Mary Poppins

No Pressure,  it's only one of the greatest Disney films of all time with one of the best soundtracks from The Sherman Brothers. Sure, others have talked about it but no pressure, you can still give your own input on this film.  Oh, sorry about that.  Well, folks I've reviewed a lot of classics from Dumbo to Beauty and The Beast but I gotta be honest,  I haven't felt intimidated by a film or short that I've reviewed  until now.   Join me today as I take a look at Mary Poppins.





I like this trailer, it's fun and captures the spirit of the film rather well and uses some good moments. All around, a solid trailer.



The Plot


The plot for this film is not one that I would call simple and I would actually go as far to say that they're are actually two different stories going on here.  The first one being about Jane and Micheal's time with Mary Poppins and then there is also the story of Mr. Banks learning to be a better father.  I  could even pinpoint a moment where the tone seems to shift.  It seems to be right around the time of Feed The Birds or afterwards, where he takes them to the bank.





Characters




I'll be breaking this down into Important, & Supporting.  Let's get started.


Important Characters




Mary Poppins played by Julie Andrews

If  had to describe Mary Poppins, I think the best way is to say, she is prim, proper, serious yet she also knows how to have fun but she seems to separate her two sides.   She has often been considered the perfect nanny and I recall in a  countdown that I watched she came in at # 1 of Hollywood nannies. By the by,  another Julie Andrews, Maria Von Trapp came in at # 2.     Going back to the two sides of the character,  you see her serious side while looking after Jane and Michael but around Bert she seems  to loosen up and be able to have fun.   It almost seems to subtly hint at that both Mary Poppins and Bert have feelings for each other that go beyond being just friends.   All in all, she is a great character and easily understandable why she is one of the most remembered characters.  Also I love how she is able to go toe to toe with Mr. Banks and hold her ground especially with this little spat.

Mr. Banks: Just a moment, Mary Poppins. What is the meaning of this outrage?
Mary Poppins: I beg your pardon?
  Mr. Banks: Will you be good enough to explain all this?
  Mary Poppins: First of all, I would like to make one thing quite clear.
Mr. Banks: Yes?
  Mary Poppins: I never explain anything.

Bert played by Dick Van Dyke

Bert is just an all around fun character and helps to balance out Mary Poppins.  As stated above, I feel that Mary Poppins' fun side comes out around Bert and it helps in easing in her but she does keep her serious side and can put Bert in check when needed but is not overbearing.  It's funny how I remember Bert most as a chimney sweep when he had so many jobs throughout the film such as being a one man band.   Bert is a really fun character and I've seen people complain about Dick Van Dyke's Cockney accent as being hard on the ears but I don't think I ever had that problem because I grew up with Dick Van Dyke portraying Bert. It should also be noted that author of Mary Poppins P.L. Travers, who butted head with Walt over many aspects of the film wanted Dick Van Dyke replaced because she did not believe he was good in the role.


Mr. Banks played by David Tomlinson

Mr. Banks is a unique character and I remember when I was younger, I thought of him as a villain and  his first song can somewhat help in establishing that but the more I look at it,  I think  he has the best character development in the film as he goes from a cold and distant father and husband to trying to understand what his family needs to work and how he can't treat his family like a business.   He needs to be caring and show affection.   I also think  that him losing his job makes him wake up and realize what is truly important in life as depicted during A Man Has Dreams.  I have to say that Mr.  Banks probably has one of my favorite lines at the beginning of the film that shows he thinks his house should be run while discussing, the children's old nanny, Katie Nanna with Mrs. Banks.

Mrs. Banks: I'm sorry, dear, but when I chose Katie Nana, I thought she would be firm with the children. She looked so solemn and cross.

George Banks: My dear, never confuse efficiency with a liver complaint.

Jane and Micheal Banks played by Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber

Now I do apologize about this  but there will be some comparisons to the play as it seems somewhat unavoidable.   I recall when I saw the play,  that Jane and Micheal were portrayed as over the top brats at the beginning and while that worked for the play,  I was relieved that in the film that while they weren't perfect, they were not as annoying as they were in the play.  Here they were bratty but it felt more subtle.   Now the reason that I put them together is because that's the way it seemed in the film and you couldn't have on without the other.



