Mary Poppins: "Its a jolly 'oliday with Mary!" (Disney ~*~ "Wish Upon a Star" W/O)

In the summer of 1964, way-y-y back when I was just a lad three months shy of my thirteenth birthday, I fell madly in love with Julie Andrews. Yep, that’s right… the movie star Julie Andrews. For a few weeks there, I had a mad crush on her. I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

Well-l-l alright, it wasn’t Julie Andrews per se; it was actually the character she played in her (at the time) latest movie: Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins.

It wasn’t supposed to happen that way. In fact, it wasn’t supposed to happen at all. Back then, I was as much a confirmed movie fanatic as I am today. My tastes ran to historical blockbusters, science fiction films, and James Bond movies. No way would I have deliberately gone to a Walt Disney movie unless I was under some kind of duress! Yet, that’s just what happened. On a warm Saturday afternoon in June 1964, good ol’ mkp51 was arm-twisted into taking his eight year old brother and six year old sister to a matinee showing of Mary Poppins. And I fell head-over-heels in love – with the music, the magic, and the characters.
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NOTE TO READERS: This is my contribution to the Disney ~*~ When You Wish Upon A Star Write-Off, hosted by lisa_j, opalman, and Write-Off link host shurie. The write-off is in support of little Emily Rose, the 15 month old daughter of fellow Epinionator ImAmes, who is battling Retniblastoma, a form of cancer found in the eye. All proceeds from this review will be donated to a special fund in support of Emily’s medical care.

If you'd also like to help out, you can make a donation to a special fund established for Emily:

http://www.paypal.com Account# ImAmes@new.rr.com
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Mary Poppins. Many film critics call it the best Walt Disney movie ever made… the crowning achievement from a studio that has brought us such timeless classics as Fantasia, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Bambi, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King. For my money, Mary Poppins tops ‘em all! This fabulous musical comedy, starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, and Glynis Johns, and based on the best selling British children’s books written by P.L. Travers, ranks as one of the two best children’s movies ever made. (The other being The Wizard of Oz.)

I love to tell the story…

London, England, circa. 1910. Meet the Banks family at 17 Cherry Tree Lane. A typical upper middle class family living at the height of the Edwardian era in British history. George Banks, the father, is a second vice-president of the "Dawes, Tomes, Mouseley, Grubbs Fidelity Fiduciary Bank." He’s the fussy, stuffy, "lord of his castle," and a distant, stern disciplinarian toward his two children, Jane and Michael (ten and eight years old, respectively.) Winifred Banks, the mother, is caring and compassionate toward the children, but is so involved in the women’s suffrage movement that she doesn’t spend a whole lot of time with Jane and Michael. Consequently, the children are most often left in the care of a nanny.

The Banks family has a problem. They can’t seem to keep a nanny for more than a few weeks. Over the years, Jane and Michael have innocently provided a source of frustration to a whole series of nannies. When the latest in a long line of child-minders abruptly quits, George Banks decides to take on the task of hiring a new nanny himself.

Next morning, out of the sky drops Mary Poppins. Responding to a torn up letter written by the children ands carried on a gust of wind, Mary Poppins arrives at the Banks household. She’s immediately hired by a confused George Banks.

Mary Poppins embarks on a course of teaching the children a sense of discipline and responsibility. She does this through kindness and compassion mixed with a quiet firmness and determination. Soon, Jane and Michael are responding to her life lessons with alacrity. Those lessons take the form of dazzling, magical outings for the children, courtesy of the "practically perfect" Mary Poppins, accompanied by her cheerful and trusted friend, Bert (Dick Van Dyke). From popping into sidewalk chalk pictures, to having high tea on the ceiling with Uncle Albert, the laughing man, to dancing on London rooftops with hundreds of Bert’s fellow chimney sweeps, the children learn the value of true friendship, loving family relationships, and responsibility.

These high adventures prove a source of consternation to George Banks, however. Unable to tolerate anything that smacks of frivolity or, in his words, "sugary female thinking," he constantly upbraids Mary Poppins for not teaching his children about responsibility as he sees it. George believes his children should focus on the seriousness of life as embodied in his career as a banker. He decides to take Jane and Michael on an outing of his own… to the "Dawes, Tomes, Mouseley, Grubbs Fidelity Fiduciary Bank."

