Oh, what a story! "My Fair Lady" is a tale about the spirited Eliza Doolittle going from a flower girl to a proper lady. Professor Higgins takes her into his home and treats her as an experiment, teaching her how to speak elegantly. After six months of brutal practice, she is presented to the queen, dances with a prince, and is thought to be royalty. The arrogant Dr. Higgins thinks himself highly successful in his experiment and doesn't realize Eliza's feelings of neglect until she abandons him. At which point, Dr. Higgins comes to the realization (with bursts of anger), that he really does like Eliza. In his words, she's become "second nature" to him. She ultimately accepts him for who he is, returning to his side, and they live happily ever after (or so we hope).
What did I learn?
Oh Eliza. I love spirited woman and Audrey Hepburn does an astounding job playing those roles. She throws her lot in with Dr. Higgins in a last-ditch effort to make something of herself. She has nothing to lose at this point. But it's her pride that gets in the way, for the most part. Half of her fights with Dr. Higgins are motivated by the lack of respect she gets, the other half is her own pride. I think this is a valuable line to try to define. Where does the amount of attention we gain from respect end and attention just for pride begin? I like to be respected, treated as a lady, the way Eliza wanted. But I don't want to demand that extra attention merely because my pride thinks I should have it. Am I holding my head high because I am confident or is it because I am haughty? I think Eliza would have had less disagreements with the doctor if she wouldn't have had a rather inflated pride. However, I don't think she was nearly as arrogant as the professor!
Professor Higgins is a jerk. If you've seen this movie, you can't disagree. He's arrogant, rude, insensitive, and frequent with insults ("You imprudent hussy!"). He calls Eliza "baggage" and repeatedly threatens to throw her out. This is certainly not the kind of man any girl dreams of. However...there is a certain allure. Girls do sometimes like the bad boys. But it's what's under the exterior meany that makes for a good relationship. Dr. Higgins actually has a soul and heart, though he may not choose to show it. When he realizes that Eliza has left him, he is clearly tormented. When he finally understands that she doesn't plan on coming back, he is distraught. Eliza never sees any of this, though.
Meanwhile, the darling man, Freddy, is throwing himself at Eliza's feet. Freddy professes his love and admiration for Eliza repeatedly. He writes her, he sings about her, he rejoices in the sight of her. I feel bad for this poor man because the only attention he gets from Eliza is backlash from her ill treatment by the doc. To be honest, I'm not entirely happy with the ending of this story. Eliza eventually goes back to the professor, abandoning the idea of Freddy. Dr. Higgins doesn't finally explain his love. He doesn't beg for forgiveness. He says, "Eliza? Where the devil are my slippers?"And that's supposed to make us happy?
But anyway, back to learning. I learned from Dr. Higgins that if the person is right, then they will find and see the true you. Even after all his insulting and bipolar tendencies, Eliza loved the man behind the mask (though I think it might have gone smoother had he been kinder, but maybe it might have not gone at all!). So I have learned to wait for the right person to find my true self, whatever that may be (You thought I may learn not to be insulting, but I didn't! ha!). Patience is a virtue, though it's one I've been chasing for awhile.
The Doctor's insults continue...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Doz5w2W-jAY
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