Pygmalion

I confess that even before I pushed play I had my mind made up: nothing could ever approach the Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn version (My Fair Lady) of George Bernard Shaw's classic play, which, in this humble reviewer's opinion, is also the greatest musical ever filmed. Thus, I was completely unprepared for this absolutely delightful 1938 Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller non-tuner rendition of the winning story about a professor who takes on a bet that he can turn Cockney gal Eliza Doolittle into a "proper lady." While the wizards at Criterion couldn't completely rescue this old gem (the quality of the mastering is jarringly inconsistent, often going from very good to poor and back again in the space of just a few frames--though, on average, it is quite good), my library immediately made room for this, and yours should too. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (S. C. Sickles)