My Fair Lady (1964 Soundtrack/Super Audio Compact Disc/SACD/SA-CD Stereo
Version/Columbia Records)
DSD 2.0
Stereo Sound: B Music: B
Though
the role of Eliza Doolittle was originated on the stage by Julie Andrews, it
was always a controversy that Audrey Hepburn won the role in the big screen
70mm film, version of Lerner & Loewe’s My
Fair Lady (1964, with arrangements for the film by Andre Previn) directed
into a big hit by George Cukor and winning the Best Picture Academy Award. Hepburn wanted to do all the singing herself,
but producers had Marnie Nixon substitute Hepburn’s vocals at all stages. Nixon had dubbed Deborah Kerr in The King & I (1956, reviewed
elsewhere on this site) to great success.
As many
of you know, the team of James Katz and Robert Harris saved the film, leading
to a grand reissue. In the old 12”
LaserDisc format, the film was even issued in a very fancy, classy box set that
included a 24K Gold CD version of the original soundtrack album. The Laser even had Hepburn’s original vocals
for Eliza as alternate tracks. Now,
outdoing that Gold CD is a Super Audio CD of the soundtrack from Sony in their
advanced DSD (Direct Stream Digital) sound format that will only play on SA-CD
(aka SACD) players and even Playstation 3 machines.
The
musical numbers, some of which are all-time classics include:
1)
Overture
2)
Why Can’t The English?
3)
Wouldn’t It Be Loverly
4)
I’m An Ordinary Man
5)
With A Little Bit of Luck
6)
Just You Wait
7)
The Rain In Spain
8)
I Could Have Danced All Night
9)
Ascot Gavotte
10) On The Street Where You Live
11) The Embassy Waltz
12) You Did It
13) Show Me
14) Get Me To The Church On Time
15) A Hymn To Him
16) Without You
17) I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her
Face
18) Exit Music
Note that
not only are the opening and closing tracks instrumentals, but they are
designed for big screen showings to alert audiences that the film is about to
start and take their seats. Especially
in 70mm Road Show presentations, each ticket was actually connected to a seat
number and this remains the ultimate definition of what Hollywood would
consider an event picture.
Now I
liked the sound, but having heard it in almost every version, I have to say
that despite the great 2-channel mix here (no PCM CD sound or 5.1 DSD track is
included) the mixdown does miss some of the sound, music and instruments of the
full orchestra you can hear when seeing the film. Sony was not making 5.1 available at first in
this format, but never reissued this as a 5.1 disc. Nevertheless, you will not find a 2-track
version with more clarity and warmth.
That of
course begs the question, what about the Blu-ray? Because of rights issues, the film has
flipped around all over the place. All
we can say is that when the Blu-ray arrives, besides our expectations that it
will potentially be one of the best-looking films in the format, the 5.1 mix
had better be available in DTS MA or Dolby TrueHD, or they need not bother
putting it out at all.
In the
meantime, this is one of the few and best soundtrack releases in SACD and movie
fans will want to grab one.
- Nicholas Sheffo
