Mary Poppins the movie has just celebrated its 50th anniversary. This movie has a special place in the heart of so many people. It’s as loved today as when it first premiered. That is quite an achievement considering there are not many movies that stand up after 50 years.
I remember watching the Mary Poppins DVD when I was little and wishing that I could have a magical nanny. The special effects for the time were ground breaking, even now you can still believe that Mary, Bert and the children really did jump into a chalk drawing. As a kid all that magic that Mary Poppins could do seemed totally plausible, everyone wanted to have adventures like Jane and Michael Banks. The movie was fun and full of quirky and memorable songs. Watching the movie again as an adult you can then appreciate the other underlying themes that are present, Mrs Banks protesting for women’s rights and Mr Banks being unhappy and trapped in a stuffy job. It makes us all remember that it’s okay to have fun and be a little adventurous and that family is always more important.
Last year the Disney film Saving Mr Banks gave us an insight into the author PL Travers who wrote the Mary Poppins books. This film revealed even greater meaning into the themes of the Mary Poppins movie and how it came to be made. Walt Disney managed to bring to life Mary Poppins with the delightful Julie Andrews, she seemed made for this role, and joined by the talented Dick Van Dyke was an instant success. You really can’t go wrong with catchy songs and dancing penguins. This movie has become such an integral part of so many childhoods, everyone knows that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down (probably not the strongest message in favour of childhood dental care – but the concept was sound). And of course Mary Poppins has taught us all the most valuable lesson of all; that supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is a real word and can be used in any situation!!
