Charming and amusing British pre-war production of Shaw's celebrated play starring Leslie Howard and "introducing" Wendy Hiller in the lead roles of the indomitable chauvinist Professor Henry Higgins and impoverished, uneducated Eliza Doolittle. Of course, Shaw being Shaw (indeed the great man himself was involved personally in the production) there's more to the film than just posh-meets-poor comedy. As well as a battle of the sexes, we're presented with class warfare and almost unbelievably at the end, the most unlikely of love stories.
There are plenty of amusing situations and lines sprinkled throughout although probably the most famous part when Eliza spectacularly drops her haitches in high society is held back and highlighted to better comedic effect in the later musical remake "My Fair Lady". Otherwise nicely paced from the outset, the movie's only other missed beat is with the unnecessary gentrification of Eliza's not so dear old dad, but I suspect that was unavoidably in the writing.
Howard is fine as the stuffed shirt Higgins and Hiller finer still as the initially gauche and vulgar flower girl who not only transforms into the lady Higgins sets her out to be but also into a woman which he didn't count on.
Although still stagey in its execution, this adaptation of the Galatea legend is winningly realised and well worth a butchers for those who might otherwise only know the story from "My Fair Lady".
There are plenty of amusing situations and lines sprinkled throughout although probably the most famous part when Eliza spectacularly drops her haitches in high society is held back and highlighted to better comedic effect in the later musical remake "My Fair Lady". Otherwise nicely paced from the outset, the movie's only other missed beat is with the unnecessary gentrification of Eliza's not so dear old dad, but I suspect that was unavoidably in the writing.
Howard is fine as the stuffed shirt Higgins and Hiller finer still as the initially gauche and vulgar flower girl who not only transforms into the lady Higgins sets her out to be but also into a woman which he didn't count on.
Although still stagey in its execution, this adaptation of the Galatea legend is winningly realised and well worth a butchers for those who might otherwise only know the story from "My Fair Lady".