Mary Poppins (1964)

Written by CinemaSerf on January 1, 2024

I don't think I'd ever actually watched this film all the way through before, but it is well worth it. "Jane" (Karen Dotrice) and brother "Michael" (Matthew Garber) are ploughing through their nannies with Von Trapp style enthusiasm when father "George" (David Tomlinson) decides to wrest control of the recruitment process from suffragette wife "Winnifred" (Glynis Johns) to hopefully find a more permanent solution. They come up with the text for an advertisement in "The Times". Meantime, the children come up with their own, much more playful, agenda. The parents listen politely then, quite literally, up the chimney that goes. Straight into the hands of our eponymous, brolly wielding, nanny (Julie Andrews) who duly arrives and within five minutes has just about everyone eating our of her hands. What now ensues is a gently comedic series of escapades as the kids meet friendly chimneysweep "Bert" (Dick Van Dyke), the giggling-obsessed "Uncle Albert" (Ed Wynn), the lady who feeds the birds (Jane Darwell) all whilst being looked after from above by the meticulous "Admiral Boom" (Reginald Owen) - his eight o'clock gun will do more than clear the air. The Sherman brothers are on top form with some toe-tappers and delightful ballads that are sung by the cast we can see, often accompanied by some magical visual effects or some ensemble dances, and they help to convey a story of love, kindness and affection, of curiosity and ultimately, I felt anyway, of keeping things in perspective. Of getting your priorities straight. Sure, the animation section in the zoo is maybe a little bit long, but for the most part this 2¼ hour long extravaganza is engagingly entertaining with Andrews and Van Dyke creating a chemistry all of their own; a practically perfect supporting cast - particularly Johns - and a story that glows in it's own simplicity.