George Cukor's famous 1964 film My Fair Lady, which won eight Academy Awards, is based on the successful Broadway musical inspired by the play by English playwright and master of clever humour G. B. The story of a florist, Lisa Doolittle, and a professor, Henry Higgins, who bets to turn a simple, poor girl into a real lady, met the expectations of the producers and soon after its release earned double the production costs of 17 million dollars. Unlike the original draft, we also get the much-desired happy ending. Rex Harrison had already played the role on Broadway and later in London, while Audrey Hepburn replaced Broadway star Julie Andrews at the producer's request. For the latter, it was certainly satisfying to win an Oscar the same year for her leading role in the musical Mary Poppins when her rival came up empty. Although Audrey Hepburn is dubbed in the sung passages, her fragile charm, looseness and sense of musical acting contributed to the success of the film, which continues to teach future generations what the essence of a quality stage musical is. Rich sets and costumes, beautiful melodies and superb performances, all make this film a unique holiday experience.
