My Fair Lady sings again

  • 21/07/2016
Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady
Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady

Wouldn't it be loverly to see Eliza Dolittle back on the big screen?

Well now you can, with a restored version of My Fair Lady now open in New Zealand cinemas.

The 1964 musical film, starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, tells the story of Cockney-accented Dolittle's struggle to be accepted by the upper echelons of early 20th century London.

It was widely acclaimed, winning eight Academy Awards and joining the ranks of Hollywood classics.

The restoration was completed to mark the film's 50th birthday and released in 2015, but this is the first time it is being screened in New Zealand.

More than 12 million digital fixes were made to the film, the LA Times has reported, which enhanced the colour and sound of the original.

There wasn't much they could do about Hepburn's singing voice though - having already been found not up to scratch during production, her songs were dubbed over by Marni Nixon.

It's the film's second restoration, said to be much more successful given the improved technology than an earlier attempt 20 years ago.

This time around the enhanced scanning technology revealed one surprise, restorer Robert A Harris told the New York Post - fillings in Hepburn's teeth when she opens her mouth during diction lessons.

"Jack L Warner [the film's producer] would never have permitted this to be seen, so we digitally removed her fillings," he said. "Though if you look really hard for it, you might catch a glimpse of the adhesive on Rex Harrison's toupee in some shots."

My Fair Lady is now open in NZ cinemas.

Newshub.