Pygmalion is a 1937 Dutch film, based on the 1913 George Bernard Shaw play of the same title, directed by Ludwig Berger.
Elisa "Lizzie" Dolittle (Doeluttel) is a poor but cheeky flower seller from the lower class, with a flat Amsterdam accent.
When Professor Higgins, a linguist and speech teacher, accidentally bumps into Lizzie, he is shocked by her voice and manner of articulation.
The next day, Lizzie visits him at his house on the Prinsengracht, seeking diction lessons so that she can work as a saleswoman in a store.
His housekeeper, Mrs. Mills (Snijders) is not happy with her arrival and protests that it is impossible to accommodate Lizzie for three months.
He almost gives up hope, until Lizzie's father pays a visit and Higgins realizes that he desperately longs for his daughter to change.
Lizzie is then surprised by the arrival of her father, who has left behind his life as a drunkard in favor of a new career as a public speaker.
George Bernard Shaw, the writer of the same play, sold the rights in 1935 to several film studios from different countries, including the Netherlands.
The name of the main character was actually Eliza Doolittle, but this was changed to the Dutch version Elisa "Liesje" Doeluttel.
[5] Bouwmeester, whose first name was spelled incorrectly in the credits, was immediately a star and even had to hire a secretary to handle her fan mail.