PYGMALION is based on George Bernard Shaw's reinterpretation of the Greek myth about Pygmalion. In this old tale, Pygmalion is an artist and creates a statue of "the perfect woman" that is so beautiful that he falls in love with it. The gods see what has occurred and take pity, so they turn Galatea (the statue) into a real woman and they live happily ever after. In his play, Shaw injects quite a bit of humor into the tale, as instead of the smitten Pygmalion, Henry Higgins is a misogynistic (and possibly gay) man who only comes to care for his "creation" (Eliza Doolittle) when it is too late. By his boorish ways, he's driven this "perfect" lady out of his life forever. Oddly, however, in both this 1938 version and its remake (MY FAIR LADY), the ending was changed and Eliza inexplicably returns to an unrepentant and annoying Higgins--even though this undoes most of the fourth act of the play!!
If you have already seen MY FAIR LADY, then you will most likely recognize that this later film is practically word-for-word the 1938 film in many places. As for the songs, they make MY FAIR LADY a wonderful film but without them, this earlier film is still just as good--just different. The biggest difference is the mood. Because of the songs (some of which are very humorous), MY FAIR LADY is definitely a lighter and more breezy film. Also, while Henry Higgins often repeats the exact same dialog in the latter film, because of Rex Harrison's age and more irascible style, it comes off a more silly and cute. While some might hate the more somber and sad mood of PYGMALION, I like it just as much as the film tends to be a bit more believable. Here Higgins is much more believable as a potential lover of Eliza--and the sexual tension is therefore greater.
My overall verdict is that PYGMALION (1938) and MY FAIR LADY are about equally delightful and fun. They are different enough that I think you should see both and while I like the Higgins and Pickering of MY FAIR LADY more, I think Wendy Hiller and the rest of the cast of the original film are at least as good as the originals. While Leslie Howard is excellent, because of his age he is so different from the older and nastier interpretation by Rex Harrison. And, you just can't beat Wilfred Hyde-White as Pickering--he's so cute and sweet.
Regardless of which one you watch (or perhaps both), I still can't give either a 10 simply because the ending makes little sense and is a letdown. The bottom line is that Shaw understood this and got it right in the play, but the movie folks in the UK and Hollywood just couldn't stand not tacking a happy ending onto the film. Too bad, as Doolittle and Higgins NOT getting together at the end seems more true to the characters and makes the film more of a tragedy--and make for a much more poignant film.
If you have already seen MY FAIR LADY, then you will most likely recognize that this later film is practically word-for-word the 1938 film in many places. As for the songs, they make MY FAIR LADY a wonderful film but without them, this earlier film is still just as good--just different. The biggest difference is the mood. Because of the songs (some of which are very humorous), MY FAIR LADY is definitely a lighter and more breezy film. Also, while Henry Higgins often repeats the exact same dialog in the latter film, because of Rex Harrison's age and more irascible style, it comes off a more silly and cute. While some might hate the more somber and sad mood of PYGMALION, I like it just as much as the film tends to be a bit more believable. Here Higgins is much more believable as a potential lover of Eliza--and the sexual tension is therefore greater.
My overall verdict is that PYGMALION (1938) and MY FAIR LADY are about equally delightful and fun. They are different enough that I think you should see both and while I like the Higgins and Pickering of MY FAIR LADY more, I think Wendy Hiller and the rest of the cast of the original film are at least as good as the originals. While Leslie Howard is excellent, because of his age he is so different from the older and nastier interpretation by Rex Harrison. And, you just can't beat Wilfred Hyde-White as Pickering--he's so cute and sweet.
Regardless of which one you watch (or perhaps both), I still can't give either a 10 simply because the ending makes little sense and is a letdown. The bottom line is that Shaw understood this and got it right in the play, but the movie folks in the UK and Hollywood just couldn't stand not tacking a happy ending onto the film. Too bad, as Doolittle and Higgins NOT getting together at the end seems more true to the characters and makes the film more of a tragedy--and make for a much more poignant film.