Pygmalion (Shaw Collection, The) [DVD]

Movie / Show Details

George Bernard Shaw’s 1912 play Pygmalion receives a 1973 BBC television adaptation directed by Cedric Messina. Lynn Redgrave plays Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower seller who becomes the subject of an experiment by Henry Higgins, a phonetics professor played by James Villiers. Higgins wagers that he can transform Eliza into a woman who passes as aristocracy through lessons in speech and deportment, but as the experiment progresses, unexpected feelings complicate their relationship. Ronald Fraser rounds out the cast as Colonel Pickering, offering warmth and balance to Higgins’ demanding nature. Shaw’s sharp examination of class boundaries and human character drives this production, which finds both comedy and insight in the clash between social pretense and genuine connection.

This single-disc DVD presentation runs two hours and comes from the BBC. The 7.4 IMDb rating reflects the production’s standing among Shaw adaptations. You can own this hand-inspected copy of a respected television interpretation of a classic play at a fraction of what a new release would cost.