Review of My Fair Lady (1964) by Linda J — 09 May 2012

DISCLAIMER: Under no circumstances should you watch this and West Side Story in the same week, month, or year. Hearing the same singing voice coming from Natalie Wood and Audrey Hepburn is just weird. That said, My Fair Lady is a classic musical, and it deserves the status. The songs are memorable, the leads are likable, and there's a sense of spectacle to the whole affair that just screams 'Broadway'. I'm always a bit leery of old musicals because of the excessiveness exhibited by many of them. Here, outside of Alfie Dolittle's draggy song-and-dance numbers, there doesn't seem to be a lot of excess material. And Rex Harrison is probably the ONLY actor who can play Henry Higgins and make him come off as lovable, not just a snotty asshole. It's a bit upsetting that Audrey Hepburn's real singing voice isn't on display, but the songs are all so well-dubbed, it's hard to tell unless you know going in. While I'd argue against Oliver and Sound of Music being considered 'classics', My Fair Lady actually does deserve most of the praise heaped upon it.

Just don't watch it in the same block as West Side Story.