During my senior year of high school I had to watch the film Pygmalion. My opinion of the film was not very favorable. Based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play, Pygmalion was a black and white film released in 1938 and not what an eighteen-year-old man would care to watch. But ten years later I watched Pygmalion again, in my English 213 class, and found it more enjoyable. Perhaps my change of opinion has to do with fact I am older and matured. I watched the film with more interest and more open-mindedly.
I found Leslie Howard, as Higgins, more enjoyable now than ten years ago. Ten years ago I found him dull and boring, but now he is one of my favorite characters in film. Leslie Howard was funny and realistic as a professor, and he made the film as good as it was.
The scenes with Eliza's father Alfred P. Doolittle, portrayed by Wilfred Lawson, made more sense ten years later. With maturity, came a better understanding of the situation. The fact he was upset to be middle class and the way he expressed his displeasure was humorous. Mr. Doolittle thought of being middle class as a misfortune, instead of being happy that he could now have anything he wanted. He
blamed Higgins for his misfortune, and this produced one of the funniest scenes in the film. Ten years earlier, I did not care about this scene; nor did I find it funny.
As a person becomes older, he or she begins to appreciate different things. I no longer view black and white films as dull and boring; I have learned to appreciate them for what they are, classics. This class has helped to broaden my understanding and appreciation for such films. I can honestly say that, had I not had to watch Pygmalion in this class, I most likely would not have given it a second chance. Now I have decided to give other old films another try.