Paramount has provided the measure of what 4k transfers should strive for. Superb picture and audio, this is worth picking up for fans of the film or even a blind buy for those who enjoy the genre. My Fair Lady in 4k is highly recommended!
“The breathtaking musical extravaganza shines in beautiful 4k UHD, restored from 8k scans of the original 65mm elements with 96k resolution English 7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio. This beloved adaptation of the Broadway stage hit stars Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle, a sassy, working-class London street vendor, and Rex Harrison as the elitist Professor Higgins, who attempts to turn Eliza into a sophisticated lady through proper tutoring. When the humble flower girl blossoms into the toast of London society, Higgins finds he may have a lesson or two to learn himself.”
Winner of 8 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, My Fair Lady still stands as a hilarious and charming musical, superbly adapted from the Broadway play, involving many of the same actors. While the decision to not include the then somewhat unknown stage actor Julie Andrews in the original casting of the film for her role of Eliza Doolittle, while several others made the transition to the film, may have been a mistake, the result is yet another breathtaking role from Audrey Hepburn. Her portrayal of Eliza Doolittle is nothing short of brilliant, with her almost unintelligible accent at the beginning of the film, gradually becoming the prim and proper sophisticated socialite of high society.
The story itself is rather fascinating, with Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison), a linguistics expert who bets a colleague that he can train Eliza into speaking in a more acceptable way, which in turn would open up opportunities not relegated for the lower class who generally speak in such unsophisticated dialects. Eliza is put through rigorous training, frustrating her and Professor Higgins as nothing seems to stick for the longest time. Through this process, Henry and Eliza begin to form, not so much a bond, but a co-dependency almost for each other. Although they still infuriate one another the majority of the time, it is because they spend all their time together that this connection forms. Then, when they find success and she is regarded as nothing less than royalty at a high profile social event, Professor Higgins is unequivocally pleased with himself and all the hard work that he alone accomplished, with no regard to Eliza, creating turmoil and jeopardizing everything Eliza has worked for.
Audrey Hepburn’s Eliza Doolittle is quite possibly one of my favorites of her characters. While many will justifiably choose Holly Golightly as one of her most impressive roles, the transformation Hepburn is able to bring to the character of Eliza Doolittle is quite impressive. She is unrecognizable at the beginning of the film, with her acting and created accent hilarious and very entertaining. Her character is suspicious of everything that doesn’t fit into her small and simple world of a street merchant, and as she begins to experience the fruits of civilization, for example, a bath, her reactions to these is what makes the film as enjoyable as it is. Her transformation from her petite and solemn voice to that brilliant cockney accent at the beginning of the film convinced me that Hepburn can do just about anything, anything but gain the confidence of the studio to be able to provide her own voice for the singing sequences. There may be some issues with the film, but this by far is the worst one of them. Although it may have been commonplace to dub an actor’s voice for musical sequences, Hepburn certainly had the talent to pull it off. They change the entire course of the film for Rex Harrison to do his speak-singing since he was so bad, but can’t give Hepburn a chance that she rightfully deserved. Not even knowing this the first time I watched the film, the sequences are like night and day when you hear the switch. It’s bad, it’s eye-rolling, and something that certainly hinders its status as a classic musical. Watching the Alternate Vocals on the extras can offer some solace for those who aren’t a fan of the horrible dub.
My Fair Lady has a lot of laughs throughout it. The musical numbers, for me, weren’t as strong as I was hoping they would be, but there are still a few gems scattered throughout a very, very long film. It isn’t a traditional romance at the end, which certainly surprised me. It’s not so much the chemistry between Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn, but the interactions and the acting off of one another that captures the charm of the Broadway play and gives it life on another medium for a lot more people around the world to enjoy.
Video
My Fair Lady is presented in 2160p 4k Ultra High Definition Widescreen 2.20:1, featuring HDR10 and Dolby Vision. This transfer was restored from 8k scans of the original 65mm elements, with a lengthy restoration process. This disc may be the measure to what we should hold all other restorations and 4k transfers to, as it may be one of, if not the best transfer I’ve seen. The film opens with a brilliant array of colors, highlighting just how vivid the colors can be in the Dolby Vision transfer. From the first sequence with people, the flesh tones, the stunning and crystal-clear quality, this looks as though it was filmed yesterday, and not 57 years ago. If you have the capabilities for getting the best out of this disc, it’s one you need to see to believe.
Audio
The audio is presented in 96k resolution English 7.1 Dolby TrueHD, which was created during the original restoration several years ago and included in the previous 50th anniversary release on Blu-ray. This is a phenomenal accompaniment to some stunning video, and you normally don’t hear about how audio was restored so meticulously, just the video transfer. Everything sounds perfect on this track, great levels between the surrounds and center channel, with the musical sequences really shining. Technically, this release is the best you can get, and it’s something you can most definitely see and hear.
Special Features
The extras are located on a Blu-ray disc that comes with the set. It should be noted, that this set does not feature a Blu-ray copy of the film, but does come with a Digital Copy and slipcase.
- More Loverly Than Ever: The Making of My Fair Lady Then & Now
- 1963 Production Kick-Off Dinner
- Los Angeles Premiere
- British Premiere
- George Cukor Directs Baroness Bina Rothschild
- Production Tests
- Rex Harrison Radio Interview
- Alternate Audrey Hepburn Vocals
- Comments On A Lady
- Galleries
- Trailers
- Theatrical Featurettes
- Rex Harrison BFI Honor
- Rex Harrison Acceptance Speech
- Academy Awards Ceremony Highlights
My Fair Lady has received a phenomenal treatment by Paramount, and with the way they have been releasing so many titles in 4k and even Blu-ray as of late, they are making the world of physical media a little bit better. If you’re a fan of the film, or even a fan of the genre, it’s worth picking up this title to experience it like you’ve never experienced it before. Highly recommended!
