Pygmalion

I watched the film version of the play Pygmalion for my mediated play. It was a little different watching a play after reading a number of plays in class. I love movies, so I instantly was captured in the story, but the play does lose a little of its appeal when in movie form because the audience can still deduct that it was originally a play. The film is mostly dialogue between a number of people, most of the time in rapid timing. This is a play that just reads better than when you watch it as a film. The rapid fire dialogue is better suited for reading because you can imagine it as fast or as slow as you please while reading it. When you watch it, sometimes it is hard to catch certain lines and it can be a bit confusing, especially with Eliza’s accent in the beginning. I prefer the play version if not because of that, then because of the quality of the movie. I watched it on Youtube, and the quality was very shaky and bad. When I read this play I can imagine it in color and probably set in a more present setting. This helps familiarize me with the setting of the play, while watching the scratchy black and while version puts me out of the atmosphere.

I believe that Pygmalion is Henry Higgins’ play more than Eliza’s. Straight from the beginning he is portrayed as a know it all, but the fact is he does know more than the average person. Even though Eliza seems like the more dominant force in the end, he still ends up getting what he wants: her. Even though in the beginning all he wanted was to fix the puzzle that was this poor flower girl he has grown to like her more and more throughout the movie. If he had not have taken her on as his student than none of the events would have happened and that is why he owns the play. Eliza’s entire technique which she uses to manipulate everyone around her is taught to her by Henry. She was a poor beggar before he laid eyes on her, she would have continued to be a poor beggar if he didn’t have the generosity to help her.