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Mary Poppins
Short plot summary

Julie Andrews is Mary Poppins, a magical, musical, nanny, with rosy red cheeks, hired to control a couple of kiddies who are naughty in a turn-of-the-20th-century upper-class type way (they chase kites so are home late for tea).

Rating

English accent warning: Dick Van Dyke's impersonation of cockeRRNey could do with some work. Some pretty dull finance speak in the Bank, tuppence (2p) isn't worth as much today as it was back then (although it would be funny trying to open a bank account with it). Do not try dancing on roof tops at home.

What our panel of critics thought

"I always found suffragettes completely beguiling... did they all wear bustles like that?"

"Well, if you allow a man to fire a cannon on the top of your house what do you expect?"

"Oh! The life of a chimney sweep looked so much fun!"

"It is all very clean and nice to start with and then those chimney sweeps ruined it for me. A messy, dusty, movie I had to go home to shower for a whole hour. "

"I can never watch the 'feed the birds' song without a tear coming to my eye. Call me an old softy!"

Studio executives summary / pitch
Cartoons and people together... ? Weeee....
Please tell me the ending

Mary Poppins leaves because the wind changes... The father (George Banks (played by David Tomlinson)) gets sacked from the bank (he gets his job back at the end). He recognises that he has been too grumpy with his children (Jane Banks (Karen Dotrice), Michael Banks (Matthew Garber)) and changes on the advice of a chimney sweep, don't laugh it could have happened in 1910... Chim chim...

Justify this movie's existence in the classic strand. From theVoiceof Reason.com's Veritable Cornucopia

One of those wonderful childhood movies which is watchable as an adult today, although it does have some slow moments in which the children may need to be entertained.

The cartoon and live action pieces are memorable and tuneful and if the slow bits were taken out this would be an OK modern movie. Thank goodness this movie is not too sugary sweet. The movie's heart is in the right place: it's sort of educational in a light-hearted frivolous kind of way.

Julie Andrews was pretty much perfectly cast in the roll. Dick Van Dyke was also well cast, although his accent sounds funny to an English ear, not quite cockney (which he is supposed to be) and not quite not American.

Quotable quotes (real)

"A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down."

"In every job that's to be done there is an element of fun..."

What snack should I eat while watching this movie?

Roast cartoon penguin.

If I were to watch this at home how best should I sit?

On a rocking horse (without a cushion).

Could this movie be improved with more long words in songs?

The world has never been the same since supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Are there enough back-flips in this movie?

The chimney sweeps do not disappoint.

Estimate number of daisy's in Mary Poppin's hat.

4

Sequels to avoid...

Mary Poppins rides again, Mary Poppins goes to Monte Carlo.

Would this movie win awards for performances of the 'spit spot' word?

Yes, she's a bit of a bossy boots...

Other comments

A nice movie, peppered with memorable scenes. A little too pro officialdom perhaps but everything turns out nicely in the end. Nice tunes, cutting edge (for their time) cartoons and live action and Julie Andrews could not have been bettered.

Date of review

April 10, 2004

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