How will the children respond to the lessons George tries to teach them? Will the children find themselves drawn closer to their father as a result of their visit to the bank? What lessons does Mary Poppins teach the entire Banks family during her short visit to 17 Cherry Tree Lane? Watch this beautiful movie to find out!!

So… what do I think?

Where to begin? This is such an extraordinary movie!! It has everything that a great kid’s movie should have: a wonderful story that teaches strong family values; a brilliant cast; absolutely stunning special effects (even by today’s standards); and wonderful music. Here are just a few of the things I like best about Mary Poppins:

The acting: Absolutely brilliant. Julie Andrews won a Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Mary Poppins. She imbues her character with the reserve so prevalent in British society during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. At the same time, she manages to convey a wonderful sense of joy, kindness, and compassion toward the children. Dick Van Dyke is superb as the carefree chimney sweep ans jack-of-all-trades, Bert. His relaxed comic style is perfectly matched to his character. And, while his Cockney accent doesn’t quite deliver the goods accurately, it’s nevertheless pretty good. (By the way, look for Mr. Van Dyke in a secondary role in this film. I won’t tell you which one… but it's unlikely you'll miss him!) David Tomlinson is the third stand-out member of this fabulous ensemble cast. He’s practically perfect as the pompous, stuffy martinet of a father, George Banks. Other cast members are excellent as well, especially Glynis Johns as Winifred Banks; and Ed Wynn in his hilarious role as the laughing man, Uncle Albert.

The writing: Screen writers Bill Walsh and Don Da Gradi adapted Mary Poppins from the series of British children’s books authored by P.L. Travers (1899-1996) This is a tender story that addresses many family issues that were as problematic at the beginning of the twentieth century as they are today: responsibility, accountability, and the proper role of parents in the rearing of their children. In the Banks household, we find a family with many of the same problems that afflict today’s families: two parents, each focused on their own interests, each so busy with their own lives that they have precious little time to forge and maintain loving bonds with their children. What are the possible consequences for the children? How can these problems be addressed and solved? The beauty of this story is that it’s done in a way that’s easy for kids, even younger ones (I’d say ages six and older) to understand and learn from.

The music: All of the music and lyrics in Mary Poppins are original… composed by Richard Sherman and his brother Robert. This film has some of the best songs ever to appear in a movie! Each song is in itself a classic: "A Spoonful of Sugar;" "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious;" (I think that’s how it’s spelled!); "Feed the Birds" (my personal favorite); Academy Award-winning "Chim Chim Cher-ee;" "Step in Time;" and "Let’s Go Fly a Kite" are but a few of the magical, sometimes whimsical, but always "practically perfect" songs that make this film such a wonderful musical experience.

And then there's the magic... the special effects! In its day, Mary Poppins was on the "cutting edge" of movie-making technology. Examples of these (what were then) ultra-modern special effects: this was one of the first films to use miniature robotics for animation. (That robin that lands on the window sill during "A Spoonful of Sugar" is a miniature robotic bird!) And, of course, this is also one of the first films to combine real-life actors and animation extensively (the entire sequence with Mary, Bert and the children inside the sidewalk chalk picture.) These special effects may seem a bit tame when compared with today’s computer-generated graphics, but make no mistake: they’re still eye-popping!

MY VERDICT (as if you haven’t already guessed!!):

Go beyond all the glitz and glitter of the film, and you’ll find at the heart of Mary Poppins a simple story about family, with important lessons for all of us – children and adults alike – on how we can make our homes better and happier places to live.

By today’s standards, Mary Poppins may seem a little old-fashioned, even dated. But it’s still a great kid’s movie! With a well written, touching story, superb music, and outstanding special effects, it’s at once brilliantly funny, poignant, joyous, carefree, and just plain marvelous entertainment.

THE DVD:

"Extras" provided:

* Anamorphic widescreen format (1.85:1 aspect ratio)
* English (Dolby 5.1), French (mono), and Spanish (mono) audio tracks
* "The Making of Mary Poppins" documentary
* Mary Poppins trivia game
* "Hollywood Goes to a World Premiere" documentary
* Original theatrical trailer

Video Quality: Superb!! Exceptionally clear and sharp resolution, little evidence of "pixellization." Beautifully rendered colors and natural flesh tones. Animated sequences are particularly brilliant, which will appeal to children. Far superior to VHS!

Audio Quality: Superb! Clear, crisp, and vibrant, with all frequencies clearly audible. Wonderful stereo imaging. Far superior to VHS!
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