Mary Poppins

It's hard for me to explain the connection I feel with this film ... I was 7 when it came out, saw it twice in the theaters at the time, and of course have seen it over and over since then. I'm going to get the 40th anniversary DVD soon. You can argue about Dick Van Dyke playing an Englishman, about Julie Andrews being too sweet and young compared to the character in literature, about the fact that the whole thing was obviously shot on a soundstage. But just imagine being 7 or 8 or 9 or 10 or anywhere near there, and not getting out of your small town in the rust belt of the U.S. except maybe a few times a year on holidays, and you can imagine what seeing this magical, albeit Disneyfied, look at another world must have been like. Every time I see it, I think back to the beautiful old movie theater in which I saw it (a block away from the Catholic school I then attended, no less), to getting my mother to buy a certain box of cereal so I could get the Mary Poppins prize inside, to gathering on weekends with cousins to listen to the soundtrack and try to dance like Bert. I've been to London many times since then, but funny enough, as much as the great city has to offer, I've never been able to find that magical place I saw 40 years ago.

"Mary Poppins" is one of that select group of films that can truly be called 'Classic', a project conceived in love and filled with so much child-like wonder that it will never grow old or 'out-of-date'. Certainly the crowning achievement of Walt Disney's remarkable career, both story-wise and technically, the film remains an unsurpassed achievement!

Based on P.L. Travers' tales of a magical nanny who arrives to bring families closer, the rights to the stories had been pursued by Disney since 1938, but Travers had seen what studios had done to other authors' works, and withheld her approval unless she could maintain some creative control. Years of negotiations only whetted Disney's desire to make a definitive, truly 'special' film, and by 1960, despite the box office failure of another fantasy-themed 'pet' project, "Darby O'Gill and the Little People", he was more confident than ever in the story's potential, bringing together a remarkable array of talent, including songwriting brothers Richard and Robert Sherman, production head Bill Walsh, and the brilliant artist Peter Ellenshaw to 'visualize' 1910 London through his matte paintings.

With Travers' grudging approval, casting began. While American stage and TV star Dick Van Dyke was an odd choice to play a Cockney chimneysweep, he was a gifted mime and physical comedian, and had such a wholesome exuberance that Disney knew British audiences would forgive his shaky accent. Popular British actors Glynis Johns and David Tomlinson would play the preoccupied parents, with Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber (from "The Three Lives of Thomasina") as the neglected children. Veteran stars Ed Wynn, Elsa Lanchester, Reginald Owen, Arthur Treacher, and Jane Darwell (as the Bird Woman, in her last screen appearance), headed the strong supporting cast.

But it was the casting of Julie Andrews, in her first film, as Mary Poppins, that truly 'made' the film! Passed over by Jack Warner for the movie version of her stage hit, "My Fair Lady" (he opted for Audrey Hepburn), Disney caught her performance in "Camelot" on Broadway, knew, instantly, that she was the right 'Mary', and approached her for the role. "But I'm pregnant," she told him. "No problem," he replied. "I'll wait!"

And thus a Classic was born!

A multiple 1964 Oscar winner (including 'Best Actress' for Andrews, who got to share the stage with her "Lady" costar, Rex Harrison, who won 'Best Actor'), the film was a major hit, worldwide, and quickly achieved the legendary status it holds today.

With songs both silly and sublime, seamless intermeshing of live performers and animation as only the Disney studio, at that time, was capable of, and the undeniable magnetism of Andrews and Van Dyke, it is nearly impossible NOT to like "Mary Poppins"!

Based on some books by P.L. Travers, "Mary Poppins" tells the story of the Banks family, who are live in Edwardian London. The parents (David Tomlinson and Glynnis Johns) don't take much notice of their children Jane and Michael, and it is only until a mysterious woman named Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) appears from the sky that things begin to change. She works wonders on the family, in particular taking the children on a number of adventures with Bert (Dick van Dyke), the local Jack-of-all-trades.

Everybody has seen this movie, but I'll review it anyway; it is a bona-fide classic, not because it is an old film, but because it has endured. The film isn't a dirty picture and will delight the little ones, yet underneath this, there is something for adults to obtain. Just as their kids will, they will love the songs, be blown away by the novelty animated segment and will marvel at the special effects, which hold up even in today's CGI obsessed world. Yet adults will also be able to unlock the endearing layers of the story, which are simultaneously simple and complex and thoroughly beautiful. This film comes recommended time and time again, one of the great features of owning the 40th Anniversary Edition DVD that has a beautifully restored image and lovely bonus features such as a "making of" documentary, original theatrical trailers and vintage footage from the premiere.

Possible alternatives: Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Alice in Wonderland (1951), My Fair Lady (1964)

Julie's film debut began the world's love affair with her--and what a marvelous vehicle for doing so. Julie appears here in fine voice and is radiantly beautiful.

The performance is more than deserving of the Oscar, especially considering that she had to act to blue screens and objects/characters from within her imagination. No easy task, certainly.

