![]() George Cukor, who directed the film, was a man beyond his era. Let’s take a short history lesson about film in general. The film is set in 1912, meaning that gender roles are quite different from how we see it today. The Portrayal of an Empowered Woman Overcoming the Ultimate Misogynist Eliza’s character development may not have worked without an actress as seasoned and as convincing as Hepburn, and we’re extremely happy that no one else was casted in this role. ![]() From sacrificing her dignity to bring up her social standing in society then realizing that she didn’t need a man to exist, one of Hollywood’s most graceful and in-demand actresses played it perfectly. Eliza realizes many things throughout the film, and Hepburn’s portrayal is a stunner. As Higgins’ extreme lessons and mind torture games begin to consume her, an empowered lady begins to form. You must remember that even Eliza considered herself “uneducated”, hence her behavior in the start of the film. Her comedic portrayal of cockney flower girl Eliza may appear as cartoonish at the start of the movie, but she makes up for it in the splendid second half. Though Hepburn had her voiced dubbed by Hollywood’s unsung hero Marni Nixon (who dubbed numerous movie star voices for big budget film musicals like Deborah Kerr in The King and I and Natalie Wood in West Side Story), Hepburn was born to play the role. Julie Andrews had originated the role in the original Broadway production, but studio head Jack Warner did not believe that she was a big enough name to carry the film to box office success. Hepburn, already an Oscar winner for her outing in Roman Holiday back in 1953 had shoes to fill when she was casted in the film version of My Fair Lady. On the other hand, Eliza (who is now donned in French couture and dripping with diamonds) still feels empty and worthless, with nowhere to go. To great effect (and a million awful mind game and sexist slurs late), Eliza becomes what Higgins considers the perfect woman. Higgins makes a bet with his colleague Colonel Pickering that after he is done with Eliza, she could easily pass of as a duchess at the annual Embassy Ball. Eliza, who longs to better her social standing in 1912 London, seeks the help of the boastful language coach Henry Higgins.
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