I love "My Fair Lady", it is one of my favorite movies. Everything in it is great: the direction, witty dialogues, terrific songs, sets and costumes, except for one thing: Audrey Hepburn's performance. Even in rags and dirty, she just isn't credible as a Cockney. And once she becomes a lady, which of course she plays better since she has that innate elegance, there just isn't anything especial about it, she just reads her lines and "sings" the songs. One exception is the scene where she "sings" "I Could Have Danced All Night" where she was luminous. What a pity she doesn't display the same type of inspiration in her other scenes. And we'll never know what Julie Andrews would have looked like had she been chosen to reprise her Broadway role.
Speaking of acting, Stanley Holloway's show-stealing performance is something to enjoy repeatedly. It seems incredible that he lost the Academy Award to Peter Ustinov (a usually terrific actor) for his role in "Topkapi." Just watch the two movies and tell me which performance is way superior.
Speaking of acting, Stanley Holloway's show-stealing performance is something to enjoy repeatedly. It seems incredible that he lost the Academy Award to Peter Ustinov (a usually terrific actor) for his role in "Topkapi." Just watch the two movies and tell me which performance is way superior.
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