PYGMALION (1938)

[Classic Movie Man]

George Bernard Shaw's magnificent comedy, a 1913 smash on the London stage, was never better served than in this flawless Gabriel Pascal production with Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller perfectly matched as thoroughly mismatched lovers.

The film, which Leslie Howard codirected with Anthony Asquith, is delightful from beginning to end, and Wendy Hiller is splendid in her impossible role, making an amazing transformation from illiterate to lady. Although the tall Hiller was no raving beauty, she possessed a wistful charm and unlimited energy that radiated in this, her second film. Her first film, a British B-programmer, LANCASHIRE LUCK (1937), was so little seen that Gabriel Pascal, at George Bernard Shaw's insistence, "introduced" Hiller with PYGMALION.

Shaw, of course, drew his tale from the Greek legend of the sculptor-king who chiseled a marvelous statue of the goddess Aphrodite and then fell in love with his own creation. The irascible Irish dramatist had no great love for film since his plays had been largely butchered in early-day talkies, such as HOW HE LIED TO HER HUSBAND (1931) and ARMS AND THE MAN (1932). The Germans had a go at PYGMALION in 1935, and another production in Holland left Shaw irate at what had been done to his acerbic dialogue and cleverly crafted scenes.

When Pascal approached him with the proposition of doing an English version of PYGMALION, the playwright at first refused out of hand, but the producer doggedly pestered Shaw, promising him that not a line of dialogue would be touched. The playwright relented but insisted that Hiller, whom he had seen on the stage and loved, play the metamorphosed Eliza Doolittle.

Shaw was not enthusiastic about Howard playing his autocratic Professor Higgins, telling Pascal that he would rather have Charles Laughton, but he eventually gave in and agreed that Howard would have a broader appeal in America, where he had scored many film successes. Howard went beyond the playwright's dour expectations, however, and delivered one of his most effective roles, becoming the epitome of the intellectual tyrant (undoubtedly studying and emulating Shaw's own personality).

Sunderland is excellent as the kindly Col. Pickering, and Wilfrid Lawson, as the dustman whose life is suddenly enriched with the discovery of his uneducated daughter, is stupendous. Lawson's speeches, despite Pascal's promise to Shaw, along with many other philosophical diatribes, were cut. The clever Pascal got around Shaw by having the dramatist write many of the scenes, especially the Ambassador's Ball scene, which is not present in the play, thus making Shaw a culpable party to the truncating of his own work.

Asquith, who has the lion's credit for direction, and deservedly so, moves the ethereal tale along at a fast clip and gets marvelous performances from his stunning cast. The director had not had many successes in recent years, and this, the best Shavian film to that time, placed him in the front ranks of directors.

The film was an international success, especially in America, but Hiller did not heed the siren call of Hollywood, preferring to stay on the British stage, making only rare film appearances thereafter. Her future in Hollywood was thought questionable at the time because she resembled too closely another popular and well-entrenched star, Rosalind Russell.

Shaw was so delighted with Pascal's production that he eagerly endorsed the producer's plan to film all of his plays, a herculean task that went uncompleted, although Pascal did manage to make such worthy Shaw films as MAJOR BARBARA (1941); CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA (1946); and ANDROCLES AND THE LION (1952).

In 1964 the film was remade as a splendid musical, MY FAIR LADY, which threatened to eclipse the original because the 1938 classic was taken out of distribution for almost a decade so that the Lerner and Loewe musical adaptation could enjoy a monopoly on the Shaw play. PYGMALION, much to the delight of millions of worldwide viewers, returned in all its glory in the early 1970s. It is a film that can be watched many times over with new pleasures derived every time.

The film earned Academy Award nominations for Best Picture (losing to YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU), Best Actor (Howard lost to Spencer Tracy for BOYS TOWN), and Best Supporting Actress (Hiller lost to Fay Bainter for JEZEBEL), and won an Oscar for Best Screenplay.

(from Cinebooks Motion Picture Guide Review)

CMM : Saw this afternoon in a reasonable DVD free with today's Telegraph. The quality varied quite a bit but it is watchable. Good movie maybe not quite as good as its reputation and perhaps seeing My Fair Lady first has affected my perception of it. (3 out of 5)

[R Michael Pyle]

I think this version is simply outstanding. I think the musical version is equally outstanding. Both are superlative top notch films which deserve watching and cogitation, appreciation, and re-watching. My view on this one: 5 out of 5 without hesitation. To see Shaw on the screen looking like Shaw - with the wit, the acerbic wit, the Shaw humor - is no mean feat. In my opinion, this is the only time that really happened. And the musical, IMHO, would have impressed Shaw. It plays very well today still, too.

[drednm]

Outstanding is right.... it's hard to imagine anyone better than Wendy Hiller and Leslie Howard in this film, but...............

Marion Davies was a personal friend of GB Shaw's (how unlikely is that?) and was tempted to come out of retirement to play Eliza in the film version opposite Howard, with whom she had starred in FIVE AND TEN.... Davies had called it quits after EVER SINCE EVE in 1937 and considered this project but passed. Apparently Shaw was favorable to Davies as Eliza....

As much as I love Marion Davies and have every confidence she might have made a terrific Eliza in the early 30s, by 1938 she was simply too old for the part... but what a tempting teaming she would have made with Howard again....

Another of my great favorites, Moss Hart, directed the stage version of MY FAIR LADY and there is much written about his battles with Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews in the mounting on that show.... And although Hart's fantastic memoir ACT ONE ends decades before MY FAIR LADY, there are two solid biographies that deal amply with his directing of this fabled musical....

And for anyone who has never read ACT ONE, I recommend it highly as the best memoir ever written about the theatre.... I've never seen the dreadful film version of this book, starring George Hamilton---gag, but the book is astounding....

but YES to PYGMALION.... terrific film!!!

[EMB]

Although Rex Harrison was a more dynamic presence than Leslie Howard, credit where it's due: Howard and Hiller work wonderfully together, and this version lacks the precious, embalmed and static feeling of the '64 musical version(I'm betting Harrison and Andrews on stage were something else entirely). It's great fun, with wit, spark, tension, passion...everything the latter version wanted to be, but wasn't.

ED

[drednm]

I am NOT a fan of the 60s film with Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn.... from the readings I have done, it seems stage director Moss Hart fought tooth and nail with the egomaniacal Harrison and dragged a performance out of him, one that was largely duplicated in London and in the film (without Hart's participation).

Andrews was terrified of Harrison and it was up to Hart to show Andrews (of all people!) how to hold the stage and especially how to stand up to against a tyrant like Harrison. I wonder how heart broken Andrews really was to NOT have to make the film with Harrison.......

[film_eccentrik]

I ADORE this film! Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller are spectacular and give terriffic performances.

The montages used in the film to portray Eliza's progress in her speaking are wonderfully creative and do very well to show the Higgins/Doolittle relationship and the increasing frustration, exhiliration and tension between the two as Eliza prepares for her introduction into high society. This portrayal is far superior to that of My Fair Lady where Audrey Hepburn is suddenly able to speak properly after getting it wrong for months.
The script is wonderfully witty and it is really only towards the end when Higgins wants Eliza back that we get into the dramatic stage of the film.

The supporting actors also give wonderful performances producing several memorable characters such as Mrs Pearce (Jean Cadell) Mrs Higgins. (Marie Lohr) and Alfed Doolittle (Wilfred Lawson)