Thanks to TCM and Fathom Events, today I was able to see My Fair Lady on big screen for its 55th aniversity. This was not an art house or old time theatre type thing either, but rather shown at AMCs. Maybe someday later I'll write a large article on this film going over its history, but for now I am just going to write a brief little post about how much I loved seeing this movie the way it was meant to be seen.
This is a big screen movie there is no doubt. It looks good on a small screen and the story and songs are excellent no matter how you watch it. Still this movie was intended as a huge spectacle. It is rare to find a movie that uses color as incredibly as this film does. The opening shots of flowers as the opening credits roll, the beautiful shot of Freddie waiting outside for Eliza and the fantastically visually stylized horse race are images that when seen in a theater are jaw dropping. The beautiful choreography for many of the musical numbers can be fully felt here in a way they never could at home. In fact the pure scope of spectacle in this film is overwhelming when seen this way. Unlike so many movies today, this film truly feels like an event. Even for someone who goes to the movies as much as I do, can really feel like they are going to a special event seeing this in the theatre. Adding to this is the fact that the showing included a five minute intermission. It is almost hard to describe the effect an intermission can have on a longer film. A carefully placed and well planned intermission (much different from the horrible barrage of poorly placed commercials seen when you watch one on TV) can really increase the feeling of scope a film has and again make it feel like you are going to an event rather than just another movie.
Naturally this is still a great movie no matter how you watch it, it is just better in a cinema setting. Even on a small screen you can feel how incredible Audrey Hepburn's performance is. She is simply incredible in this role and brings such a charm and humanity to this film in a way no other actress could have. Her chemistry with Rex Harrison and Stanley Holloway is also fantastic and the scenes they share together are a delight. The songs are fantastically memorable and Marni Nixon's (who dubbed the singing voice for Audrey Hepburn) is beautiful. Songwriters Alan Jay Lerner and Fredrick Lowe are truly incredible songwriters and each song is very sophisticated and complex, but catchy and fun at the same time. That is truly an achievement. Of course it doesn't hurt that this movie was directed by George Cukor, who was already an old pro by this time having directed movies since 1930. He was truly a master of his craft and this film shows that perfectly. This is a perfectly loverly film and I could not recommend it more.
This will be shown again in theaters Wednesday February 20. If you missed today's showing, and are interested try to make that showing. You won't regret it.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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