Mary Poppins

“Mary Poppins” was an important film of my childhood but as with the films of the Disney Renaissance, I never knew its importance or just how good it was until later in my life. The acting in this show is very fun and wonderfully done. The special effects still bring enjoyment to its audience and the story is inspiring. Its best quality is the songs by the Sherman Brothers. This film was the pinnacle of their careers and it shows. “Mary Poppins” remains at the near top of the list of my favorite fantasy films with the exception of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and it is my favorite film from 1964.

The fun nature of the movie is experienced immediately with Bert as the one man band. In contrast, the Banks family is established as a household is disarray. This is due to how Mr. Banks lives his life. All the troubles with the hired help & family relationships stem from his workaholic lifestyle. He sees no problems with his life & family however and that is the real tragic characteristic of the family. I like the running gag of Admiral Boom’s cannon and how Mr. Banks either appreciates it or doesn’t notice it. The interview between Mary Poppins and Mr. Banks is quite humorous. As an adult when I watch the movie, the scene is more about Mary Poppins interviewing Mr. Banks. She examines him for example and then suggests a trial period of a week. After sizing him up, she seems to sense that a week is all it will take to save Mr. Banks. Mrs. Banks also is a flawed individual but her flaws bring comedy. She rallies for the vote in public but at home, she acts very submissive to her husband. I don't think the filmmakers are trying to make any metaphor to real life protestors. Rather, the hypocrisy makes me fond of her as a character in the film. The film exhibits many special effects that little children even today watch in wonder. I am sorry to disappoint many readers by saying that the idea of dancing penguins did not originate with the Oscar-winning animated film from 2006. “Mary Poppins” features Dick Van Dyke tearing it up with four waiter penguins and their moves completely overshadow those on the two “Happy Feet” films. The comedy during that scene is very funny thanks to Van Dyke. If I am not mistaken after Bert puts salt on the ground, he throws some over his shoulder for good luck and that is a nice touch. In just one day, the Banks house has changed for the better with the exception of Mr. Banks. Despite the fact that he is the antagonist, Mr. Banks is not made out to be completely repellent. This is important for the end of the film. His routine has been altered and he was unprepared for it, that’s all. I dare anyone to watch the Uncle Albert scene and not at least smile. The special effects of that scene are noteworthy because the filmmakers do not reuse the same trick to simulate floating high in the air. Just when you think you have figured out the cinematic magic trick, you second-guess yourself and thus the special effects of that scene are successful.

One difference between an ordinary movie and a cinematic masterpiece is contrast. I have heard one of my favorite filmmakers say that for every laugh, there must be a tear. “Mary Poppins” contains drama as well as fun and this brings me to Walt Disney’s unofficial favorite song: “Feed the Birds”. The song contains wonderful messages that are Biblical in nature and fittingly, the sequence takes place at the cathedral. One message is contained in the line, “Sometimes a person we love, through no fault of his own, can’t see past the end of his nose.” This proves my point that Mr. Banks is not a bad person. He is just lost because of the life he lives day after day in the bank. An audience member might suspect that Mr. Banks doesn’t love his children/family and after the run on the bank, this theory may appear confirmed. Bert however teaches the children and us the truth. We all have troubles and problems in life but the good news is that we have parents or friends that we can turn to for help. Not Mr. Banks though and this is because he chooses to keep his problems to himself. Mr. Banks needs help and maybe his children can be the ones to help him. During the song in the bank, you can see that Mr. Banks is under the thumb of the senior officers. That scene with Bert and the children on the steps is very well written for all children to understand the context and for us adults, the lines are still powerful. Continuing with the contrast, we have the chimney sweep dance sequence and that is lots of fun. My favorite parts of “Step in Time” include “kick your knees up” and “link your elbows” as Bert almost gets thrown off the roof. The music portrays this close call amusingly. After Mary Poppins beats the sweeps in a twirling challenge, not only are the men are good sports having lost the contest but they want her to do it again. I laugh so hard at their pleas. Hilarity continues with Admiral Boom and the invasion of the Banks home. The music briefly creates anticipation for the line “It’s the master” and subsequent comedy that Mr. Banks introduces is even more funnier than it should be as a result.

