My Fair... Pygmalion?

I took on the challenge of reading Pygmalion, a play by George Bernard Shaw. It seemed short, easy, and relatively stress-free, so I read it last Saturday. In the middle of Act I, got the brilliant idea of watching My Fair Lady while following the play along in my book. So I opened up My Fair Lady on youtube, hooked my computer up to the TV, and watched. I was surprised by how much of the play was incorporated into the movie. The makers of My Fair Lady really brought Pygmalion to life. However, though there many similarities, some major changes were made to make the movie more continuous and... exciting.

The first major discord appeared in the second act. After Higgins accepts Eliza as a pupil, the movie shows the tedious and rigorous boot camp that poor Eliza is forced to endure. Surprisingly, however, the play does not show her training. Instead, it jumps from Higgins's and Pickering's bet to Eliza's first showcase. I really dislike the play for this. There are random jumps between acts where large chunks of time almost randomly disappear in a void.
This brings me to the next difference. In the movie, Eliza is first tested in high society at the derby. In the play though, Eliza is actually taken to Higgins's mother's house, where she meets Freddy. I personally prefer the derby, for it is far more exciting than tea at the Higgins's. However, it would be rather difficult for a theater to put on a full derby scene on stage. So, for practicality's sake, his mother's house will have to do.
Eliza's second debut also is portrayed differently in the movie than it is in the book. My Fair Lady shows Eliza at a grand ball, dancing with foreign princes. In the play however, Eliza is simply taken to the opera. Oh, and that entire scene where the linguist believes that Eliza is Hungarian royalty? It's not even portrayed in the play. In fact, that entire scene is cut out in the play, which really shocked and disappointed me.
Lastly, and possibly most importantly, Eliza's choice of men is not the same in both stories. In My Fair Lady, Eliza ends up with Higgins. She comes to love his rude and stubborn ways and ultimately chooses him over Freddy. However, in the play, Shaw informs the reader in the epilogue that Eliza in fact marries Freddy because she does not want to compromise her feminine independence. As Shaw put it, Eliza would "rather have Freddy pick up her slippers than have to pick up Higgins's slippers." I think that the makers of My Fair Lady chose their ending to simply make the viewers happy. To be truthful, I would be angry if Eliza and Freddy ended up together.

In the end, I really liked the movie better. Apart from the catchy show tunes, My Fair Lady had a continuity to it that Pygmalion lacked. The play had major time lapses that made the story seem to lack something important.
Anyway, I really enjoyed reading Pygmalion while watching My Fair Lady. It was fun. (: