I wasn't really that excited to see My Fair Lady opening night. My hope that Vertigo would be the opening night film meant that the announcement of Lady was a disappointment, despite my opinion that it is one of the best of the deservedly maligned musical genre. That last sentence might be awkward, but it is rather late so I do not have the energy to rewrite it. I will say that Lady turned out to be a pleasant surprise, both for the print (with bold colors and strong clarity) and the sound, which betrayed absolutely no signs of age. I was astonished to see several similarities between Professor Henry Higgins and a certain Dr. House. I consider House to be the best show on television, which might be why my outlook on Lady has improved.
Ebert made a brief mention of this, but it cannot be underemphasized how this movie would be very different if made today. The Higgins character would undoubtedly be softened, which would make the movie quite insufferable. It would also be shorter, which would probably be an improvement as this movie contains one of the longest denouements I have ever seen--Eliza's dad's musical number was ridiculous and extraneous.
Some people missed out, as it seemed that several pass holders did not attend tonight, if the number of empty seats in the corners of the balcony were any indication. Musicals are not the draw that they used to be, though I'm sure that more people would have liked to have had the chance to buy individual tickets beforehand.
