The last time I went to the movies,
I gasped at the admission price -- $9.50 to see a movie that wasn't that
entertaining. Add time, gas and popcorn, and curling up on the couch in my
pajamas with the remote usually wins out.
We can download free movies, but they're
either ones nobody would watch unless they were chained to the wall or they're
the latest shoot-'em-up flicks which aren't my cup of tea.
With the closing of most mom-and-pop
video stores, it's been practically impossible to find an old favorite movie to
spend the evening with. That's when the Fort Bend County Library came to the
rescue. All branches have a fabulous selection of new and vintage Academy Award
winning films and documentaries.
I started to pick up a new release,
but then I saw a box that immediately brought a smile to my face – "Mary
Poppins." Later that evening, I sat down in front of the computer with a
cup of hot chocolate and revisited a wonderfully engaging movie.
Based on the novel of the same name by
P.L. Travers, the 1964 movie "Mary Poppins" was an instant smash and
won six Oscars. The movie's long-lasting popularity is due in part to Julie Andrews'
gorgeous voice and Dick Van Dyke's agile dancing, but mostly we love the story about
a magical nanny who comes to take care of two mischievous children, Jane and
Michael Banks.
Mary is a strict nanny but one who
combines kindness with authority and surprise. We also meet a chimney sweep and
artist named Bert who's played by Van Dyke. Bert accompanies the children and
Mary on quite a few adventures in the movie, and Bert's a tour guide we're
happy to have on our journey.
The film was one of the first movies
to mix live acting and animation. That innovative action starts when Michael,
Jane, Mary and Bert jump into a sidewalk chalk drawing of a peaceful English
countryside and enter a world of dancing penguins, swift race horses and bounding
carousel horses.
Viewers who know their Walt Disney
history will recognize the legendary drawing talents of the "nine old
men" of Disney in the animation sequences, especially the penguin waiters.
Best of all, viewers will find Walt Disney's whimsical touch from beginning to
end.
The supporting characters add humor
to the movie, from the two bumbling Banks housekeepers to Michael and Jane's parents.
Mother Winifred is more interested in women's rights than she is her own
children, and their serious and practical father, George, has little time for
Jane and Michael.
The toe-tapping musical numbers are
from brothers Richard and Robert Sherman who went on to create songs for "Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang" and Charlotte's Web." I'll admit to singing along,
from the toe-tapping "Step in Time" to the poignant "Feed the
Birds" and trying to find a way to use supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
in a sentence.
My favorite song is "Let's Go
Fly a Kite." Whenever I'm having a tough day, I invariably find myself
thinking it might be a splendid idea to send a kite soaring up where the air is
clear.
For those looking for sex, violence
and car crashes, "Mary Poppins" isn't for you. But if you're looking
for a reminder that the simple things in life – feeding the birds and flying a
kite – are the most important, there's no better way than to sit back and enjoy
a jolly holiday with Mary.
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