Mrs. Banks played by  Glynis Johns

Now this may seem wrong to say  but Mrs.  Banks seems to be the least important of the important characters.  Don't get me wrong, she serves her purpose and she does try to be a good mother and wife but she is neglectful to children unmeaning to be so and she tries to be a good wife but it seems as though Mr. Banks is to hard on her.  She's not a bad character but it's hard to place where she truly belongs.





Supporting Characters

Katie Nanna played  by Elsa Lanchester 

Now the main reason, I'm bringing up Katie Nanna is because she seems to set the tone for the family, when we see her we see that the family is too much for her and that Mrs. Banks doesn't know how to handle her kids.   While she isn't in the film very long, her presence  does help to  set up a lot of important details about The Banks family.  

Admiral Boom & Mr. Binnacle played by Reginald Owen & Don Barclay 

I think the names  should hint that these are comic relief and you know most of the most supporting characters are comic relief but that isn't a bad thing and it works well.   Admiral Boom and Mr. Binnacle are the next door neighbors of The Banks.   They are both retired from the navy but they still have it their blood, and the top of their house has been  turned into a ship with a working cannon that is shot off at  8 AM  and 6 PM.   It's a fun little gag that doesn't wear out it's welcome.   Now originally, I was only going to talk about Admiral Boom as Mr. Binnacle  doesn't seem to have an important role in the film.  He is many ways,   like Teller of Penn & Teller fame, where he is only there to be seen and not heard.  According to the Disney Wiki ,  it can be assumed that they live together and  I can agree with this and my assumption and they are both old navy buddies that just ended up living with one another.   

Ellen & Mrs. Brill played Hermonie Baddeley & Rita Shaw

Now I know that this is the third set of characters that I've grouped together but for certain characters that seems to be the best way to go about it.   Ellen and Mrs. Brill both work for The Banks family and it is seen at the beginning that they aren't particularly fond of one another and only get along with each other begrudgingly. Though throughout the course of the film just like the rest of the family, they go through a change of heart and start to get along with each other and start working in peace with each other.   They're okay characters and they are fun but the film doesn't focus on them too much as they shouldn't but they are still important to the film.

Constable Jones played by Arthur Treacher 

Again, Constable Jones isn't in the film much but he is a good character and whenever he's onscreen, it's fun.    I mean he's only there as a comic foil  and to help deliver lines and help look for either the children or later on, Mr. Banks.    Really, his main purpose is just to deliver funny lines sch as this one.    

Constable Jones: [on phone] That's what I said, sir. Go fly a kite! [pause]



Constable Jones: Well, no, sir, no. I didn't mean you *personally.*

This has to be one of the funniest lines in the film when  Constable Jones is talking to his superior on the phone.   That is one thing that I really to praise the film for.  The writing is superb in this movie.    That seems to be something that is overlooked but every line that is meant to be funny is funny and I always feel that each line has a lot of weight behind it.



The Penguins  voiced by Daws Butler,  Dal McKennon,  & J. Pat O'Malley

Now the next set of characters that I'm talking about  while still supporting characters  are more like  parts of a vignette as we see them for only one scene if not two or more.   For that reason,  I find it a little funny  that the Penguins are so remembered when they're in  so little of the movie but they are such fun characters and that was one of the disappointments about the play,  I know it would've been hard to adapt them to stage and while the statue characters were a decent replacement, it just wasn't the same.   Also  this has to be my  favorite scene with Bert and  Mary Poppins because it is so colorful and I love the outfits in this scene and this dress is the one that I think of when I think of the character of Mary Poppins.  

Uncle Albert  played by Ed Wynn 

Now again just like the Penguins,  Uncle Albert's scene is more like that of a vignette.  Uncle Albert is such a fun character and his laugh as we see is rather contagious and it's no ordinary laugh as it causes people to float to the top of his house and we see that with the others and it gets to them and I just love that Mary Poppins won't let this stop her from having tea at regular teatime and decides to  have it one ceiling because everyone has laughed there way up there and the only way down is to think of something sad.   Uncle Albert and Bert probably have the best interaction with each other as examined by this little discussion.  

 Bert: Uncle Albert, I got a jolly joke I saved for just such an occasion. Would you like to hear it? Uncle Albert: [sobbing] I'd be so grateful. 

