Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		5.0

My Fair Lady Blu-ray Movie Review

One of the few Blu-ray releases everyone should own.

CBS/Paramount have re-released 'My Fair Lady' to Blu-ray with a dazzling restored video transfer and a newly restored Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack from the original elements, both by acclaimed Film Historian and Preservationist Robert A. Harris (Spartacus: Restored Edition), replacing the previous edition that suffered from a less-than-perfect picture quality and contained a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. This new release adds several new supplements and omits only the commentary track from the previous release.

Introducing us, fully restored!

My Fair Lady Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

What a difference a restoration makes. As far as "undesirable" transfers go, My Fair Lady's 2011 Blu-ray debut wasn't the worst in the world. Hardly crumbling around the edges or destroyed by grossly excessive noise reduction, the image definitely showed room for improvement but made for, at worst, a watchable picture of a classic film. But the difference between "watchable" and "practically perfect" is striking. My Fair Lady has undergone a full restoration courtesy of Blu-ray.com member and Film Historian/Preservationist Robert A. Harris, whose recent work on Spartacus is nothing short of a treasure. That holds here, too. My Fair Lady's restored 1080p transfer is a revelation. The 2.20:1-framed image (as opposed to the 2011 release's 2.39:1 framing) reveals the movie like never before, yielding a picture so pristine that watching is practically like seeing the movie for the first time.

The transfer is home to a gorgeously fine grain structure, a constant companion that's exacting in evenness across every frame and dazzling in its ability to preserve and convey that desirable pinpoint filmic texturing. The details underneath are terrific. The 65mm source photography has been restored in 4K from an 8K scan, resulting in a fastidious image that reveals every fine appointment throughout the film, whether in Higgins' warmly furnished home, the dreary gray-dominant London streets, or the sunny bright racetrack. Clothing textures are meticulously presented and are substantially sharper and more refined than seen in the previous release. The transfer reveals practically every stitch and seam and each costume's unique textures. There couldn't be a finer tribute to Cecil Beaton's Oscar-winning costumes. The racetrack sequence is particularly special, even as there's not a lot of color variety. White, black, and gray dominate, but the variations in contrasting shades of white and gray are striking and, again, revealing of the costumes' finest textures that make the biggest difference in one's visual enjoyment of all the sequence has to offer. The transfer expectedly handles the brightest costumes remarkably well. Primaries pop beautifully, with lavish pinks and purples amongst the highlights. The Henry Higgins interiors are beautiful as well, yielding an inviting warmth that's substantially more nuanced and exacting in this release.

Even the bleak and dark London street sequences at the beginning look amazing. Overhead shots, for example, reveal the finest intimate textures on the brick street, impressive considering the black and gray dominant colors and source lighting. It's in the open where the most demanding viewers might find reason to pause. A slight "blooming" or "glow" appears on bright white shirts contrasted against black jackets and satin collars. It was in these scenes that Mr. Harris encountered his biggest challenge. He told Blu-ray.com, "The single most difficult factor in both films, was holding pure blacks and whites...from a faded element. Even more so is the bit of air above the pure black in tuxedoes, vs the black of the satin collars...it's filtration, moving toward the look of pre-panchromatic film stock. In some ways, especially the way in which Mr. Hyde-White's shirt 'glows,' it takes us back to Al Jolson's gloves in the Orthochromatic days of The Jazz Singer. Harry Stradling, the (My Fair Lady) DP, began his career in the '20s, with orthochromatic stock, and probably liked some of the attributes, which he continued to use via filtration."

Note that screenshots 1-30 have been selected to approximately match those found in the review of the 2011 release. Several additional screenshots have been added at the end.

My Fair Lady Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

My Fair Lady also features a new soundtrack. The 96k Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack comes sourced from the original full resolution presentation, heard for the first time here since the film's 1964 premiere. It's a glorious listen. The track pops from the first note forward, exploding into the stage with beautiful, full-range clarity that's not only a precision representation of the orchestral score but capable of singling out the finest points to each section and instrument for definition to die for. The back channels add quite a bit to the experience, helping to create a fuller and richer listen. The back channels carry a fair bit of information and volume but never feel needlessly enhanced. Instead, the sense of pure immersion is startlingly effective considering the effortless flow and feel that warmly envelops the listener. Lyrics are just as impressive, with strong vocal clarity throughout the range and a firm center placement that balances the music's side and rear-dominant placement. General dialogue is additionally well received, boasting impeccable definition from every character. A few heavier support elements are satisfying, whether light crowd din or rapid, heavy beats as horses race through the stage later in the film. The sense of weight and definition may not be as precise as what might be found in a newer, more precisely engineered track, but the effect is assuredly excellent. Listeners will note a light hissing underneath dialogue that was left intact rather than removed in the process. The real highlight here is, obviously, the clarity and definition with which the score is presented, but the entire track is nearly the revelation that is its video companion.

