My Fair Lady

From cockney guttersnipe to society darling Audrey Hepburn is enchanting as Eliza Doolittle the flower-seller, fixer-upper that Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison) sets about trying to transform into a lady in George Cukor’s timeless My Fair Lady. The musical numbers are instantly recognisable from the glorious “I Could’ve Danced All Night” to the raucous “Get Me to the Church on Time”. But it’s the sumptuous detail created by production designer Cecil Beaton and cinematographer Harry Stradling that is this 1964 classic’s biggest triumph, especially in the famous monochrome Ascot scene. My Fair Lady is not only gorgeous to look at; it’s also faithful to the source material – George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. Amongst the razzle dazzle of the big show numbers and the fabulous costumes is an attack on the British class system and how accent determines one’s station in life. A musical that is entertaining and says something? They just don’t make ‘em like they used to.