tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post6678256673193871458..comments2024-03-16T05:27:55.183-04:00Comments on Java's Journey: Fabulous 1930s Films Blogathon: Pygmalion (1938)JavaBeanRushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05653117187583244224noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-34466021256632094422015-06-01T05:29:42.151-04:002015-06-01T05:29:42.151-04:00"...the clueless arrogance and acerbic qualit..."...the clueless arrogance and acerbic quality the role requires." I absolutely agree. Well put! Thanks, LesleyJavaBeanRushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05653117187583244224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-28637260148034572592015-04-30T23:22:51.910-04:002015-04-30T23:22:51.910-04:00i love this movie, adore Hiller and Howard and the...i love this movie, adore Hiller and Howard and the rest of the cast, and think Howard didn't overindulge in his natural likability, leaving his Higgins with some of the clueless arrogance and acerbic quality the role requires. Your piece is so enlightening as to the relationships between Shaw and Pascal and between the play and the film, and I really appreciated that angle. Thanks for a wonderful post! Lesleyhttp://secondsightcinema.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-14800998580309295462015-04-29T15:43:35.771-04:002015-04-29T15:43:35.771-04:00theblondeatthefilm,
Source materials are so much f...theblondeatthefilm,<br />Source materials are so much fun to explore! Watching a movie is great, but reverse engineering a movie is the best. I cannot get enough of it. <br /><br />Thanks for stopping by.JavaBeanRushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05653117187583244224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-37685674405515876932015-04-29T15:39:44.811-04:002015-04-29T15:39:44.811-04:00Emma Thompson described the film version of MY FAI...Emma Thompson described the film version of MY FAIR LADY as stage-y, I believe. And that her film version would feel a little more real. In that sense, she's going back to the Pascal version, where everyone seems human and not like beautiful dolls in a fantasy world. It all depends on what you're in the mood to see.<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by.JavaBeanRushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05653117187583244224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-60095934388396886172015-04-29T15:37:05.057-04:002015-04-29T15:37:05.057-04:00Thanks, Rick.
Shaw was sparing on compliments, tha...Thanks, Rick.<br />Shaw was sparing on compliments, that's for sure. I just think they had a father-son bond on which Shaw could lavish his attention. Plus, Pascal was brilliant.JavaBeanRushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05653117187583244224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-58495802187277637382015-04-29T08:34:18.441-04:002015-04-29T08:34:18.441-04:00Great post! I especially liked your discussion of ...Great post! I especially liked your discussion of the original play vs. the film. It's always interesting to learn what is lost/added in an adaptation!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-44413813054600402582015-04-28T21:17:00.162-04:002015-04-28T21:17:00.162-04:00Great review. I happen to like Pygmalion more than...Great review. I happen to like Pygmalion more than My Fair Lady - although I like musicals in general the latter was uneven in that respect. Dame Wendy Hiller is a gem too. Thanks for choosing this film as a Fabulous Film of the 30s.Christian Esquevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04442827724576856379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-31223648298227708562015-04-28T20:16:12.116-04:002015-04-28T20:16:12.116-04:00Marvelous, well-documented review! Imagine having ...Marvelous, well-documented review! Imagine having Shaw describe you as a genius? Talk about high praise! I'm often surprised with how brilliantly directors of the 1930s used the camera (Renoir and, as you mention here, Pascal) and sound (Lubitsch and, again, Pascal). Rick29https://www.blogger.com/profile/08358116647815569722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-52462799919332014482015-04-28T16:06:12.964-04:002015-04-28T16:06:12.964-04:00Yes, the Lerner and Lowe version presents itself a...Yes, the Lerner and Lowe version presents itself as this beautiful present with a big bow - which is great. Pygmalion is more a story about a few humans who bump into each other and change each others' lives. I like each for different reasons.<br /><br /><br />Thanks for stopping by.JavaBeanRushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05653117187583244224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-70267211303995352532015-04-28T15:33:34.245-04:002015-04-28T15:33:34.245-04:00I've only seen bits of this film but even at t...I've only seen bits of this film but even at that, I prefer it to "My Fair Lady". It may be that I have a real soft spot for Leslie Howard... however, I think this version has more charm and doesn't try so hard to assault you with colours and costumes.<br /><br />Also, I'm really impressed by the amount of research in your post. Well done!Silver Screeningshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04955048716754142299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-74906608534240511402015-04-28T10:28:28.103-04:002015-04-28T10:28:28.103-04:00You're right, Caftan Woman. The original dialo...You're right, Caftan Woman. The original dialogue is so great it is musical. I have had a few of the straight dramatic performances converted to MP3 just to listen to them during my walks.<br /><br />Thanks for dropping in.JavaBeanRushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05653117187583244224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-48457512242973087142015-04-28T10:26:18.337-04:002015-04-28T10:26:18.337-04:00Pygmalion (1938) is the first of any version in wh...Pygmalion (1938) is the first of any version in which I recall hearing Higgins offer the idea of living as three old bachelors. That platonic arrangement seems to be in keeping with the narrative, so I can half-way accept Hiller's Eliza returning. That same offer is not made to Hepburn's Eliza, making her return seem odd.<br /><br />Thanks for reading.JavaBeanRushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05653117187583244224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-58874344475109356812015-04-28T09:33:47.794-04:002015-04-28T09:33:47.794-04:00The film "Pygmalion" is sheer delight. ...The film "Pygmalion" is sheer delight. Those words bounce around the brain joyfully with an ever-buoyant energy.Caftan Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05936895555808823221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-17250701173598735502015-04-28T07:23:07.522-04:002015-04-28T07:23:07.522-04:00Well done. Good point on the camera work with suc...Well done. Good point on the camera work with such as this: "In a key scene where Eliza announces that she does not appreciate Higgins’ “bullying or your back talk,” the camera is held at a low angle over Higgins’ shoulder as Eliza advances towards the camera. This camera position allows the character to tower over Higgins and fill the screen, symbolically showing her dominance."<br /><br />This is my favorite version of Shaw's play, though I agree it monkeys with the ending in a way that is not wholly satisfying, despite our fanciful wish that Eliza have some romantic ending to her tale. Jacqueline T. Lynchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11047941886908178350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-68352054137534246012015-04-28T07:03:54.955-04:002015-04-28T07:03:54.955-04:00Thanks for reading, Flick Chick. They are very com...Thanks for reading, Flick Chick. They are very compelling. I actually anticipate the new one coming out just to see what Emma Thompson does with it.JavaBeanRushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05653117187583244224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-9484798075834359752015-04-28T06:27:45.553-04:002015-04-28T06:27:45.553-04:00Excellent post. And you are so right - the talkie...Excellent post. And you are so right - the talkies were a blessing for such wonderful words. This film is so delightful, but film fantasy must win and cinematic Eliza will probably get those darn slippers (although stage Eliza probably never looked back - I hope!). The "implied" romantic feelings between Henry and Eliza was still a sticking point years later with "My Fair Lady." well, blame it on Shaw - he made his 2 characters too compelling.FlickChickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17351624749230610755noreply@blogger.com