# My Fair Lady

> 1964 film by George Cukor

**Wikidata**: [Q201215](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q201215)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Fair_Lady_(film))  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/my-fair-lady

## Summary
My Fair Lady is a 1964 musical film directed by George Cukor, based on the 1956 stage musical of the same name. It stars Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, and features iconic songs like "The Rain in Spain" and "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?". The film won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and is celebrated for its blend of music, comedy, and social commentary.

## Key Facts
- **Release Date**: January 1, 1964 (premiere), December 23, 1964 (general release)
- **Director**: George Cukor
- **Starring**: Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway
- **Based On**: 1956 stage musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, adapted from George Bernard Shaw's *Pygmalion*
- **Awards**: 8 Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Film Editing)
- **Production Companies**: Warner Bros., Selznick International Pictures
- **Country of Origin**: United States
- **Budget**: $17 million
- **Box Office**: $72 million (worldwide)
- **Runtime**: 170 minutes
- **Genres**: Musical, Comedy, Romance, Drama
- **Wikipedia Sitelinks**: 61 language editions
- **Wikidata ID**: Q11424
- **IMDb ID**: tt0058385
- **Library of Congress Control Number**: 2003675270
- **National Film Registry**: Selected in 1988
- **Rotten Tomatoes Score**: 95%
- **Metacritic Score**: 95/100
- **Awards Received**: Academy Award for Best Picture, Academy Award for Best Director, Academy Award for Best Actor (Rex Harrison), Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, BAFTA Award for Best Film from any Source
- **Cultural Recognition**: Ranked #160 in *Empire* magazine's "500 Greatest Movies of All Time" (2008)

## FAQs
**What is the plot of My Fair Lady?**  
The film follows Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison) as he bets he can transform Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) into a refined lady through speech and etiquette lessons, exploring themes of class, identity, and gender dynamics.

**Who composed the music for My Fair Lady?**  
The music was composed by Frederick Loewe, with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, featuring iconic songs like "The Rain in Spain" and "I Could Have Danced All Night".

**Why is My Fair Lady historically significant?**  
It is notable for its technical achievements, including pioneering use of sound mixing and cinematography, and its cultural impact as a musical film that blended Broadway-style storytelling with Hollywood production values.

**What awards did My Fair Lady win?**  
The film won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, as well as Golden Globe and BAFTA awards, solidifying its status as a landmark musical film.

**How does My Fair Lady relate to George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion?**  
The film is an adaptation of Shaw's play *Pygmalion*, modernized with a musical score and expanded narrative, while retaining the core themes of social class and personal transformation.

## Why It Matters
My Fair Lady is a landmark musical film that redefined the genre with its lavish production, memorable performances, and iconic soundtrack. It showcased the pinnacle of 1960s Hollywood craftsmanship, earning widespread critical acclaim and commercial success. The film's exploration of class and gender roles resonated with audiences, and its technical achievements influenced subsequent musical films. As a cultural artifact, it reflects mid-20th-century societal values while offering timeless entertainment, ensuring its enduring popularity and recognition in film history.

## Notable For
- **Academy Awards Sweep**: Won 8 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.
- **Technical Innovation**: Pioneered advanced sound mixing and cinematography techniques.
- **Cultural Icon**: Audrey Hepburn's performance and the film's music remain widely recognized.
- **Stage-to-Screen Adaptation**: Successfully translated the Broadway musical to film, setting a new standard for the genre.
- **National Film Registry**: Selected for preservation by the Library of Congress in 1988.
- **Timeless Themes**: Explores class, identity, and gender dynamics with enduring relevance.
- **Box Office Success**: Grossed $72 million worldwide, a significant achievement for its time.
- **Influence on Musicals**: Raised the bar for musical film productions, influencing later works like *Chicago* and *Les Misérables*.

## Body

### Production and Release
My Fair Lady was directed by George Cukor and produced by Jack L. Warner, with a budget of $17 million. It premiered on January 1, 1964, and was released widely on December 23, 1964. The film was shot at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, with exterior scenes filmed in London.

### Cast and Crew
- **Director**: George Cukor
- **Producers**: Jack L. Warner, David Heyman
- **Screenplay**: Alan Jay Lerner (based on George Bernard Shaw's *Pygmalion*)
- **Music**: Frederick Loewe
- **Cinematography**: Douglas Slocombe
- **Editing**: John Victor Smith
- **Cast**: Audrey Hepburn (Eliza Doolittle), Rex Harrison (Henry Higgins), Stanley Holloway (Alfred P. Doolittle), Wilfrid Hyde-White (Colonel Hugh Pickering)

### Awards and Recognition
My Fair Lady won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture (Jack L. Warner), Best Director (George Cukor), and Best Actor (Rex Harrison). It also received Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Director, and a BAFTA Award for Best Film from any Source. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1988.

### Cultural Impact
The film's soundtrack, featuring songs like "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" and "I Could Have Danced All Night", became a cultural phenomenon. Audrey Hepburn's performance as Eliza Doolittle cemented her status as a Hollywood icon, and the film's themes of self-discovery and social mobility continue to resonate with audiences. My Fair Lady has been ranked among the greatest films of all time by publications like *Empire* magazine.

### Technical Achievements
My Fair Lady was notable for its technical innovations, including the use of a 70mm film format and advanced sound mixing techniques to capture the musical numbers with clarity. The film's cinematography, led by Douglas Slocombe, employed elaborate set designs and lighting to recreate Victorian-era London.

### Adaptation and Legacy
As an adaptation of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's stage musical, the film expanded on the original story while retaining its core themes. It influenced subsequent musical films and stage productions, demonstrating the potential for cross-media storytelling. My Fair Lady remains a staple of classic Hollywood cinema, celebrated for its artistry, entertainment value, and historical significance.

### Related Entities
- **Audrey Hepburn**: Starred as Eliza Doolittle, contributing to her iconic status in Hollywood.
- **George Cukor**: Directed the film, earning his first Academy Award for Best Director.
- **Warner Bros.**: Produced and distributed the film, marking a major success for the studio.
- **National Film Registry**: Recognized the film's cultural and historical importance in 1988.
- **Academy Awards**: Honored the film with eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.

### Historical Context
Released in 1964, My Fair Lady reflected the optimism and cultural shifts of the 1960s, while its Victorian-era setting provided a nostalgic contrast. The film's themes of class and gender roles were particularly relevant during a period of social change, contributing to its broad appeal.

### Preservation and Restoration
The film underwent restoration in the 1990s and 2000s to preserve its original 70mm format and audio quality. These efforts ensured its continued availability for new generations of audiences and scholars.

### Academic and Critical Analysis
My Fair Lady has been the subject of academic studies on film adaptation, musical storytelling, and gender representation. Critics praise its balance of music, comedy, and drama, as well as its technical achievements and performances.

### Box Office and Commercial Performance
With a budget of $17 million, the film grossed $72 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films of 1964. Its commercial success helped establish the musical genre as a viable and profitable venture for Hollywood studios.

### Musical Numbers and Soundtrack
The film features 11 musical numbers, including "The Rain in Spain" and "Show Me". The soundtrack album spent 14 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 chart, further amplifying the film's cultural impact.

## References

1. FilmAffinity
2. [Source](http://stopklatka.pl/film/my-fair-lady)
3. IMDb
4. AlloCiné
5. Česko-Slovenská filmová databáze
6. [Source](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058385/fullcredits)
7. [Source](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1965)
8. The Movie Database
9. [Source](https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/)
10. My Fair Lady. Rotten Tomatoes
11. [IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058385/releaseinfo)
12. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
13. The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures
14. My Fair Lady
15. Kinopoisk
16. [Source](https://www.kijkwijzer.nl/films/my-fair-lady/)
17. List of film licenses issued from 1945 to 2020
18. [Source](https://www.eirin.jp/list/index.php?s_year=2015&s_month=10&e_year=2015&e_month=10&pageID=2)
19. Online-Filmdatenbank
20. Quora
21. Bechdel Test Movie List
22. Danish Film Database
23. [Source](https://www.acmi.net.au/works/83009)
24. Trakt.tv
25. FilmVandaag.nl