Nominated for 12 Academy Awards and winning 8 — including Best Director (George Cukor) and Best Picture — the beloved 1964 adaptation of the Lerner & Loewe musical is at last on Blu-ray. Thankfully, the AVC-encoded transfer, apart from a rather lackluster-looking opening nighttime sequence in Covent Garden and some fading in places, is a bloomin’ marvel. Contrast is generally terrific, and there’s exquisite detail in Cecil Beaton’s gorgeous costumes and production designs, with previously invisible background elements now revealed. Deep-focus compositions are sharply differentiated, from cobblestones on the street to faces in the crowd. What’s more, the visuals are supported by a wondrously three-dimensional 7.1 mix. Extraordinarily clear, well-placed voices are in the front channels, and the immersive sonics of the musical numbers sweep you up for an experience that’s truly transcendental.
Video: 1080p, 2.38:1. Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1. Extras: commentary by film restorers Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz, co-production designer Gene Allen, and singer Marni Nixon; “More Loverly Than Ever: The Making of My Fair Lady, Then and Now”; six vintage featurettes; alternate Audrey Hepburn vocals; galleries, with Rex Harrison radio interview accompanying some.
