Rex Harrison

CHICAGO – For fans less familiar with the four films in the new Criterion box set — “David Lean Directs Noel Coward” — one might be easily forgiven for assuming that the four films are very similar. Let’s be honest. “Tim Burton Directs Johnny Depp” and “Martin Scorsese Directs Robert De Niro” would have some definite thematic commonality. Perhaps that’s why it’s SO remarkable how different each of the four films in this set ended up.

CHICAGO – One of the clear observations in re-connecting with the 1964 Oscar-winning Best Picture “My Fair Lady,” is that essentially it’s a timeless musical. It lives in a universe of George Bernard Shaw, adapted from his original play “Pygmalion,” and comes to life through the music and lyrics of Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner.

CHICAGO – Can anyone explain to me why there are lavish, bonus-laden, beautifully transferred versions of so-so musicals like “Gigi” and “South Pacific” on Blu-Ray but the beloved “My Fair Lady” languishes in standard definition? It’s completely illogical, a decision made even more frustrating by a grainy, flat picture and mediocre audio track. Eliza deserves an upgrade.