MARY POPPINS REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Release in 1964, Mary Poppins stars Julie Andrews in one of her most iconic and memorable roles and is a thoroughly entertaining feature that is enjoyable for the whole family. The film was produced by Walt Disney and is based on the titular character that appeared in P. L. Travers' children's books. However, the journey from book to screen was not an easy one. Disney's daughters loved the books which lead to him wanting to make a feature film adaptation and attempted to buy the rights to the film from 1938, however, Travers refused as she didn't believe a film version of her books would do justice to her creation. Disney was known at the time primarily as a producer of cartoons and had yet to produce any major live-action work. For more than 20 years, Disney periodically made efforts to convince Travers to allow him to make a Poppins film. He finally succeeded in 1961, although Travers demanded and got script approval rights. After the two decade struggle, Mary Poppins was released in 1964 and proved to be a big success, especially at the box office. However, does it still hold up as classic over fifty years later?

Mary Poppins is set in Edwardian London in 1910 and focuses on the titular nanny as she helps to look after the Banks children, Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael (Matthew Garber), after their previous nanny quit. The family also includes the parents, George (David Tomlinson), who is very strict and works at the bank, and Winifred (Glynis Johns), who is a suffragette and is depicted as a member of Emmeline Pankhurst's "Votes for Women" movement. After Poppins' arrival, she soon impresses the children with her magical presence. Along with Bert (Dick Van Dyke), a cockney jack-of-all-trades and Poppins' closest friend, the children are taken on adventures that exist within Bert's chalk drawings and inside a house where Uncle Albert (Ed Wynn) can't come down from the ceiling due to his uncontrollable laughter. All of this makes Mary Poppins a fun film to watch.

In answer to my earlier question, yes, Mary Poppins still remains a classic, even after over fifty years. When I first watched it as a child, it quickly became one of my favourite films, and, even now, as an adult, I still enjoy it. 

One of the best aspects of Mary Poppins is, undoubtedly, Andrews' performance as Poppins. It's hard to believe that this was her feature film debut as she proves to be a natural in front of the camera. As stated in the film, Andrews is "practically perfect in every way". Because of her performance, Andrews won her much-deserved Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. The supporting cast all give strong performances too. While Van Dyke's British accent is one of the small issues within the film, he still gives a charismatic performance as Poppins' friend, Bert. To be honest, as a child, I didn't notice his poor accent as, at the time, I didn't know that he was American and thought that he was British. It wasn't until I watched it as an adult that I realised Van Dyke's accent was over-the-top. Aside from Bert, Van Dyke also portrayed Mr. Dawes Sr., the old director of the bank where Mr. Banks works. Again, as a child, I didn't notice this as the make-up made Van Dyke look unrecognisable. Another strong performance comes from Tomlinson as Mr. Banks who, in the beginning, is seen as strict and isn't a likable character, however, he soon changes his outlook on life in the film's ending. Both Dotrice and Garber are impressive as the Banks children.

Aside from the performances, another stand-out aspect of Mary Poppins are the songs which were written by the Sherman brothers, Richard and Robert. The most memorable song is 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious'. The song occurs in the chalk-drawing outing animated sequence, just after Poppins wins a horse race. Flush with her victory, she is immediately surrounded by reporters who pepper her with leading questions and comment that she probably is at a loss for words. Poppins disagrees, suggesting that at least one word is appropriate for the situation, and begins the song. While 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' is the most memorable song from the film, the Academy recognised 'Chim Chim Cher-ee' with the award for Best Original Song and the brothers also received a song for Best Original Score. While I love both of the aforementioned songs, other favourites of mine include 'A Spoonful of Sugar' which is sung by Poppins when she helps the children to tidy up their nursery in a more fun way and 'Feed The Birds' which is a moving ballad also sung by Poppins about an elderly woman that sits on the steps on St. Paul's Cathedral and sells bags of bird food to feed to the pigeons that surround her. The songs that feature within Mary Poppins are the reason why it works as a musical. The lyrics are memorable and the tunes are catchy and infectious.

After its release, Mary Poppins was successful, not only at the box office, but at the Academy Awards as well. Aside from winning Andrews her first Oscar for her performance and the Sherman brothers awards for their songwriting work, the feature received two more wins for Best Editing and Best Visual Effects. It was also nominated for eight other Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director for Robert Stevenson, Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design.

Mary Poppins is widely considered to be Walt Disney's "crowning achievement". It was the only film of Disney's to garner a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars in his lifetime. Since its release in 1964, it has been enjoyed and appreciated by families of many generations and it still remains a classic. 

8/10