My Fair Lady and Pretty Woman

Understanding the two texts “My fair Lady” and “Pretty Woman” have greatly developed and reshaped the indepth comparison of the both studied texts. Texts reflect the concerns of in time in which they are written. The fantastic team work of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederic Lowe made My Fair Lady, an outstanding success in 1962. The story revolves around Eliza Doolittle, an unmannered cockney flower girl from Covent Garden, who agrees to take speech lessons from phonetician Henry Higgins in order to full fill her dream of working in a flower shop and to increase her standard of life.

He saw her as inferior, uneducated, annoying being without feelings. Act one introduces the concern to the audience of the social class. In my opinion, this scene is important, this gives the viewers the insight of all aspects of London City, and the introduction to the vibrant characters. Higgins is astounded with the speech of the British class system, a theme in the musical, songs, emphasise personality.

The song “ Why can’t the English teach their children how to speak” sets the concept of the act.

So obviously education reflects the concerns. Higgins’s concerns are that your ability in speech determines what rank you belong to in the British class system. Money is another important concern, we are introduced by the Eynsofrd Hills and Eliza’s father of how poor they are. This is shown in the start of the musical when Alfred Doolittle arrives at Higgins‘s house determining her whereabouts, not that he worries, he is obtaining money.

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The brilliant set of costumes is shown very well to reflect the 1990’s, they are dull, eye catching and just set the scene of the 19th century. Eliza shows that she is a very strong and powerful character. Quotes like “ I’m a good girl I am” show Eliza’s confidentiality and personality. Frederic Lowe played an important part in creating the musical. One thing that I noticed in watching the musical was the amount of smoking, smoking reflects the 1990’s.

After the transformation had taken place, Eliza was taken to present herself at the Ascot Races and the Ambassadors Ball. “Pretty Woman“, a 1990 American romantic comedy, directed by Garry Marshall. The opening scene begins with Edward Lewis seeking directions to the Beverly Hills Hotel, he makes the acquaintance of prostitute Vivian Ward and decides to put her on a 3,000-dollar retainer as his “date. ” Kit: “You should go for him. You look hot tonight. Don’t take less than $100. Call me when you’re through. Take care of you.

Vivian: Take care of you. ” Vivian is presented at many functions and the film ends with a fairytale ending, Garry rescuing Vivian from a fire escape, despite his fear of heights, the film ends with a kiss. One important scene in the film is when Vivian is given $3000 to go and buy some clothes, she enters a clothing store on Rodeo drive, only to find that she is snubbed by the saleswoman who refuse her because of her appearance. Because Vivian is a prostitute, of course her clothes aren’t going to help her much.

After buying clothes and dressing herself up with the help of Hotel Manager, society are visibly amazed by her transformation, including Edward. Prostitution was okay in the 1990’s, money wasn’t such an offer, Vivian’s only way to make money was to be a prostitute. She feel’s more accepted into society. The song, “Oh Pretty Woman” sets the scene for the shopping montage in the film. Vivian is taken on a date in a privet jet owned by Edward to the Opera in San Francisco, she is clearly taken away by the music.

In conclusion to comparing both texts, I think that both texts suggest that women are not powerful, for example in “My Fair Lady, Eliza is gullible enough to be manipulated by Higgins and same with Vivian and Richard. When Vivian is taken to the polo match where he is interested in networking for a business deal, Vivian is furious with Edward and informs that she is leaving because Edward told David, a collogue in which how they met as he becomes worried she is a spy. I think this relates to the treatment on women and ownership of men.

The two texts show obvious intertextuality, this is clearly shown in both texts, Higgins in “My Fair Lady” passes Eliza off as a beautiful duchess at the Ambassador’s ball, and by all vision is impressed. And in which Vivian is beautifully dressed in her evening gown and taken on a date to the Opera. She is now presentable. Comparing these texts and their concepts, the understanding of the concerns developed and reshaped my knowledge of the influenced by the time and place.