My Fair Lady has arrived on 4K and this is just an absolutely stunning job done by Paramount! Sometimes when we get these remasters they’re handled well, but you can still tell the film is older because of a filmic quality that often can’t be helped. This doesn’t really hinder the films, as it’s often part of their charm; however, it’s still something noticeable when we’re seeing such high definition releases of endless classics. But My Fair Lady looks brand new in a great many cases, with almost shocking clarity right from the opening scene forward.
For those who are likely familiar with the name, but may not know what the film is about, My Fair Lady is a 1964 musical that’s adapted from the 1956 Lerner and Loewe stage musical, which was based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 stage play Pygmalion. The story follows Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn), a young woman who sells flowers on the street who also brandishes a thick Cockney accent. While selling flowers one night Eliza is overheard by Professor Higgins (Rex Harrison), a scholar of phonetics, who takes an interest in the way she speaks. This leads to Higgins taking Eliza in after he makes a bet with fellow phonetics expert Colonel Hugh Pickering (Wilfred Hyde-White) that he can not only fix Eliza’s speech, but also pass her off as a duchess at an embassy ball six months down the road.
What may be surprising to those who haven’t seen the film is just how witty the banter is between Eliza and Higgins, as well as a number of the songs that will have you laughing. It’s a lengthy film at just under three hours, but it’s enjoyable from start to finish because the story is so light and entertaining, even though there’s classism and other deeper themes touched on throughout.
There are lots of songs sung over the course of the film, so if you’re not a fan of musicals then this one isn’t for you. There are a few memorable songs, but regardless of whether you’re humming them after the film finishes or not they’re all relevant to the plot and help further it along. There’s only one song as the film reaches its third act where I felt that it just broke up the pacing a bit too much. That song is “Get Me to the Church on Time,” which is sung by Eliza’s father Alfred Doolittle (Stanley Holloway.) It’s a fun song and fantastically edited and entertaining; but I just felt that by that point in the story I was ready to see the movie start tying itself together and unlike the other songs in the movie it felt more tacked on than necessary. It’s not really a gripe as much as a personal observation on pacing, as it really is a well shot and choreographed number.
Most importantly to most will be how the film looks in this 4K version, and as mentioned above, it’s just a flawless presentation. The film is based off a play and many of the scenes, dialogue, choreography and musical numbers all come off as though they’re taking place on a huge stage with massive set pieces. It’s somewhat hard to describe, as technically they all are taking place on a sound stage, but you’ll understand when you see it and it’s truly glorious in scope and a perfect vibe and look for a movie like this. Everything looks absolutely stunning and this remastering is one that is likely to cause your jaw to drop whether you’ve seen the film dozens of times before or are a first time viewer.
The film won 8 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Harrison. None of this is surprising, especially when it comes to Harrison, who reprises his Tony award winning role from the stage play version. Harrison is superb and steals the show, though the entire cast is incredibly talented and share great chemistry. Hepburn is also top notch here, though credit must also be given to Marni Nixon who was dubbed over Hepburn’s actions for Eliza’s musical numbers.
If you’ve yet to see this film then do yourself a favour and do so through this fantastic 4K release, and if you already own the film on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray, well, consider this yet another dip in the Fair bucket, as Paramount really earned this purchase through meticulous restoration work that lead to My Fair Lady being one of the best looking 4K classic releases we’ve seen yet.
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review
Paramount delivers an absolutely stunning 4K picture here, in gorgeous 2160p Dolby Vision. It’s just a superb restoration from 8K scans of the original 65mm elements, and it’s almost shocking at times that these older films can be brought back to life with such visual perfection to the point where some can be passed off as having been filmed yesterday. As mentioned throughout the review, the film just looks spectacular and words here can’t do it justice.
On the audio side of things we’ve got a 96K TrueHD 7.1 lossless audio soundtrack that matches up wonderfully to the restored picture, working hand in hand to create the best version of My Fair Lady that has ever hit the market. The musical numbers sound great, the dialogue is quick and clear, and the score and sound effects throughout are all mixed impeccably.
Special Features:
The extras are brought over from the 2015 50th Anniversary Blu-ray release of the film, so if you’ve watched them there then there’s no need to look for anything new here.
More Loverly Than Ever: The Making of My Fair Lady Then & Now – This is the heftiest feature to enjoy if you’re a fan, with Jeremy Brett looking back on some of the classic moments and songs found within the film, how it was received, the making of the film and history behind the story, plus how the restoration process saved the film before it was too late. A really fantastic watch for fans of the film.
1963 Production Kick-Off Dinner – This is a 23-minute feature that sees cast and crew giving interviews and speeches back at release. Its lower quality is reminiscent of the day, but it’s still likely going to be of interest for fans.
Los Angeles Premiere – This is a quick, five minute piece that showcases the cast showing up at the premiere of the film.
British Premiere – This is an even shorter featurette, coming in at just over 2-minutes in length, and shows the stars showing up at the British Premiere.
George Cukor Directs Baroness Bina Rothschild – This is a two-and-a-half-minute featurette that has the director trying to improve a performance. We hear it through audio and the visuals are stills.
Rex Harrison Radio Interview – A quick one-minute piece that sees the actor talk about the film.
Production Tests – Hyde-White showcases some tests from the 65mm film, giving insight into the tests and how it helped make the film as strong visually as it was. There are various tests including make-up, lighting and screen tests for your viewing pleasure.
The Story of a Lady – This is a five-minute featurette that looks at the play, how successful it was and the purchasing of the film rights, casting and so forth. It’s brief, but interesting.
Design For a Lady – This feature is just over 8-minutes in length and focuses on the production design, how it broke barriers, research that went into it, as well as words with Academy Award winning Costume Designer Cecil Beaton.
The Fairest Fair Lady – This feature is nine-and-a-half minutes long and is a vintage colour piece that touches on the production of the film.
Alternate Audrey Hepburn Vocals – We’ve got vocals from “Show Me,” and “Wouldn’t it Be Loverly.”
Comments on a Lady – Andrew Lloyd Webber and Martin Scorcese chime in on the classic.
Galleries – The usual production images found here for fans who want to take a look.
Trailers – There are a handful of trailers for the film to be viewed here if you so choose.
Rex Harrison BFI Honor – This is a two-minute featurette that sees the actor on set talking about his past works.
Rex Harrison Golden Globe Acceptance Speech – Pretty self-explanatory, and short, at 47-seconds.
Academy Awards Ceremony Highlights – Highlights from the big night for the film. It comes in at just over two-minutes in length.
Paramount Pictures Presents My Fair Lady. Directed by: George Cukor. Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrington, Stanley Holloway, Wilfred Hyde-White. Running time: 170 Minutes. Rating: G. 4K Blu-ray Released: May 25, 2021.
About Brendan Campbell
