IMDb RATING
7.7/10
9.9K
YOUR RATING
A phonetics and diction expert makes a bet that he can teach a cockney flower girl to speak proper English and pass as a lady in high society.A phonetics and diction expert makes a bet that he can teach a cockney flower girl to speak proper English and pass as a lady in high society.A phonetics and diction expert makes a bet that he can teach a cockney flower girl to speak proper English and pass as a lady in high society.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 5 nominations total
Leueen MacGrath
- Clara Eynsford Hill
- (as Leueen Macgrath)
Irene Browne
- Duchess
- (as Irene Brown)
Cathleen Nesbitt
- A Lady
- (as Kathleen Nesbitt)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe scene in which Eliza accidentally swallows a marble while having an elocution lesson does not appear in the original play. During rehearsals for this scene, a pained expression came over Wendy Hiller's face. When she spat out the marbles she had in her mouth, she said, "Leslie, I've swallowed one!" to which Leslie Howard replied, "Never mind, there are plenty more." This caused such amusement among the watching crew that it was added to the movie and to its musical version, My Fair Lady (1964).
- GoofsAfter the ball when Mrs. Pearce serves Professor Higgins his tea, the shadow of the camera can be seen in the bottom left, moving back across his blanket.
- Quotes
Eliza Doolittle: Walk? Not bloody likely. I'm going in a taxi.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: PYGMALION WAS A MYTHOLOGICAL CHARACTER WHO DABBLED IN SCULPTURE. HE MADE A STATUE OF HIS IDEAL WOMAN-GALATEA. IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL THAT HE PRAYED THE GODS TO GIVE IT LIFE. HIS WISH WAS GRANTED.
BERNARD SHAW IN HIS FAMOUS PLAY GIVES A MODERN INTERPRETATION OF THIS THEME.
- Alternate versionsThis film was made a year before the Hays Office gave Clark Gable permission to say "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn", so while in the British prints of this film Leslie Howard often utters the word, in the American prints the word "damn" is replaced by either "hang" or "confounded".
- ConnectionsFeatured in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Big Parade of Hits for 1940 (1940)
Featured review
While My Fair Lady was a tremendous film which is a pleasure to watch and rewatch, Pygmalion is the true cinematic version of Shaw's work and this version is brilliant. While I still have mixed feelings about the Henry-Eliza relationship and the play ending, it has to be said that the two leads here are perfect for their roles. There were not many British actors better than Howard at the time for this type of thing, and Wendy Hiller never disappointed her audience once in her long career. A good film full of detail and feeling. The one sticking point is the weak and feeble Freddie who at least was given a personality in MFL. Here you can't wonder that Eliza is so quick to discard his attentions. A film which should be celebrated and treasured more in the UK than it is.
- How long is Pygmalion?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Pigmalion
- Filming locations
- Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK(studio: made at Pinewood Studios England)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- £87,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 29 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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