I liked how the movie was filmed. The street scenes and Nazi uniforms well matched with the period. I know it because I used to study German culture and language and myself is a war time military things collector. I had done many researches on WW2 period soldiers' uniforms. The only thing. The music was well composed and used. The German kid, finding the forbidden way out to the concentration camp through the woods was really like a kid's view of exploring the woods. But it disturbed me very much when I heard the Nazi's saying:
"Son, they(Jews) are not really people."
And barking order at the Jewish people. The Nazis treated Jews worse than animals.
At one stage, looking at the smoke coming out of incinerator chimney and says: "They smell worse when they are dead"
This is the official movie trailer obtained from YouTube:
It always horrifies me that How the Nazis did mass execution of the Jews. Not only to kill them but use labour until they get weak and useless. They had to work hard all day, minimal food and eventually die from hunger or executed in chambers which Nazis tell them they are going to shower rooms. The Nazis were mean enough to tell the Jew before entering the chamber. "It's a shower time so please take care of your belongings."
This story of a Nazi army's general's son making friends with a Jewish boy through the concentration camp fence. The German boy always think that camp was I strange place where people always wear the pyjamas looking uniform. One day the general's son crosses over the fence and wears the uniform which the Jews had to wear. The Nazis in the camp think two boys were both Jews. The boys were taken to the gas chamber and the movie ends like that.
The image was taken from http://intothedustbowl.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/boy_in_the_striped_pajamas.jpg
My wife is Japanese and her sister is a musical actress. Coincidentally the team which my sister-in-law belongs to was also playing my fair lady on the same day, similar period. Here are some pictures from the Japanese version Pamphlet. Eliza was played by a very famous Japanese Musical actress Daich Mao. The play had many repeats all ove the Japan and as a family member, my wife went to see the play several times. But After seeing the Australian version, she said the facial expression of the Western people are so rich and nice. And also she commented that Japanese actors need heavy make up and wigs to make themselves look like Westerns.
During the show there was a scene where Higgin teaching Eliza pronouncing vowels without blowing off a lamp flame. But when he demonstrated it Eliza, he flew off the flame by accident. After that he did many tries but he kept on failing. The audience started to laugh and both Eliza and Higgin were laughing too. Higgin at one point said "It's the beetroot I had for lunch...." and it made the audience laugh even harder. Personally I do not enjoy watching musical videos. I had seen My Fair lady before and I did not really enjoy it. The one probably I liked the most was The Sound of Music. I really did not expect too much from this My Fair Lady live. But as soon as Eliza started to sing, I was mesmerised at thw whole show. I just could not take my eyes off of the stage. it was probably the first time that I never looked at my wrist watch to see what time it was and to guess how long left. When the actors sang, I felt like I was in a Holywood musical movie. Eliza(acted by Taryn Fiebig)'s singing was so good. She sounded like Julie Andrews and I personally think Taryn's singing was way better than the movie starring Audrey Hepburn. On the other hand, Higgin(played by William McInnes)' acting was excellent but the singing level was a little disappointing. I do not want to be harsh on comment but I was hoping that he would have a better voice. On the way back from the show I rented My Fair lady and watched it again just to compare it with that day's show.
This is a clip taken form YouTube. It's quite well filmed and hope this is a legal trailer:
One thing I was worried about was the fact that Civic theater has so small stage. I remembered it because I used watch movies there about 10 years ago. But with surprise they made many many difference stages according to the scenes. They somehow managed to rotate the stages and I had no I idea how they did that! There were so many different stages.
A few words about Civic, it has always kept their original interior theme from long time ago. It sometime look Persian, sometimes look Egyptian and sometimes Moroccan. The lighting from the entrance was warm and inside the theater was dark but warm with Palace or castle looking rear interior.
The basic story begins with the main charactor Eliza Doolittle meets Professor Higgin at a street market. Eliza is a flower girl who is poor and uneducated. Her English is not the standard English. Professor Higgin and Eliza make a deal to make her speak standard English and teach manner so that even hierarchy people will think she is a hierarchy. The lesson was successful and eventually Professor Higgin and Eliza fall in love. It is a happy ending story. Here is a picture of Eliza and Higgin dancing from the pamphlet I purchased.
When I was inside the stage I remembered one of Charles's Monday lectures. That gentleman who worked on Stage lighting which extracts heat through a special material so there will be less heat to emitted to the stage or to the colour filters. And Civic had several of them!! Those Banana shaped ones! I was proud to be studying at AUT
