costumes are truly a spectacle to behold, and look like they went from the designers mind directly into the real world. Even though the film is quite long, it doesn’t feel that way at all due to the editing and pacing. The story is set up wonderfully well, too. My favorite scene is when Eliza, now a socialite, goes back to where she used to live, and realizes how different it feels.
Perhaps the power of that scene comes through thanks to Audrey Hepburn, perhaps one of the oddest Oscar Snubs of all time. There was no reason whatsoever to not nominate her. Nominated actors include Harrison and Holloway, who don’t quite match up to Hepburn’s level, but are both good.
This is one of those Best Pictures that I plan to revisit a lot in my future. Honestly, I don’t know what else to say about it. It may not be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, but it was a near-perfect film and a very pleasant surprise.
*****
Next one is The Sound Of Music. This is one of the few Best Pictures that I actually own, although on VHS. I’ve seen bits of it before, but never the whole thing. I expect to enjoy it.
Also, just to give you a heads up, don’t expect too many posts come November. I’m going to be participating in NaNoWriMo for the first time, so wish me luck.
CONMAN AT THE MOVIES 
What about the songs? I loved the songs in this movie, and as you stated, it is nearly as good as Mary Poppins.
I wish you luck as you participate in NaMoWriMo- whatever that is.
The songs were very, very good, my favorites being ‘I Could’ve Danced All NIght’ and ‘Get Me To The Church On Time’. I didn’t really mention them, because I’m pretty sure they weren’t written for the film.
NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth is an event that happens every November, where people from all over the world attempt to write a 50,000 word novel. The idea is quality, not quantity. To write as much as you can and then edit out all the bad stuff later. This is my first year participating.
I enjoyed this movie. The music is fantastic. It sticks in your head. I was able to see this performed live when my high school Maine South put it on years ago and it was a lot of fun to see live (the leads were really good).