New MY FAIR LADY film — Page 6

Updated On: 6/18/20 at 01:49 PM

I know Daniel Day-Lewis is an incredible actor, I just can't see him as Higgins...at all. I think Hugh Grant would do a great job. He definitely can pull of that arrogance and self-respect that Higgins has.

Well, I feel that way about Daniel Day-Lewis.

I'm sorry. No offense was intended.

I just don't appreciate Hugh Grant as a performer and can't see him doing this role justice. This piece is especially important to me, so I expressed my thoughts on him.

Isn't Freddie supposed to be younger? Ewan McGregor doesn't fit the bill in that case.

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Yeow. Please, no Ewan McGregor as Freddie. I can't stand his singing and "On the Street Where You Live" is my favorite song in the score.

If MY FAIR LADY is to be successfully remade as a theatrical film, the producers have to contend with the fact that in the general public's eyes nobody could possibly replace Audrey Hepburn & Rex Harrison from the classic film but the new film can do the one thing that was not done in 1964, eschew the notion of box office stars with questionable music credentials (Kheira Knightley) or actors who can sing but are not physically or vocally right for the role (Anne Hathaway, rather ordinary looking, a good singer but not an operatic quality lyric soprano who could properly execute the high notes as Julie Andrews & Marni Nixon did) being favored over casting the movie with actors who can really sing their parts properly in addition to acting and are physically right for the roles. MY FAIR LADY is such a famous musical now that the show itself is the star and if the movie is cast correctly and made with the same attention to detail and musical integrity of the 1964 film (the superior orchestrations and choral work), it could stand on its own merits and at least have a chance of being compared favorably to the 1964 film. In fact, I would strongly suggest that Andre Previn supervise the music again on this version, if possible. There is no arranger-conductor today who could equal, much less improve, what Previn did with this score in 1964, so why tamper with perfection.

This is who I would cast in the remake, admittedly controversial by even today’s movie standards and maybe moot if Knightley has already been miscast:

Eliza Doolittle: Nadia Bjorlin, a 27 year old American actress-singer who possesses the right combination necessary for a successful remake of MY FAIR LADY: she has a striking beauty similar to Audrey Hepburn in the 1964 film and has a crystal clear lyric soprano voice with sterling high notes fully equal to Julie Andrews in the Broadway original.
Henry Higgins: either Iain Glen or Greg Wise, both superb dramatic actors in their 40’s who have successfully done musicals would make a great Higgins that would be more true to Shaw’s original, a man that might be appealing to women if his obsession with his work, detestable manners and total distrust of anyone but himself did not get in the way. Leslie Howard, the definitive Higgins, was in his mid 40’s when he played the part in the superb 1938 film of the play.
Colonel Pickering: Ian McKellen would be perfect.
Freddy Eynsford-Hill: Stuart Townshend, the right age plus he can sing and more importantly, he fits Shaw’s description of the character perfectly and fulfills the modern need for a ‘hunk’ to essay the role. My current favorite male singer, American opera hunk, James Anest, would also be perfect if he can manage the British accent necessary for the role.
Alfred Doolittle: Geoffrey Hughes, a better fit for this role could not be found than this wonderful British actor who played the similarly inclined “Onslow” on the British TV comedy series, “Keeping Up Appearances”.
Mrs. Pierce: Julia MacKenzie, one of musical theatre’s treasures who deserves to be seen in a major film and would give her usual richly drawn acting performance, as she does in any role and at last we would have a Mrs. Pierce that can actually sing with the chorus as well as her individual vocal contributions.
Mrs. Higgins: Julie Andrews, not only for sentiment, she would be great in the role.
Zoltan Karpathy: Karl Urban or Ioan Gruffudd

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