Bert: Well it's about me granddad, see, and one night he has a nightmare. He was so scared, he chewed his pillow to bits. Bits. In the morning, I says, "How you feel, Granddad?" He says, "Oh, not bad. A little down in the mouth." [Bert laughs, Uncle Albert sobs harder] 

Bert: I always say there's nothing like a good joke. 

Uncle Albert: [sobbing] No, and that was nothing like a good joke. 

The Bird Woman played  by Jane Darwell

Fun fact for yay,  Jane Darwell as Walt's favorite actress and he personally offered her role of The Bird Woman in Mary Poppins.   Now The Bird Woman is a unique case in that we don't see any of the other characters actually interact with her.  Now Jane, Micheal and Mr. Banks do share a scene with The Bird Woman but that's about it.  The Bird Woman I feel is a rather poignant character because she shows  that because while she may not much to her because she shows that no matter what, you should always care for your fellow man.   I'll go into this a bit more when I talk about Feed The Birds.    Now, I may be incorrect but I believe that this was her last film before her death in '67 and Jane Darwell won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of The Bird Woman.  

Mr. Dawes Jr.   and Mr. Dawes Sr.  played  by  Arthur Malet &   Navckid Keyd

Again, I know that I'm grouping characters together but as stated up top that seems to work best Now while there are no true villains in this film, I think this these two could count as semi-antagonists. Even then that isn't exactly true. At best they have to fire Mr. Banks for something that happened at the bank, which he was responsible and while Mr. Banks was upset by this at first, it gave him, the wake up call that he needed to see what really matters in life. . In the end though Mr. Dawes Jr. does give Mr. Banks his job back at the end of the film when we see them flying kites and he tells him that his father died happily after laughing at the wooden leg Smith joke that he told, which he learned from Jane and Micheal after their visit with Uncle Albert. Oh, I should also note that the actor's name listed isn't the real name for the actor. It is rather an anagram for the actor's name that was used in the credits. Can you figure it out? Here's a hint: Chimney. If you said, Dick Van Dyke, you'd be right. He would later go onto reprise this role on The Great White Way for one night only. Mr. Dawes Sr. is shown be an elderly gentlemen that seems to have trouble remembering things but is firm. The same can be said for Mr. Dawes Jr. that he is rather firm but he is just doing his job.

Music

Overture

The first thing heard is the overture, which is a lovely melody of the songs heard in the film and it just is so relaxing to listen to and I love it so. It's so simple and it is a lot of fun to try and pick out each song in the overture.   Great start to a fantastic film.

Sister Suffragette

While I can appreciate that this song is about The Women's Right Movement.   It's my least favorite song from the film.  I just don't find it as memorable as the other songs in this film.   Again,  it's not bad but it just doesn't draw me and Mrs. Banks is just an okay singer compared to the others in the film.   Also while  I do get that is supposed to help build her character, it feels like filler song at best.

The Life I Lead

Geese,  this song just shows how pompus Mr. Banks is at the beginning.   Also this song is a great counterpoint to the previous and if you'll recall what I said up top about me think Mr. Banks as villain as a child, this song played a part in that and honestly, I really think that you could rework the sound of this song and it would make for a decent villain song but that is neither here nor there.

The Perfect Nanny 

This song is cute.   It's simple and has a nice childlike quality to it.   It also shows that Jane and Micheal are just simple children that are willing to help. It's cute and a lot of fun.   Not one I'd listen to again and again but I enjoy it nonetheless.

A Spoonful of Sugar

Here we go, this is a classic through and through and one of the standouts from this film that is filled with so many great numbers that it is near impossible to choose a favorite.   This is such a fun tune to sing along to and the imagery compliments it nicely.    I love this song,  it is so fun and that is the best thing about it is just to listen to as are most of the songs and it is a great introductory song for Mary Poppins to get to know Jane and Micheal.  Fun Fact:  Julie Andrews provided the whistling for the robin in this number.

