“you know, you can say it backwards, which is ‘docious ali expistic fragil cali rufus’ but that’s going a bit too far, don’t you think?”
“indubitably!”
i know it’s not really ‘christmas’ related, but mary poppins is a perfect watch year round, and i definitely understand why this was my childhood favourite, and i still think it holds up after multiple watches and six decades since this movie originally released. i was debating altering my rating a little lower, but after thinking of it: this is actually a surrealist masterpiece that has some immaculate features. i know why some may not enjoy it, as it definitely relies a lot on its visuals, rather than having much of a plot. the whole style vs substance thing is a difficult topic to me, as my biggest critique i had against both avatar movies, was that it was obvious they didn’t really put much thought in any substance, or really had any. and i could honestly say the same thing about ‘mary poppins’ which i guess made me rethink on what this movie actually deserves: but unlike avatar, the visuals here never got monotonous, the way they blend live-action with animation was revolutionary, and allows the entire movie to both have realism, but also surrealism especially lingering with fantastical musical numbers. besides the completely polished scenery, vibrant colours of dreamlike sequences blended with the dreary, gothic victorian atmosphere and then also the breathtaking cinematography, another massive highlight of mary poppins, is some of the best music i’ve personally ever seen in a musical. they all perfectly matched the themes of the film, had aesthetically-pleasing moments to go along with them, but also they really stuck with me even days after viewing, for example ‘a spoonful of sugar’ literally always plays on repeat in my brain, and i’ve memorised basically all the lyrics at this point. julie andrews is one of my favourite actors of all time, loved her as maria in ‘the sound of music’ and while that is noticeably a better film, i think her portrayal of mary poppins was career defining, and potentially her best role? she perfectly shows mary poppins as a sophisticated, witty lady and i couldn’t see anyone else in her place. dick van dyke was also great, his terrible british accent brings comedic excellence, so i wasn’t mad at it. it also has some amazing anti-capitalist ideas, as it shows mr. banks, a patriarchal man, who learns the wrongs of his ways. it’s just a genuinely light hearted outlook on the suffragette movement, and is one of the best movies for rewatch value.
“you know, you can say it backwards, which is ‘docious ali expistic fragil cali rufus’ but that’s going a bit too far, don’t you think?”
“indubitably!”
i know it’s not really ‘christmas’ related, but mary poppins is a perfect watch year round, and i definitely understand why this was my childhood favourite, and i still think it holds up after multiple watches and six decades since this movie originally released. i was debating altering my rating a little lower, but after thinking of it: this is actually a surrealist masterpiece that has some immaculate features. i know why some may not enjoy it, as it definitely relies a lot on its visuals, rather than having much of a plot. the whole style vs substance thing is a difficult topic to me, as my biggest critique i had against both avatar movies, was that it was obvious they didn’t really put much thought in any substance, or really had any. and i could honestly say the same thing about ‘mary poppins’ which i guess made me rethink on what this movie actually deserves: but unlike avatar, the visuals here never got monotonous, the way they blend live-action with animation was revolutionary, and allows the entire movie to both have realism, but also surrealism especially lingering with fantastical musical numbers. besides the completely polished scenery, vibrant colours of dreamlike sequences blended with the dreary, gothic victorian atmosphere and then also the breathtaking cinematography, another massive highlight of mary poppins, is some of the best music i’ve personally ever seen in a musical. they all perfectly matched the themes of the film, had aesthetically-pleasing moments to go along with them, but also they really stuck with me even days after viewing, for example ‘a spoonful of sugar’ literally always plays on repeat in my brain, and i’ve memorised basically all the lyrics at this point. julie andrews is one of my favourite actors of all time, loved her as maria in ‘the sound of music’ and while that is noticeably a better film, i think her portrayal of mary poppins was career defining, and potentially her best role? she perfectly shows mary poppins as a sophisticated, witty lady and i couldn’t see anyone else in her place. dick van dyke was also great, his terrible british accent brings comedic excellence, so i wasn’t mad at it. it also has some amazing anti-capitalist ideas, as it shows mr. banks, a patriarchal man, who learns the wrongs of his ways. it’s just a genuinely light hearted outlook on the suffragette movement, and is one of the best movies for rewatch value.
