“Mary Poppins”

   

“One hour in wonderland. I know this is a tv show and not a movie, but I think we can review both. ok This stars Edger Bergan and Charlie McCarthy.”

Mr. Bee in Spring of 2011

Now, here's a little background; five years ago I watched a couple of movie reviews online by James Rolfe (aka “The
Angry Video Game Nerd”). He was reviewing movies. Particularly I was watching his 2008 reviews of the live-action Batman movies. I thought that was really cool, so I attempted to do it. The quote at the top is my first attempt to do so. In honor of that, I am doing an entire month dedicated to...well....me. It is going to conclude with my finished review of One Hour in Wonderland (which was the first thing I attempted to review and never finished). So, please sit back and relax and enjoy “The Month that Created Mr. Bee” (the title is a work in progress).

The first movie that I'm starting with is Mary Poppins. If you've read my “Top 10 Disney Movies”, Mary Poppins is the greatest movie ever made (in my opinion, period). Since that is my opinion, this might not be an honest review. If you're looking for an objective review, you're probably going to have to check out another site. Okay, let's get right to it.

Background:

Now, I don't feel the need to talk about too much of the “behind the scenes” drama because it was covered extensively in the 2013 movie “Saving Mr. Banks”. There are also several documentaries about it which you can easily find (which are a primary source). So, long story short, the author of the book P.L. Travers was adamant on not letting the movie be made.

Plot:

Do I really need to tell you the plot of the movie? But, heh, I guess I will be nice. It's about Mr. Banks, played by David Tomlinson, who has two kids, Michael and Jane. He's a rich upper-class businessman that believes that children are to be seen and not heard. And then Mary Poppins comes to save the family.

Opinion:

Now as I mentioned in the beginning, this is the best movie ever made. Julie Andrews is great. Dick VanDyke is superb. And David Tomlinson has perhaps the best performance in the movie. The special effects are very good for 1964. And they hold up to this very day. The music is fantastically written by the Sherman Brothers.

However, there are a couple flaws with the movie. The jolly holiday sequence, for example, could have been a little bit shorter. Granted, the way it is isn't bad though. And, there is a scene in which Mr. Banks and his kids are at the bank and they try to take the money from Michael to put his account. Michael refuses, and apparently, the entire town hears this commotion and comes running to get their money out. There is one moment that begs the question; How did the whole town hear about it within a minute? (spoiler alert) That big commotion at the bank which caused Mr. Banks losing his job. There are other ways to make Mr. Banks lose his job. Making his son cause him to lose his job makes the emotion in this movie even stronger than if it wasn't his son's fault. But ifthey could have done it without the whole town hearing about it within a matter of minutes and rushing the bank, it would have been better. But, for what it is, I'm content with what we have. Mary Poppins is still the best movie ever made. So, no surprise here, I am proud to give Mary Poppins the highest rating I can give, 5 golden stars! What more can I say? Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way. If you're wondering what I think of the Broadway musical version and “Saving Mr. Banks”, the musical version I saw an amateur production and my opinion of it was meh (but it had nothing to do with the actors). As for “Saving Mr. Banks”, it's a really good movie and I recommend it.

And now, the return of the quiz at the end of every blog! This week's quiz is: who directed Mary Poppins?

  By Mr Bee

 

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 images courtesy The Walt Disney Company Harmony Healthcare International