Walt Disney's Mary Poppins

Book: Mary Poppins by P.L.Travers

Gap between first publication and film release: 30 years

Closeness to original characters: 86% (Kate)

Closeness to original story: 83% (Kate)

Mike says what a difference a TV makes! While it has nothing to do with the movie, I recently used some of the extra money I earned from my extra summer hours to buy a 43" plasma TV for my living room (which I got for a GREAT deal) . Since then I've been enjoying watching TV more than I have in ages, and Mary Poppins was no exception!

I work with children everyday, and I always find inspiration when I watch Mary Poppins. Mostly due to the fact that Mary's methods are just as correct and effective today as they were when the movie was made, no matter how much parents may think we've "evolved" and learned about childcare!

While it is true that child psychology really had grown in the years following Mary Poppins, children really work the same way now as they did then--Kids are still distracted by the world, still crave love and affection, and still look for and respond to the magic that exists in everyday activities and events. Mary's tactics really aren't all that different from how I perform my job! Just don't tell my client's parents!

As a movie, Mary Poppins is masterfully done. Not only is it gorgeous to watch, all the classic Disney actors of the day perform magnificently, displaying a level of talent that is not seen nearly enough in today's films. Between the acting and the writing, the characters spring to life, even though "real" characters are pretty few and far between. In fact, the only real characters might be Mary and Bert! Even Mr. Banks, who is, as Kate points out, really the main character, is just a sketch, an archetype of characters found in everyday life.

What really brings the characters to life, especially the Father, is the Music. The music of Mary Poppins is truly amazing. Each theme and song serves as an illustration of each character. The best example is the Father's song. When he makes his first appearance, George sings "The Life I Lead," discussing the structure of his home, family and work, with a solid militant marching beat to accompany him. When describing his ideal nanny, he descends into the same tune, emphasizing order and structure over love and tenderness. When George is about to fire Mary, unable to understand her ideas, she speaks to him fluently in his own language, singing in his own tune about law and order. George again uses this tune when he tries to covert his children to his point of view at his bank.

He later returns home, baffled, angry and confused at his inability to reach his children through his firm and logical approach. Then Bert, in the wonderful scene also mentioned by Kate below, begins to sympathize with George, singing to the same tune of "The Life I live." But, slowly and tenderly, Bert bridges the divide between the Father's approach, and Mary's, merging the militant march of the Father's song into the lovely, tender song of "A spoon full of sugar" showing George that children need love and sweetness just as much as law and order. From this point of the movie onward, George only sings "A Spoon Full of Sugar" and "Let's Go Fly a Kite," symbolizing his conversion to Poppins' teachings.

This clever use of song is threaded throughout the movie, showing characters' thoughts, loyalties and philosophies. In fact, Mary's ability to switch easily between any theme in the films, whether it be the Father's, Bert's, or any other, shows her ability to empathize with anyone. Combined with the actors' portrayals, the score of the movie really fleshes out and sells the characters of the film.

I LOVE Mary Poppins; it is a truly amazing film, and I hope that I can remember to always blend love and compassion with order and responsibility like the movie teaches.

Kate says I'm not sure how much Walt Disney respected P.L. Travers vision, but the studio certainly knew how to use the material! Some of the book's classic images, such as jumping into the sidewalk picture, are beautifully rendered, and many of the characters, such as Miss Lark's Andrew, make nice cameo appearances. The movie is a family narrative rather than a series of stories, but, of course, creating a cohesive narrative is part of creating a film.

Regarding Mary Poppins herself, I have a confession to make--I disliked the books intensely as a kid (Mary Poppins was followed by three sequels), and it was mostly due to the character of Mary Poppins. I thought she was mean and, more than that, dismissive of the children. At the end of every chapter, when they try to talk about their adventures, she sniffs and acts offended, even contemptuous.

She does this a little in the movie but, well, in the movie, it's Julie Andrews! and her sweetness and love for the children comes through. But growing up, I just hated another adult--even a fictional one--acting like whatever children have to say is unimportant or wrong. (As Mike points out above, the movie's message is quite different.)

Having reread part of the first book for this review, her behavior doesn't bother me as much--the children love her because she is a reliable presence in their lives--though it's hard to shake that youthful reaction. Mary Poppins of the book is a more angular, vain, and disdainful than film Mary Poppins, but the physical descriptors plus the sternness mixed with the magic of the unexpected correspond between film and book.

Interestingly enough, out of the entire movie, my favorite scene doesn't involve Mary Poppins at all. It is the scene when Mr. Banks returns from the bank where he lost Jane and Michael. He and Bert (the twinkling Dick Van Dyke) discuss parental duties. I love how compassionate Bert is as he half-sings/half-says gently, "You have to grind, grind, grind at that grindstone." In many ways, the movie is more about the father than any of the other characters (which certainly makes it different from the books)!

This film is a deserved classic. I can think of very few musicals where I remember all the songs and all the songs are equally singable. And, as Mike illustrates above, they are used with true artistic insight!

Fantastic Four will be reviewed Friday, August 5, 2011.