Review of Mary Poppins (1964) by Tim S — 19 Jan 2014

Mary Poppins, for those who might not be familiar with it (which is hardly anybody over 25, I would think), is based on a series of stories about the title character that were first published in the mid-1930's and written by author P.

L. Travers. These stories feature Mary Poppins being blown in on the east wind with umbrella in hand to a London neighborhood to care for the children of Mr. and Mrs. Banks. Together, they have fantastic adventures with various characters around London, but ultimately, Mary Poppins' arrival is to help the parents become more attentive and loving parents to their often neglected children.

The series was a success for the author, and after nearly 20 years of Walt Disney attempting to acquire the rights to the stories, he helped to successfully produce and release the film Mary Poppins, creating one of the most beloved films in the Disney catalogue.

Mary Poppins was also an unusual film in that a lot of the final product came to be at the approval of the author, who had script approval and oversaw much of the film's pre-production phase. Entire scripts, songs, scores, and characters were jettisoned at her disapproval because, after finally relenting to Walt Disney and allowing the film to be made in the first place, she wanted her work to be well-represented and to capture the books as best as possible.

As for the music, it's utterly delightful, and it always has me humming along to it long after the film is over. Robert and Richard Sherman, Walt Disney's go-to songwriters, wrote some of the most memorable songs of any musical ever made.

The film continues to live on through the imaginations of children and adults alike. Many feel that it was Walt Disney's best film, and for many reasons, that statement rings true. It was also nominated for more Academy Awards than any other film in the Disney catalogue, so me simply saying that it's a masterpiece would be a bit of an understatement.

Most definitely a classic film.