My Fair Lady

My Fair Lady (1964) begins with a linguist's wager in London. Professor Higgins bets that by changing the accent of Eliza Doolittle, who sells flowers in the street, he can pass her off as a duchess in six months. Eliza agrees, and by the end the film is not asking about the bet but about whether Higgins can see her as a person. Julie Andrews had created the role on Broadway and did not appear in the film. Producer Jack L. Warner chose Audrey Hepburn. Alan Jay Lerner delivered the news to Andrews and his words are on the record: he had so wanted her to do it, but they wanted a name. What followed is one of the best known coincidences in film history. Andrews made Mary Poppins that year and won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Hepburn was not even nominated. Hepburn's singing was largely dubbed by Marni Nixon, with her own voice kept for parts of Just You Wait and one reprise. The dubbing was not widely known at first and emerged afterwards. Jeremy Brett was dubbed by Bill Shirley. It cost 17 million dollars, the most expensive American film made to that point. It took around 72.7 million in the United States and Canada and was the second highest grossing film of 1964, behind Mary Poppins. It won eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Director and Actor. It runs 170 minutes. Good for: the classical musical, stories about language and class, and Cecil Beaton's costumes. Less good for: at 170 minutes the second act noticeably drags. How Higgins treats Eliza plays badly now, and the ending softens the question the play left open.