

He isn’t intentionally rude he just has no self-awareness.

He’s maybe a step below Donald Trump, with better manners and a higher IQ. Professor Higgins, while cold and unfeeling, really isn’t a bad guy, just on the high end of the narcissism spectrum. She “leaned in.” She showed young women everywhere that even a young “guttersnipe” with no one but herself to rely on, could climb to the top of the social ladder. She suspected Henry was cold and unfeeling, but she had nothing to lose. I know we modern women are supposed to be a bit offended by the fact that Professor Henry Higgins appears to take advantage of the poor street urchin, Eliza Doolittle, but really, Eliza simply saw a chance to better her life. Instead, let’s talk about why this film remains one of my all time favorites. “It is unnecessary to summarize the plot or list the songs if you are not familiar with both, you are culturally illiterate, although in six months I could pass you off as a critic at Cannes, or even a clerk in a good video store, which requires better taste.” As Roger Ebert so aptly wrote in a review of the 1994 restoration, this is why my blog post will not be a recap of the story:

The film, based on the 1956 Broadway musical, was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, winning in 8 of those categories. Now that I have your attention….This week, in celebration of it’s 50 th anniversary, (although by my count, shouldn’t it be 51 years?) CBS pictures will release the new 4K digital restoration of the 1964 film My Fair Lady starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.
