Having undergone extensive voice training for the role, upon learning that all of her songs would be dubbed by Marni Nixon, Audrey Hepburn walked off the set in a state of bitter disappointment but humbly apologized to the cast on the next day. Class act, Audrey. Even in the worst of circumstances, she never failed to live up to our idealized image of her. When I recently listened to the film soundtrack, I decided that Nixon did not enhance the music significantly enough to warrant Hepburn's abrupt replacement. For the sake of authenticity alone, I would have preferred Audrey's singing. Audrey was Eliza and should have sung Eliza's songs.
While Rex Harrison "talked" his songs, often as he contemplated his feelings and course of action, and while Ms. Nixon intoned Eliza's tunes, the one member of the cast who actually sang his songs was Stanley Holloway, who replayed his original Broadway role as Alfred P. Doolittle, Eliza's father. Holloway was born for the role. Sporting a dustman's cap with great authenticity and then donning an elegant tuxedo for his own wedding, he stole the show with his two iconic musical numbers. Unforgettable!
Unfortunately, not all of the songs in the show were as impressive as Holloway's, and, for me, a musical is only as good as its music, especially when it is brought to film. A few of the lesser tunes could have been eliminated without losing the gist of the story. The film also ran much too long with dialogue that seemed to repeat itself and actually became tiring. Eliza felt used and abused while Professor Higgins was slowly falling in love with her. Got it! No need to hammer these situations into our heads more than necessary.
I also had trouble with the ending. While Harrison perfectly performs "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face", again in that special, introspective manner, and suddenly realizes how emotionally attached he had become to Eliza, what was the message of the final scene? That Henry was still the same arrogant egotist that he had always been? Shouldn't the movie have ended with a much more confident Eliza assertively instructing him to get his own bloomin' slippers? To the very end, Henry and Eliza never enter into a physical relationship, and I suppose that was consistent with Shaw's original play, upon which this musical was based. I can somehow accept that, but what had Henry learned during the past two hours and fifty minutes of film time? Apparently, not much. He was the same pompous ass at the end that he was at the beginning.
While Rex Harrison "talked" his songs, often as he contemplated his feelings and course of action, and while Ms. Nixon intoned Eliza's tunes, the one member of the cast who actually sang his songs was Stanley Holloway, who replayed his original Broadway role as Alfred P. Doolittle, Eliza's father. Holloway was born for the role. Sporting a dustman's cap with great authenticity and then donning an elegant tuxedo for his own wedding, he stole the show with his two iconic musical numbers. Unforgettable!
Unfortunately, not all of the songs in the show were as impressive as Holloway's, and, for me, a musical is only as good as its music, especially when it is brought to film. A few of the lesser tunes could have been eliminated without losing the gist of the story. The film also ran much too long with dialogue that seemed to repeat itself and actually became tiring. Eliza felt used and abused while Professor Higgins was slowly falling in love with her. Got it! No need to hammer these situations into our heads more than necessary.
I also had trouble with the ending. While Harrison perfectly performs "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face", again in that special, introspective manner, and suddenly realizes how emotionally attached he had become to Eliza, what was the message of the final scene? That Henry was still the same arrogant egotist that he had always been? Shouldn't the movie have ended with a much more confident Eliza assertively instructing him to get his own bloomin' slippers? To the very end, Henry and Eliza never enter into a physical relationship, and I suppose that was consistent with Shaw's original play, upon which this musical was based. I can somehow accept that, but what had Henry learned during the past two hours and fifty minutes of film time? Apparently, not much. He was the same pompous ass at the end that he was at the beginning.