Search - Pygmalion on DVD

Ehh...

R. Swaney | 07/05/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The best thing about this movie is it sticks with the original ending rather than the My Fair Lady ending. Other than that... I made it through the movie but I could think of roughly a dozen more pleasurable ways to spend my evening. The acting was so-so, much of the humor simply wasn't funny, and some interesting interpretations of the scene. Granted, if you're looking for something to watch while folding laundry it's not so bad."

Tolerable but could have been better...

Andrew Raker | PA | 01/19/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Firstly, I think this BBC 1973 "Pygmalion" receives poor reviews primarily because it is Bernard Shaw's most popular play today. Is the adaptation really good? No. Does it have some merit if you can disassociate it from "Pygmalion" (1938) and "My Fair Lady"? Yes.

While I do not think the acting was very good, the sets and picture quality were certainly acceptable. You could hear what the characters were saying, and the production could be a benefit for a classroom of students.

The BBC 1973 adaptation adds a few scenes not in Bernard Shaw's original play:

1.
The scene where Eliza bathes, after objecting because she felt bathing in a tub of water without clothes was unnatural.

2.
The scene at the ball, where Eliza Doolittle passes the inspection of royal society, including one of Professor Higgins' former students.

3.
An slight alteration in the ending, where it becomes clear that Eliza is going to marry Freddy. *[This ending follows the epilogue Shaw wrote in 1941, as a negative response to the ending of the 1938 adaptation.]

Also, some dialogue from the play is cut (although not much) from this adaptation. In some respects, this is understandable. However, the dialogue that is elliminated seems to be mostly dialogue that explains that Higgins behavior towards Eliza is just like his behavior towards every else, including Mrs. Pearce.


However, let us not forget that there is a second Shaw play on the disk:

~ A 1983 BBC adaptation of "Androcles and the Lion", starring Billy Connolly.

This production is considerably better, although, unlike "Pygmalion," there are not as many other adaptations to compare with which to compare it."