{"id":48515,"date":"2020-04-21T23:57:24","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T06:57:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=48515"},"modified":"2021-02-05T17:27:16","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T00:27:16","slug":"pygmalion-1938","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=48515","title":{"rendered":"Pygmalion (1938)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I&#8217;m a good girl, I am!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Poster-222x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"222\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-48517\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Poster-222x300.jpg 222w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Poster-95x128.jpg 95w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Poster.jpg 740w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA linguistics professor (Leslie Howard) bets his friend (Scott Sunderland) he can transform a Cockney-speaking flower girl (Wendy Hiller) into a refined &#8220;lady&#8221; thoroughly enough to convince high society she&#8217;s &#8220;authentic&#8221; &#8212; but if he does, what then?\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Character Arc<\/li>\n<li>Class Relations<\/li>\n<li>Leslie Howard Films<\/li>\n<li>Mentors<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptation<\/li>\n<li>Wendy Hiller Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nThis Oscar-nominated adaptation of George Bernard Shaw&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pygmalion_(play)#Adaptations\">much produced play<\/a> &#8212; itself based on an <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pygmalion_(mythology)\">ancient Greek myth<\/a> about a sculptor who falls in love with his own statue &#8212; is infinitely more palatable than the insufferable Broadway musical remake, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42903\"><em>My Fair Lady<\/em> (1964)<\/a>. As co-directed by Anthony Asquith and Leslie Howard &#8212; and produced by Gabriel Pascal, who would direct Shaw&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=48494\"><em>Major Barbara<\/em> (1941)<\/a> three years later &#8212; it&#8217;s less a cross-class romance than a satire of upper-class society, exposing the vacuity of those who believe it&#8217;s critically important to know the &#8220;appropriate&#8221; way to address various members of the nobility, and who care far more about status than character. Howard is convincing as conceited prig Professor Higgins, and Hiller&#8217;s Eliza Doolittle holds her own very nicely; she&#8217;s played with great empathy and nuance in a memorable screen debut. The film never feels stage-bound, instead making creative use of cinematography and angles &#8212; and at just 96 minutes long (almost half that of <em>My Fair Lady<\/em>&#8216;s 170 minutes), it only drags a teeny bit towards the end, as Eliza attempts to let Higgins know how much he&#8217;s disappointed her, and they eventually (improbably) end up with one another. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wendy Hiller as Eliza<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Hiller2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Hiller2-1024x612.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"383\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-48518\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Hiller2-1024x612.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Hiller2-300x179.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Hiller2-128x76.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Hiller2-768x459.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Hiller2-1536x917.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Hiller2.png 1599w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Wilfrid Lawson as Mr. Doolittle<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Dooittle.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Dooittle-1024x618.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"386\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-48525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Dooittle-1024x618.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Dooittle-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Dooittle-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Dooittle-768x464.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Dooittle-1536x927.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Dooittle.png 1625w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Harry Stradling&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Cinematography-1024x640.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-48519\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Cinematography-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Cinematography-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Cinematography-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Cinematography-768x480.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Cinematography-1536x960.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Cinematography.png 1567w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Direction3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Direction3-1024x623.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"389\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-48520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Direction3-1024x623.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Direction3-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Direction3-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Direction3-768x467.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Direction3-1536x935.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Pygmalion-Direction3.png 1589w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a fine adaptation of a classic play. Listed as a film with Historical Relevance in the back of Peary&#8217;s book.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Oscar Winner or Nominee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0030637\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/87418\/pygmalion#articles-reviews?articleId=218298\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/review\/652\">Q Network<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.com\/movies\/pygmalion\/review\/115181\/\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m a good girl, I am!&#8221; Synopsis: A linguistics professor (Leslie Howard) bets his friend (Scott Sunderland) he can transform a Cockney-speaking flower girl (Wendy Hiller) into a refined &#8220;lady&#8221; thoroughly enough to convince high society she&#8217;s &#8220;authentic&#8221; &#8212; but if he does, what then? Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Character Arc Class Relations Leslie Howard Films Mentors Play Adaptation Wendy Hiller Films Review: This Oscar-nominated adaptation of George Bernard Shaw&#8217;s much produced play &#8212; itself based on an ancient&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=48515\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48515"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69043,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48515\/revisions\/69043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}