My Fair Lady Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of My Fair Lady does not contain the audio commentary from the previous release but does retain the rest of the supplements from the previous release (with a few notes on specific omissions included below) in addition to several new adds as noted. Please see the previous release's review, linked above, for a few thoughts on the carryover supplements. Note that extras presented in 1080i/1080p here and 480i in the previous release are otherwise the same. All supplements appear on a dedicated second Blu-ray disc. A DVD copy of the film is also included in the fold-open Neo-Pack packaging.

• More Loverly Than Ever: The Making of My Fair Lady Then & Now (1080i, 57:58)
• 1963 Production Kick-Off Dinner (1080p, 23:20)
• Los Angeles Premiere 10/28/1964 (480i, 4:53)
• NEW: British Premiere (1080p, 4x3, 2:17): A short vintage piece that introduces stars and takes audiences on the red carpet for the film's British premiere.
• George Cukor Directs Baroness Bina Rothschild (480i, 2:39)
• NEW: Rex Harrison Radio Interview (1080p, 1:06): The actor briefly discusses the filmmaking process.
• NEW: Production Tests (1080p): Alex Hyde-White shares several tests from 65mm film pulled from the Warner Brothers archive. Hyde-White shares some fascinating insight into the value each of the tests present as critical tools to making the film as visually striking as the medium allows. The make-up piece is a little more anecdotal in nature. Included are Lighting (0:57), Wilfred Hyde-White Make-Up (0:47), Rain/Set (0:49), Covent Garden Lighting Test (0:44), and Alt. Higgins/Pickering Screen Test (3:48).
• Alternate Audrey Hepburn Vocals (1080p): Show Me (2:48) and Wouldn't It Be Loverly (4:26). Note that these appear from restored elements.
• Comments on a Lady (480i): Andrew Lloyd Webber (1:04) and Martin Scorcese (1:19).
• Galleries (1080p): Note that the Poster Cards with Rex Harrison Radio Interview appears to be missing from this group.
• NEW: Trailers (1080p, 0:39 each): Teaser Trailer with City Tags includes Hollywood, New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., San Francisco, and Chicago. Also included are With Pride Trailer (1:11), Awards Trailer (1:04), Theatrical Reissue: Poster Illustration (0:58), Theatrical Reissue: Poster Illustration Reserved Seats Trailer (1:25), Theatrical Reissue: Poster Illustration Awards (1:25), and Theatrical Reissue (3:48). Note that the final trailer was included with the previous release. The film's 1964 trailer (runtime 5:04) does not appear.
• NEW: The Story of a Lady (1080p, 5:05): A look at the play's worldwide success, Warner Brothers' purchase of the film rights, casting, and film production details that consumed the Warner Brothers lot.
• NEW: Design For a Lady (1080p, 8:22): A closer look at the complexity of production design, from research to construction and implementation into the movie. Includes a discussion with Academy Award-winning Costume Designer Cecil Beaton.
• The Fairest Fair Lady (1080p, 9:31)
• NEW: Rex Harrison BFI Honor (1080p, 2:08): The actor, on set, takes the opportunity to reminisce on past works in which he's starred.
• Rex Harrison Golden Globe Acceptance Speech (1080p, 0:47)
• Academy Awards Ceremony Highlights 4/5/65 (480i, 2:09)

My Fair Lady Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sometimes just saying "wow" is enough, so wow. My Fair Lady's restoration is truly a thing of beauty. The picture quality is absolutely dazzling and the sound, too, is practically a revelation. There's just not enough superlatives to describe the experience. The previous release looked decent enough on its own but the difference between "decent enough" and "practically as perfect as the day it first screened in 1964" is a leap that precious few vintage releases have enjoyed. The sound is terrific, too, which can be easy to overlook given a picture quality that amazes with, literally, every new scene. The added supplements are a treat and the only disappointment with the release is that it doesn't contain a new commentary track with Restoration Artist Robert A. Harris discussing what must have been nothing short of a labor of love. Every Blu-ray owner needs to make this release a centerpiece of their collection. My Fair Lady earns my highest recommendation, and look for it to take a place of honor at the top of the year's best-of list.