My Fair Lady on the big screen

This past Friday I was lucky enough to finally see My Fair Lady on the big screen. The Academy (you know, the ones who hand out the Oscars) was holding a special 70mm screening of the restored original print, and apparently the 70mm version hasn't been screened since the film was first released 45 years ago. After seeing it for myself, I have to say it's downright tragic. The colours were fantastic, especially the flower segments during the opening credits, and I could just see so much more than I ever have before. You could actually read the elocution cards tacked all over Eliza's bedroom walls, and the more subtle facial expressions were just divine. The mix of emotions that came over Rex Harrison's face in that final scene was incredible. It actually brought tears to my eyes.

I've said it before when I've caught other Audrey films being screened, but if you can ever catch any of her movies on the big screen, GO. Not only is it a totally different experience than watching at home, but the audience reaction and interaction is fabulous. The small theatre was packed, and many of the people there had never seen My Fair Lady before. Shocking, no? But it was great. They laughed hysterically at Henry's colourful insults and Eliza's childish antics, and groaned when Henry wondered why women couldn't be more like his perfect self. It was fantastic.

There was also a small costume and design sketch exhibit in the lobby:


Forgive the darkness and the glare, but the costumes were protected by thick glass and absolutely no flash photography was allowed.




And please forgive my raccoon eyes, but I'd come straight from an unusual photoshoot and my makeup wouldn't come off! I kept my Wayfarers on as long as possible. :)

Lastly, but most importantly, I'd like to give a very huge thank you to Ellen, who performed nothing short of magic to get us tickets to this sold out event. Whatever she wants I will gladly give her as a thank you for this great night!

My Fair Lady remake is a reality

Bad news for those of you who feel that My Fair Lady was perfect the first time 'round on film: it is definitely being remade, and Keira Knightley is definitely going to play Eliza Doolittle. According to The Telegraph, Keira is officially signed to the movie and has already begun singing lessons (though it's yet to show up on IMDb). Also, it seems that Daniel Day-Lewis will fill Rex Harrison's rather large slippers as Professor Henry Higgins -- at least, if the producers get their wish. He's at the top of their short list of actors for the role, though there's no word on whether he's signed yet.

Now that it's official, what do you think as Audrey fans? There have been whispers that remaking an Audrey Hepburn film is a sort of curse to an actress's career, since Audrey is held in such high regard by the public and filmmakers. Will this hurt Keira's career, or push her closer to the top of the heap?

You can read more about the casting and possible directors here, if you're curious.

yet another Audrey Hepburn auction

Are you in the market for a small piece of Audrey Hepburn memorabilia, maybe one that isn't instantly recognizable? Then I may have the auction for you! Bonhams & Butterfields is having an auction in Los Angeles on December 9th full of film and animation memorabilia. One of their lots, which they are making quite a big deal about, is the inkwell from Professor Henry Higgins's desk in My Fair Lady. What's odd is that they're marketing this as Audrey Hepburn memorabilia, as opposed to tying it in with Rex Harrison, and as far as I know Audrey never even touched the thing. It's lovely, though, being Victorian-style cut glass. The press release even charmingly points out two scenes in the film where the inkwell is clearly visible. If I had ever gotten around to doing screengrabs of My Fair Lady, I could possibly find it for you, but I haven't (I'm waiting to get the two-disc special edition to screengrab).

Anyway, it's an entertaining read altogether. You can read the full press release here, and read more about the auction as a whole through the Bonhams website here. No lot information is up yet, but there are viewing times scheduled, so for any L.A. fans out there, it might be worth it to stop in and take some pictures. Oh, and the inkwell is expected to sell for $1,000-1,500.

Audrey Hepburn cancer awareness

A couple of days ago, I received a letter from a doctor in India about Audrey. An introduction isn't really necessary, so here is the letter in full:

Hello,

There is something common in our interest..like Audrey Hepburn. I am always the Fan of Lady Audrey Hepburn. Great charity is done by Hepburn team.

I stumbled on your site while I was surfing the net. .

It is a meticulously prepared site.Congratulations.

Audrey died of advanced colon cancer. It made me think a lot. Colon cancer is one of the cancers which has best prognosis if treated early. Still many patients reach the expert medical aid at little later stage. I felt this is happening because of less awareness.

It is always admirable if intelligent proactive persons from community get organised for noble cause. Nothing is more precious than life. Every saved life is an achievement. We can educate masses regarding early diagnosis of cancer. Info should make people aware of the apparent low profile presentation of the disease. If the rational decisions are taken quickly, the results are quite good.
Knowledge Helps. .
Let us join hands to fight cancer.

We must thank film industry and Audrey Hepburn for providing us beautiful moments with so many films like Roman Holiday, Sabrina and many others.

Regards

Dr. Shriniwas Deshpande

Surgeon, Samarth Gastroenterology

Pune

India

The letter is deeply touching and, I feel, very important. Most types of cancer can be easily treated and possibly cured completely if caught early enough, and all it takes is a little extra awareness. We lost a beautiful person to this affliction, but maybe with a little effort we can keep others from succumbing to this disease.

Interestingly enough, another Audrey Hepburn tie-in with cancer awareness came to me today. The Smoking Gun has recently added a film clip archive section to their site and there are a couple of Audrey clips worth noting. The first is a public service announcement she and Mel Ferrer did backstage during the run of Ondine, and is for cancer research. You can view the whole film here. I'm not sure if the full announcement has ever been widely available before -- I've only ever seen the first 30 seconds or so myself.

The other clip worth mentioning is a film reel about the 1965 Oscar ceremonies, when Audrey presented My Fair Lady co-star Rex Harrison with the Best Actor statue, which you can see here.


Last for today, there's a new shoe shop in Ireland that is very Audrey inspired. Called The Shoe Gallery, its walls are covered in pictures of Audrey Hepburn and even the merchandise itself is inspired by her taste in clothing, according to The Athlone Advertiser. It sounds like it would be great fun to shop there!