Suddenly however, the drama of the film is back as Mr. Banks becomes aware of the possibility that his situation at the bank is to be terminated. Bert should be the last person that Mr. Banks turns to share his problems with but coincidence allows this to happen. Bert however puts the idea in Banks’ mind (he is quite susceptible to that) that his children should be the ones to help him. Banks’ reaction to this is quite dramatic. Banks is also told that his children will no longer desire his company very soon and that he must spend time with them before it is too late. His eyes seem to portray disbelief and understanding all at once concerning Bert’s words. When he accepts the return of the tuppence, he does it graciously. His reaction to his children’s apology seems to portray gratitude and at the same time, he is trying to understand the full meaning of their apology. I always cry as Banks’ walks alone at night back to the bank due to the accompanying musical score. The lighting, design and atmosphere also assist. As a side note, the lighting in the meeting with the bank owners is also noteworthy. Being the antagonist, we should not feel so sorry for Mr. Banks but we do. He stops at the cathedral and for the first time sees “past the end of his nose”. He suddenly realizes that if he had let Michael feed the birds, none of this would have happened. When he takes responsibility for the trouble that Michael caused at the bank, his face seems to say that he has yet to understand exactly why he assumes fault. All these instances come back to him once again as he discovers the tuppence in his pocket after he is discharged. Suddenly he fully understands these various discussions and moments of that evening preceding his meeting with the bosses. He begins to laugh and we the audience know that he is not crazy because of the line, “Mary Poppins was right...It does make you feel better.” He is also joyful because he understands how foolish he has been in this part of his life. He has been missing out on Mary Poppins’ gift of happiness. Thus comes about a wonderful climax and I find it funny how the Bankers show up flying kites as well.

The cast members and other filmmakers associated with “Mary Poppins” all contributed wonderfully to the magic of this movie. Walt Disney for years had been after the rights to adapt P. L. Travers' book and at that start of the 60's, he was given the chance. This story itself got its own movie 50 years later. "Mary Poppins" was the film debut of Julie Andrews and she won an Oscar for it! I never knew that growing up and that makes me so happy. Andrews & Disney took the firm & cold nanny from the book and added a sweetness that has become so influential in pop culture. I love Andrews’ laugh for example when she finds her tape measure. The movie would not be what it is without Dick Van Dyke either. He plays an amazing generalist or in other words, a person who is good at a variety of trades. His persona from his TV show and his talents are a large part of the fun this film exudes. For the longest time, I thought he has a cockney accent in real life. His pretend tightrope-balancing act is very funny because of the use of music and when he looks down. As a kid I could not see him as Mr. Dawes Sr. but now I can and it is a very good performance also. David Tomlinson’s work is noteworthy as mentioned. There is chemistry between the two children as evidenced by the fact that they starred in three films together in the 60’s. Oscar-nominated actor Ed Wynn was a favorite of Walt Disney’s and thus he was cast in this show. His laugh is so contagious and his scene is very memorable as a result. Before “Mary Poppins”, the Sherman Brothers were already successful songwriters but because they had similar ideas in the adaptation of the book as Disney, he gave them a lot of say in the production. It shows. The songs and their use as the musical score do so much to move the story forward. A happy song of theirs feels very happy and a heartfelt song feels very touching. I would like to mention all the songs but I feel that would make this review longer than needful. It must be a weird thing to know that you have invented a word that will live on in pop culture. I have checked and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is in the dictionary. The Sherman Brothers won two Oscars for this film and rightfully so.

“Mary Poppins” was nominated for Best Picture but lost to “My Fair Lady”. That movie is still remembered in Hollywood but I feel that ironically “Mary Poppins” is even more memorable and influential. That tends to be the case with a lot of Best Picture nominated films. “Mary Poppins” did win other Oscars already mentioned as well as the award for Best Visual Effects. This movie I believe led to the creation of such films as “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, “The Gnome-Mobile” and “Bedknobs and Broomsticks”. The American Film Institute has honored “Mary Poppins” on its list of the Best Musicals at #4 and on its list of the best songs with “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” being #36. All involved in this movie such as the actors and songwriters under the guidance of Walt Disney created a masterpiece that will entertain for years to come. One might think it is blasphemy to even consider a theatrical remake or sequel but these days, no Disney property is safe from another go-round on the big screen.

5 Stars out of 5