I also love the way Julie, as Mary, refuses to acknowledge the free-for-all that is going on around her. She simply pushes her hair primly back in place and presses on, despite the dancing chimney sweeps and giggling uncles that surround her. "I never explain anything," she blithely comments.

The score is one of my favorites in all the Disney canon. The Sherman brothers outdid themselves with "Stay Awake," one of the most under-appreciated lullabys ever written, and the hauntingly winsome "Feed the Birds."

The Disney animators have created a visual feast as bottomless and surprising as Mary Poppins' carpetbag. The Peter Ellenshaw matte shots are breathtaking. My favorite visual moments? Bert and Mary's live-action reflections in a pond are eddied by a family of cartoon geese. I also love when Bert, Mary, and the children ascend a staircase constructed only of chimney smoke. Brilliant!

There are a few drawbacks: The film's a little over-long, especially in the final third where Mary's but an afterthought in all the plot resolution. In addition, Van Dyke was an excellent choice for his singing and dancing (and popularity), but his cockney accent does grate after a while.

But all in all, this is a tour de force for all involved!

Number 17, Cherry Tree Lane?

"Mary Poppins" is one of Disney's best live-action films and one of the most popular either. It's a light-hearted comedy and a delightful movie that is so much fun to watch. The movie looks dated for today's standards, but it is undeniably charming. In fact, its old-fashioned charm is timeless. It's a good movie and a classic, so the fact that it looks dated is not a major problem.

It's easy to understand why "Mary Poppins" is such a beloved classic: its simplicity, its magic, its special/visual effects, its beautiful songs, its good morals, its charm, its characters, its classic humor, its combination of live-action and animation and great actors. The way how this combines live-action and animation is very good. Amazing for its time and keeps working out fine.

The sceneries and landscapes of London city are stunning when Mary Poppins is floating on the air (angles of view never seen before or after this, not even in Peter Pan's movies). The walks through London's streets also allows us to know this beautiful city better, as well as its monuments and respective wonderful architecture. The landscapes through the roofs of London are simply amazing and the dancing numbers are excellent.

«Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious» is the longest and strangest word I've ever heard. Definitely a nonsense but charming word. In fact, I had to practice this word for about a month. Now I can say it easily, but I had serious difficulties to say this word at first.

"Mary Poppins" is an amusing and magical tale, with some valuable morals about family, education and stuff like that as well, combined with light humor.

The characters are interesting in general. Bert is a very cool guy which a cheerful personality, a fine artist, an excellent dancer and speaks with a cockney accent. Dick Van Dyke is awesome as Bert and the way he dances is incredible. He was in excellent shape here. He really dances like Ray Bolger.

The Banks children (Jane and Michael) are absolutely adorable. They're both sweet, innocent and so cute. Michael Banks is the funniest of the two, with his goofy faces in an adorable way and his hilarious way of being «extremely stubborn and suspicious». And they're portrayed by two of the most charismatic and talented child actors of all time: Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber. It's really sad that Matthew Garber went to Heaven so young (at the age of 21).

Mary Poppins is «the perfect nanny». A magical woman who is also firm and serious but kind and cheerful. Great performance by Julie Andrews, one of her very best. Winifred Banks is a lovable mother, greatly portrayed by Glynis Johns. George Banks is a workaholic, impatient, cold and very serious father most of the time, but at the end of the movie he changes radically his attitudes and becomes a jolly and lovable father. Good performance by David Tomlinson.

Uncle Albert is a character with a minor role but a strong presence. He's very jolly, maybe a little too much, but he's simply hilarious. Ed Wynn is awesome and hilarious as Uncle Albert, a role that resembles somehow the Mad Hatter from "Alice in Wonderland" (1951) - a funny coincidence, because he was the voice of the Mad Hatter. I admit that at first the whole "I Love to Laugh" sequence was a little too much for me, but I quickly got used to it and ended up finding it great fun.

The soundtrack is gold. There are so many lovely songs that it's difficult to chose a favorite. I have many favorites: "The Perfect Nanny", "Let's go fly a kite", "Stay Awake", "The Carousel Horses", "A Spoonful of Sugar", "Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag)", "Jolly Holliday", "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", "Sister Suffragette", "Chim Chim Cher-ee" and "Penguin Dance". On the other hand, "A Man Has Dreams", "Step in Time" and "The Life I Lead" are nice too, but my favorites are definitely the ones I listed first. The only song I don't like very much is "Fidelity Fiduciary Bank". The only part I like in that song is «You'll see, Michael, you'll be part of railways through Africa, dams across the Nile, fleets of ocean greyhounds, majestic, self-amortizing canals, plantations of ripening sea».

Oh, I love the merry-go-round and the carousel horses of this movie. They're all beautiful. The merry-go-round has a very nostalgic effect for me - it reminds me about childhood. The merry-go-round was so much fun to be in. I also like the animated characters, especially the penguins and the fox.