Pygmalion VS My Fair Lady

Through the years, countless film directors have adapted and recreated various novels and plays to make them ideal for the big-screen. In many cases, directors strive to keep their screenplay adaptations true to the original literature; however, viewers often find contrasts in certain areas of the film. Although My Fair Lady is based onPygmalion there are some differences between both works. Some of them are because of actors performing the characters and stressing on roles beyond the work to perform, or due to the several scenes to get it dynamic. With regard to the musical, songs are the vehicle for the actors’ ideas and feelings to take place in an open way to. We even consider some of these ideas as revolutionary ones spread on the works. Some of the omitted scenes in Pygmalion - as the ball or the learning – makes My Fair Lady be more expressive and dynamic, as it usually occurs when the writing is performed. But if we want to point out a clear difference for them we have to focus on the romance that in Pygmalion is avoided for the benefit of the real conflict and in My Fair Lady it is pretended for people to be interested in. That’s perfectly reflected at the end of the work. Therefore, feelings developed by Eliza are clearly expressed in My Fair Lady. Moreover, we have to pay special attention to the scene in which she comes back in Wimpole Street. The fact itself of her return to Higgins as a Lady indeed reveals a great account of sentimentalism in this version. Higgins’ replay is also a reason for difference: after him to be plunged into a deep sorrow and realizing the Eliza’s return, as it could be predicted in her nipping out, he tries to recover his usual living impassive image, but when he hides his face behind his hat, he leads us into the doubt if he tries to show indifference or is pouting. It’s clear that My Fair Lady displayed a typical happy ending movie led by love between their main characters.

On the contrary, Pygmalion escape from this unusual happy end. So Eliza returns persuaded by Higgins instead of their plans to go ahead, with a very different sentimentalism from My Fair Lady’s one. Her relation with Higgins becomes rough, distant and in bad terms and although she’ll occasionally get attracted by him, it won’t be love at all.