Essential Art House: Pygmalion [Criterion Collection]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller star in Anthony Asquith's and Leslie Howard's classic version of George Bernard Shaw's satiric comedy. Henry Higgins (Howard) is an upper class phonetics professor who encounters low-class guttersnipe Eliza Doolittle (Hiller) and bets his friend Colonel Pickering (Scott Sunderland) that he can pass her off as a duchess within three months. Pickering accepts Higgins' bet, with Eliza readily agreeing to the proposal, since she will get to live in Higgins' fancy home. Once in Higgins' house, Eliza is subjected to intensely repetitive phonetics lessons in an effort to transform her Cockney accent into the speech of proper English. Things are a bit rocky at first, with Eliza blurting out "Not bloody likely" at a tea party. But when Eliza is presented at the Ambassador's Ball, she is not only accepted as a princess but is the talk of the ball, everyone in attendance commenting on her charm, beauty, and poise. Relishing his success, Higgins abruptly dismisses her. But Eliza has fallen in love with Higgins and is aghast at her cursory treatment by him. She tells him, "I sold flowers. I didn't sell myself. Now you've made a lady of me, I'm not fit to sell anything else." When Eliza leaves, Higgins realizes that he loves her too, but Eliza has announced to Higgins that she plans to marry high society playboy Freddie Eynsford-Hill (David Tree). ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Screen: Black and White

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Screenplay - 1938 (W.P. Lipscomb, George Bernard Shaw, Ian Dalrymple, Cecil Lewis)
•     Nominated Best Actor - 1938 (Leslie Howard)
•     Nominated Best Actress - 1938 (Wendy Hiller)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1938

• National Board of Review

•     Won Best Acting - 1938 (Wendy Hiller)

• Venice International Film Festival

•     Won Volpi Cup for Best Actor - 1938 (Leslie Howard)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Wendy Hiller - Eliza Doolittle
       Leslie Howard - Prof. Henry Higgins
       Wilfred Lawson - Alfred Doolittle
       Marie Lohr - Mrs. Higgins
       Scott Sunderland - Col. Pickering
       Jean Cadell - Mrs. Pearce
       David Tree - Freddy Eynsford-Hill
       Violet Vanbrugh - Ambassadress
       Iris Hoey - Ysabel
       Viola Tree - Perfide
       Cathleen Nesbitt - Old Lady
       O.B. Clarence - Vicar
       Esme Percy - Count Aristid Karpathy
       Anthony Quayle - French Hairdresser

• Director:

  Anthony Asquith, Leslie Howard

• Producer:

  Gabriel Pascal

• Screenwriter:

  Anthony Asquith, Ian Dalrymple, Cecil Lewis, W.P. Lipscomb, George Bernard Shaw

• Play Author:

  George Bernard Shaw

• Cinematographer:

  Harry Stradling

• Composer (Music Score):

  Arthur Honegger

• Editor:

  David Lean

• Art Director:

  Laurence Irving

• Costume Designer:

  Prof. Czettell, Worth, Schiaparelli

REVIEW:

• One of George Bernard Shaw's most popular and durable plays concerns the stuffy British professor of phonetics who, on a bet, tries to transform a flower girls' speaking style from lower-class Cockney to proper English, with all it implies. Pygmalion was first filmed in Great Britain in 1938 and became an instant classic. Featuring well-pitched performances from Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller in the lead roles, this Anthony Asquith film has the exquisite timing and tenor of a sophisticated comedy of manners. Barely concealed beneath the story is a devastating satire of British class pretensions. This material was adapted as the musical My Fair Lady in the 1950s and the film of the same name in 1964. It also inspired numerous imitatations, such as Educating Rita. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi