Pygmalion VS My Fair Lady

[kirarakim]

My Fair Lady has for a very long time been one of my favorite musicals. Yes despite the fact that Julie Andrews did not get to play the part and Audrey Hepburn was dubbed I still love the movie. I first saw it in my HS class Ethics in Literature (which was the best class I had in HS as it introduced me to a lot of great books & movies including

Comments

[monalisaofpasta]

I would be interested in the remake if they guaranteed to keep the original ending because my problems with the film versions were that they didn't have Eliza rejecting Higgins in the end, and I just can't take any adaptation seriously if it even leans that way.

Of course I am not big on makeover stories anyways.

[kirarakim]

I actually have issues with both endings so neither is entirely perfect for me. I might even slightly prefer her staying with Higgins then marrying Freddy. But that being said I would still rather see Shaw's ending this time around since the other one has already been done in film twice.

[monalisaofpasta]

See I hate Higgins, and I think by having her get with him it pulls into the whole guy "builds his perfect woman" thing, which I hated about the entire play and the myth and the films. Hell, if they do a remake, they should have Eliza just reject them both, of course you would have to do like a modern version of it to do that.

Mostly I just really don't like Pygmalion the story at all.

[kirarakim]

That was the point of the original myth. I don't think that is the point of the play or even the movie versions. Even though Eliza stays with Higgins she still stands up to him and even for a time makes him feel rejected. She stays with him out of her own choice because she cares about him (and he admits he cares about her) although not necessarily romantically. The movie and the play also makes the point that while Higgins taught her to speak like a lady, she accomplished what she did on her own and Higgins was wrong not to admit this. So in a sense the story rejects the notion that Eliza we see at the end is Higgins creation because she has her own will. If anything Shaw was more making a powerful statement about language & society (at the time) than any notion of creating the perfect woman.

[kirarakim]

I love Seinfeld but I actually don't remember this lol

[kirarakim]

I am not sure if I ever saw that one. Unless I just forget. But you know it's weird some episodes I have seen so many times through reruns and others they barely play at all.

And thanks you are the only one on my FL who likes HH to appreciate it. :)