Pygmalion (1938)

Pygmalion

Call No: TEMP 875

Before Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison made history with the musical smash My Fair Lady, Wendy Hiller and Leslie Howard played the perfect opposites of Eliza Doolittle and Rex Harrison. Based on the play of the same name, Pygmalion is an example of a film that remains as entertaining today as it was when it was released. Fans of My Fair Lady will have an unusual experience with the absence of characters breaking into song. Readers of the original work by George Bernard Shaw may be surprised by the change in the ending (which Shaw, writing the screenplay for this film, changed himself). That having been said, this film adaptation of Pygmalion is much more enjoyable as one might think.

Eliza Doolittle is a flower girl with a cockney accent that Professor Henry Higgins finds insulting during their first accidental meeting, calling her speech an “incarnate insult to the English language”. Having incredible confidence in himself as a professor of speech and phonetics, he makes a bet with his friend Colonel Pickering that he can pass Eliza off as a duchess. That is, if Eliza and the Professor don’t kill each other first.

One of the benefits of the modern technical age is that films like these are getting a second life. Because of the age of the film, continuity of sound and dialogue is a concern. Fortunately the sound has been fixed and cleared, so that it is easy to hear every biting comment from Professor Henry Higgins. In trying to be considerate of others in my house, I’ve taken to using the subtitles. Even though I’d seen the film before, some jokes that I’d missed and scenes I’d enjoyed the first time gave me new amusement with the new sound and clearer picture.

Having seen both films, I find that the chemistry between the two main characters in this film is stronger than in its more popular successor. Leslie Howard has a dynamic presence as Henry Higgins and is, more often than not, brash and abrasive. What makes him a brilliant actor is his ability to present such powerful emotion with such subtle facial expressions and silent mannerisms. It’s this kind of secondary acting that the two do that helps further build the chemistry between the two of them, especially from Howard.

Henry Higgins (Leslie Howard) has met his match in Eliza Doolittle (Wendy Hiller)

I was also very much impressed by the calibre of acting found with the supporting cast, especially in the case of Mrs. Pierce, the housekeeper, and Mrs. Higgins, Henry’s mother. The plot manages to weave a number of supporting characters who do more than simply take up space. They add colour without becoming a distraction. Mrs. Higgins (played by Marie Lohr) is a comedic treat, despite only appearing in two scenes. Her time is short but humorous and memorable. The same can be said of all the supporting cast, who shine without drawing any attention away from the leads.

If you’re looking for something entertaining without the giant musical numbers then this is a treat, especially if you’re in the mood for something light on Valentine’s Day. It is witty and charming without the big sweeping romantic scenes that seem to have become traditional and cheesy in romantic films nowadays. If you’re looking for something a little quieter, you’ve come to the right place.