Jolly Holiday

As revealed when talking about The Penguins,  this is what I remember most about the film.  I can't pin my finger on it but I think it comes from both how vibrant the colors are in this number that they really stand out and then there is also the fact that this is the cover picture on the VHS I have.   It's probably the latter but I don't mind being reminded of this number. Because again as stated above, it is another fun song and the interaction between Mary Poppins and Bert is so much to watch.    Now I'll admit this is where I got the idea in my head that there may be something more to their relationship and I may be wrong but who's to say.      I honestly think that the best way to describe this song is as friendly.  Also gotta love the dance number in this one, Dick Van Dyke was so cool in this movie.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

What hasn't been said about this song?    It like everything else in this film is a classic and is so much fun.  The song that gave us one of pop culture's longest words.  I mean it has even been recognized in certain dictionaries as a real word. Isn't it funny how pop culture can influence stuff like that? It's a great listen and I love the little story Bert tells at the beginning of how he learned this word and it saved his nose. That is such a nice touch.

Stay Awake

I love the lullaby nature of this song, it's so cute and works perfectly to get Jane and Micheal to fall asleep. I love the whole reverse psychology with this song of telling children one thing and they end up doing another. Besides that though it is just a peaceful and simple song to listen to and a nice break from the fun songs, which I love  but I prefer songs like this that are simple in nature.  

I Love to Laugh

Now we go from a peaceful and simple song to another silly and upbeat song.  This has to be the silliest and most nonsensical song in the film but that fits the character of Uncle Albert to a tea.  He is just an all around silly person and he deserves a silly song.    Ed Wynn really steals the show here as Uncle Albert, this is just perfect. Everything about this number is silly but I love it for that.    Just as Bert, I too find Uncle Albert's laughter contagious.   Are the jokes corny? Sure but I love it.   

Feed The Birds

Ah, here we go.  This is the one, I love this song and I know that I touched on this in the past but this was Walt's favorite and is it hard to see why.   I'll talk about that more with my Sherman Brothers tribute as this song appears there.   I love this song so much, everything about it and I've had this on my mind for a while as I ended up writing a paper on it for my film class.   That's what inspired this review in the first place because I originally never had plans to review this film but  getting back on track,  I honestly think song-wise, this is Julie Andrews' best performance.  I believe all of the emotions that she is pouring into this song and just the images are so stunning.  I love everything about this song and it is again, another song that is simple in nature but it's message is timeless.  It's message can simply be summed by saying,  lend a hand and look out for your fellow man. Also I really love the transitions from the nursery to Saint Paul's in this number.  It is so seamless.  This is bar none, my favorite from this film.

Fidelity Fiduciary Bank

This is an odd little number.  Again, like our first true song,  I don't understand it's purpose. It's not bad but it's like another filler song.  Now I get the idea  that they are trying to persuade Micheal to give up his tuppence but it is just an okay song.  Not one I find rather memorable. I would never call it a bad performance but it's lackluster. 

Chim Chim Cher-ee

Here we are, another  standout from the film.  Now I realize that this may not be the entire song and for  that I do apologize but this is what I could find.  Y'know with this song, I think Bert finally gets to shine the most because he feels like the star of this number and why not, he's one of the best characters in this film.   

Step In Time

Along with I Love to Laugh, this has to be another great nonsensical number.  It is again as I've been saying throughout, fun and that is what makes these songs work. They're fun and  the choreography in this number is to die for. I wish I had the talent to pull off moves like that or let alone dance.  This is one of cinema's coolest dance numbers because it is so much fun and wackiness is ensued but it works.  

A Man Has Dreams

This song has slowly grown on me over time.  I really love this one I truly think that this song brings Mr. Banks full circle in realizing that perhaps he was wrong and there are more important things in life.  The reprise of A Spoonful of Sugar is a nice touch and the interaction between Bert and Mr. Banks as with all of the characters feels genuine and sincere.  I think one of the reasons, I really like this one though is that it is a nice simple moment between two characters that until now didn't have any interaction with one another.

Let's Go Fly A Kite

Such a beautiful song to end on, the family is a unit again and Mary Poppins knows that she is no longer needed.  You can see her holding back the sadness on her face as she remains strong and you have to love that.  The song is just fun and it is nice to see the family enjoying time together and the chorus at the end is chilling.   It just makes it sound so big and wonderful.   

My Final Thoughts

I hope that you've enjoyed this review of this classic.  I'm not one to call a film flawless but this one comes mighty close to getting that honor. Everything about it just works, the songs are gorgeous, the characters are likable and it is a fun watch.  This is a film for many that was childhood and  is it hard to see why?  It is just simple and true in nature with a lot of innocence.  This to me is perhaps one of the the greatest films form Disney ever.