Pygmalion (1938): Cast & Plot
Pygmalion is a 1938 comedy drama directed by Anthony Asquith, starring Leslie Howard as Henry Higgins, Wendy Hiller and Marie Lohr. It is based on Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. It runs 1 hour 36 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 36m (96 min)
- Director
- Anthony Asquith
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Gabriel Pascal Productions
- Based on
- Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Pygmalion About?
The premise of Pygmalion without spoilers, adapted from Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Professor Henry Higgins boasts he can turn Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle into a lady in six months, prompting Colonel Pickering to fund the wager through an agreement with her dustman father. Eliza moves into Higgins’s home for rigorous speech training, while other characters also undergo their own transformations.
Pygmalion Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- based on play
- period drama
- reference to shakespeare
- reference to john milton
- police
- police officer
- formal ball
- basket of flowers
- woman in a bathtub
- reference to a beheading
- reference to buckingham palace
- flower seller
+38 more Show fewer
- misogynist
- romantic rival
- kimono
- box of chocolate
- cockney accent
- crying woman
- book of etiquette
- gala
- kiss
- man woman romance
- battle of the sexes
- mentor protege relationship
- sea sponge
- drinking tea
- welshman
- screenplay adapted by author
- flower
- man wears eyeglasses
- flowers
- horse and carriage
- england
- united kingdom
- linguistics professor
- linguistics
- speech
- girl
- woman bathes
- rain
- romantic comedy
- bet
- gutter
- english
- professor
- language
- servant
- suitor
- hair brush
- leather chair
Pygmalion Cast & Characters
Leslie Howard leads the cast as Henry Higgins, with Wendy Hiller as Eliza Doolittle and Marie Lohr as Mrs. Higgins. Directed by Anthony Asquith; 29 actors are credited in all.
- Director Anthony Asquith
-
Leslie Howard as Henry Higgins -
Wendy Hiller as Eliza Doolittle - Marie Lohr as Mrs. Higgins
- Scott Sunderland as Colonel George Pickering
Also Starring in Pygmalion
· 25 more- Jean Cadell Mrs. Pearce
- Wilfrid Lawson Alfred Doolittle
- Everley Gregg Mrs. Eynsford-Hill
- David Tree Freddy Eynsford-Hill
- Leueen MacGrath Clara Eynsford-Hill
- Esme Percy Count Aristid Karpathy
- Anthony Quayle Eliza's Hairdresser (uncredited)
- Ivor Barnard Sarcastic Bystander
- Cathleen Nesbitt A Lady
- Wally Patch First Bystander
- Leo Genn Prince (uncredited)
- Frank Atkinson Taxi-Driver
- Patrick Macnee
- O.B. Clarence Mr. Birchwood
- Stephen Murray Second Policeman
- Irene Browne Duchess
Show all 29 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Moyna MacGill Woman Bystander (uncredited)
- H.F. Maltby Second Bystander
- Cecil Trouncer First Policeman
- Kate Cutler Grand Old Lady
- George Mozart Third Bystander
- Eileen Beldon Mrs. Higgin's Parlourmaid
- Violet Vanbrugh Ambassadress
- Iris Hoey Ysabel
- Viola Tree Perfide
More from Anthony Asquith
More films directed by Anthony Asquith, best-rated first: The V.I.P.s, The Yellow Rolls-Royce, Guns of Darkness and The Millionairess.
Pygmalion Plot Summary
What happens in Pygmalion from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 10 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
One evening in Covent Garden, as passers-by murmur about language, linguist Henry Higgins [Leslie Howard] is mistaken for a policeman, triggering protests from Eliza Doolittle [Wendy Hiller], a sharp-tongued flower seller. The disruption catches Higgins’s attention, and he talks with Colonel Pickering [Scott Sunderland], a fellow language enthusiast who has come from India to study him. Higgins argues that, with his method, Eliza could speak with the elegance of high society and might even pass as a duchess. This audacious claim sparks a bold bet with Pickering: if Higgins can transform Eliza, he will cover all the expenses of her training and testing against a future of greater opportunity.
Full summary
The whole story of Pygmalion, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know Pygmalion?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Which actor portrays the linguist Henry Higgins?
Pygmalion Also Known As
8 alternative titles, including “卖花女” and “Pigmalione”.
- Also known as
-
- 卖花女
- Pigmalione
- Πυγμαλίων
- Der Roman eines Blumenmädchens
- Пигмалион
- Пігмаліон
- Pigmalion
- ピグマリオン
Seen Pygmalion?
Movies Like Pygmalion
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Pygmalion, Pygmalion and My Fair Lady.
Pygmalion FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast, the book behind it and post-credit scenes of Pygmalion, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Pygmalion?
Pygmalion runs 1 hour 36 minutes (96 minutes).
When was Pygmalion released?
Pygmalion was released on August 29, 1938.
Who directed Pygmalion?
Pygmalion was directed by Anthony Asquith.
More films by Anthony Asquith Who is in the cast of Pygmalion?
Pygmalion stars Leslie Howard as Henry Higgins, Wendy Hiller as Eliza Doolittle and Marie Lohr as Mrs. Higgins, among 29 credited actors.
Is Pygmalion based on a book?
Yes. Pygmalion is adapted from Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw.
Does Pygmalion have a post-credit scene?
No. Pygmalion has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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