25 Greatest Warner Bros Movies Ever
11. My Fair Lady
One of the best things that can consistently be said about My Fair Lady is that it's not like other musicals. For a start it seems to have managed a more mainstream appreciation, and the perception of the movie is certainly that it's less niche. The songs certainly aren't distracting from the narrative - or a sort of sideshow to the main entertainment - and there is such artistry in the songs that it's impossible not to love them.
In Audrey Hepburn's Eliza, the film has a poster girl for charming impudence. It is she who seeks "improvement", rather than Higgins attempting to use his superior position and breeding to "teach" her how to be better. She is a fire-cracker and while Hepburn's casting proved controversial (thanks to the snub of stage star Julie Andrews), she owns the role. Besides, Andrews got her revenge by winning the Best Actress Oscar that year for Mary Poppins.
And beneath the gorgeous production design and the enchanting music beats the heart of a political beast. My Fair Lady is an exercise in rebellion and revolution, taking down the class establishment and attacking the idea of superior office being earned, rather than bred.