#23: MARY POPPINS

Starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns, Hermione Baddeley, Kate Dotrice, Mathew Garber, Elsa Lanchester, Arthur Treather, Reginald Owen and Ed Wynn. Based on the book Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers. Screenplay by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi. Directed by Robert Stevenson. Running time 139 minutes.

Originally released in 1964, Mary Poppins would go on to earn $44 million dollars at the US box office and become the highest grossing film of 1964. It was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, the most ever received for a Walt Disney Studios film, and ultimately win five for Best Actress, Best Film Editing, Best Original Musical Score, Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song for 'Chim Chim Cher-ee'. It was the acting debut of Julie Andrews and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being 'culturally historically or aesthetically significant'.

Deservedly so.

The story, in case you need reminding, see Poppins arrive on the doorstep of the Banks family supposedly as the new nanny and then through the use of black magic, witchcraft and devil worship she takes over the household, binding the two innocent children of the house, Jane and Michael, to her demonic will and manipulating the rest of the family with the aid of her acolyte and minion, Bert - a shape-changing warlock. Much hilarity ensues as a old man is killed to further the patriarch of the family's career and the wife is made to sing and dance to Poppin's evil tune. And that's, dear reader, is the plot. 

Watching this 60 years later, and on the big screen (perhaps for the first ever time) I was struck at a number of things. First, this is a totally studio bound movie with no location or second unit shots on offer which means the sets and lighting are all artificial, added to that the fact that all of the backgrounds are glorious painted backdrops and almost every shot is enhanced by beautiful matte shots, you realise that if this was made today in the same way everything would be CGI. 
The difference between both approaches though is that this film has a warm and charm that CGI can never hope to replicate. The special effects used here are a marvel and harken to a time when it was the work and creation of true artists.

Everything about this film is charming and delightful, it's a hard film, nay an impossible film to hate and you realise that somehow you know all the songs. Although, that said, it's also perhaps the only fly in the ointment, I'd sort of forgotten this is a musical and it's a musical in the true sense of the word, you're never more than a minute away from a song and although initially I found it jarring and irritating, I was soon swept up and away by it all. The songs are all so goddam likeable! Added to that the fantastic animated sequence when Mary, the kids and Bert jump into a pavement chalk drawing to dance with foxes, horses. The magic in this film is never explained, no origin story is provided and nothing in the way of explanation and it's so much better as a result. 

A perennial Bank Holiday movie since I can remember, to see it up on the big screen in glorious technicolour was a true Easter Treat. Sadly only myself and one other patron turned up for it this morning, which seemed a bit sad really. It's a wholesome and deeply joyful experience and one that I truly believe would captivate today's children if only their parents were willing to take a punt on a 60 year old movie. 

Deeply satisfying and rewarding. 

9/10