The film will again team up Knightley with director Joe Wright (her director in the 2005 remake of Pride and Prejudice) and reportly will feature the screenwriting talent of fellow actress Emma Thompson (who wrote the script for Pride and Prejudice for Joe Wright in 2005, at least according to one report). I don't want to make unfair predictions, but if Wright's Pride and Prejudice (which to me seemed totally to miss the boat in recapturing the novel, its characters and even its tone) -- is any indication of what's to come with this remake...well, I'm not wild to see it. Based on other blog and news reports, specifically a story on Broadwayworld, it appears that the film:
"...will use the original songs of the much-loved Broadway show, and will not alter its 1912 setting, but producers Duncan Kenworthy and Cameron Mackintosh intend where possible to shoot the film on location in the original London settings of Covent Garden, Drury Lane, Tottenham Court Road, Wimpole Street, and Ascot racecourse. The filmmaking team will also look to adapt Alan Jay Lerner's book more fully for the screen by drawing additional material from Pygmalion -- George Bernard Shaw's play that served as the source material for the musical – in order to dramatize as believably as possible for present-day audiences the emotional highs and lows of Eliza Doolittle as she undergoes the ultimate makeover, transforming under the tutelage of Professor Henry Higgins from a Cockney flower girl to a lady."
If Wright's idea (and apparently Emma Thompson's notion) of believability for "present-day audiences" is to mangle many of Austen's lines, omit critical plot structure (like removing almost the entire subplot involving Wickham in Pride and Predjudice and to leave out the interplay between Caroline Bingley and her equally "superior" older sister, Louisa Hurst, well I have some concerns about what they'll do with My Fair Lady.
Certainly, Knightly and Hepburn share some physical characteristics -- good facial bone structure and slender build. In fact, one web site (a weird site called morphthing posted the two women's faces side by side and then "morphed" them (superimposed and combined the photos) to result in one combination "Eliza," which showed how amazingly similar their faces are. However--and this is a BIG however-- Audrey Hepburn's amazing presence, including her grace, beautiful posture, dancing and stupendous acting; well I hardly think that the often rather awkward and poor-postured Knightley will EVER come close to Ms. Hepburn.
Keira Knightley Plus Aundrey Hepburn =
"morphed" Keira/Audrey
Perhaps the Knightley "Eliza" will win us over in some other way. I never thought that the 1954 film, Sabrina, directed by Billy Wilder could be remade. How could anyone recreate the characters as played by Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn? The Syndey Pollack version starring Harrison Ford, Julia Ormond and Greg Kinnear, however, came close and even had some special charms of its own. So, perhaps, we will may be pleasantly surprised with the new My Fair Lady. But, as it's reported that Keira Knightly is "taking voice lessons" (even Hepburn didn't sing in the original)...can we expect a musical with Knightley singing to do justice to the wonderful songs in the film? Or we will be able to stand her singing the amazing Lerner and Loewe music and lyrics at all? On Broadway, the original stars were the stupendous Rex Harrison and the virtuoso Julie Andrews. I guess these days, singing isn't seen as a prerequisite for a musical, which is unfortunate, especially with a show the caliber of My Fair Lady. I have a feeling we'll see a rather polluted and diluted version!
Click below to give your opinion.
2010 My Fair Lady Survey
Click below to give your opinion.
2010 My Fair Lady Survey
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