July 16, 2008
tuppence a bag
7/16/08
Mary Poppins pulls out the tape measure to see how Jane and Michael "measure up", and subsequently, they ask her to do it to herself. Apparently she's "practically perfect in every way", but really, I beg to differ. I think Mary Poppins is actually a bit self-involved, judgmental, and definitely a buzzkill.
Don't get me wrong – I adore "Mary Poppins", but contrary to the song Bert sings, every day is not a holiday with Mary. She commandeers the nanny job by physically "blowing away" all the other applicants, wins the merry-go-round horse race by making the other riders demur, and always cuts short the adventure just when it's getting fun.
In my house, there are two things Lucy likes to mess with. I have a convertible Carolina blue VW bug alarm clock with headlights that come on when the radio plays. We also have a heavy-duty box-cutting knife that is festooned with pink flowers. It's hard to take ourselves seriously when I tell her to "put my pink flower knife away" or "stop playing with my baby-blue blinking-light radio car toy".
In the same vein, it's a little hard to take Mary Poppins' admonitions seriously, when they're all occurring in a crazy magical cartoon landscape she created. When she says, "Honestly Bert, you're as bad as the children," maybe Bert should have said, "well, Mary, perhaps you shouldn't have allowed us all to jump into my sidewalk chalk drawing and go on an acid-inspired fox hunt."
And yet, you have to hand it to Mary – when she disappears for the last third of the movie, it gets boring fast. The movie is called "Mary Poppins", not "My Dad's Bank Freakout". Besides, there's some crazy unspoken sexual dynamic between Mary and Bert, and all he gets is a sad wave from about 11,000 feet.
All the best children's movies have a heart of darkness – think the original "Willy Wonka" and even "Escape From Witch Mountain". With the chimney sweeps scampering like brilliant rats upon the rooftops, the rain ruining dream sequences like tears of blue, red and green – and even Mary herself being, at heart, supremely scary with her flying umbrella and bizarre feet position – this isn't so much a movie as a gorgeous hallucination.
But let's be honest. "Practically perfect in every way?" I think we all know it should read "Very Beautiful, Very British and Vaguely Creepy."
Posted by Ian Williams at July 16, 2008 11:44 PMMy 2-year-old son frickin' loves that movie.
Thanks for the morning laugh -- I couldn't agree more. I have watched that movie countless times since my almost 6-year old Lucy fell in love with it about 2 years ago. I recently read her the first of the Mary Poppins books and, having never read them before myself, was surprised that the mythical super nanny was even more disagreeable in book form!
We had a year where this played once a week or more at our house. I was always aware of how everyone lost interest when it got to the bank scenes. The only reason to keep watching it was to see Dick dance on the roof.
The floating tea party scene always got a laugh though and the songs are infectious. It was one movie we could all agree on - even my husband liked to sing along. He especially liked that bullshit song about the man is the king of his home, etc.
The subtle (or not so subtle) message about how the Mom isn't around enough and ought to be home with her children always nagged at me too. Maybe I was just too sensitive to it at the time.
Willy Wonka is my absolute favorite - and I think the scary edge made it more fascinating and memorable as well.
Oh, how I disagree. Mary Poppins is a fantasy for children and parents alike. And so NOT a buzzkill! When she soberly stands by the children and Bert, she is playing a role, with a wink. She provides the magical outing, the ultimate playmate (playful dad figure in Bert), and then gives them the security of parental boundaries. SUCH a jolly holiday!
I liked the book better. It wasn't all Americanized, Disneyized, glitzed-up.
That being said, my kids *adored* "Mary Poppins".
Without darkness, kids' stories and movies are bland and boring. My favorite movie as a child was Disney's "Sleeping Beauty". I had kind of a girl crush on the witch/dragon Maleficent. She was awesome! So BAD! The other favorite was "Wizard of Oz." Again, so much evil going on there, and that scary tornado, scary forest with those grimacing trees, a witch's feet shriveling up, grotesque flying monkeys, a castle straight out of a nightmare. LOVED IT. The adrenaline surge when we're frightened, but we know we're sitting in our safe living room or in the cinema with Mom or Dad beside us, is such a high. It all comes down to basic chemistry, doesn't it. :-)
i just wish she would come clean my house... or at least the kids room's.
I think you all might enjoy the "Scary Mary" trailer
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2T5_0AGdFic&feature=PlayList&p=7D34A34200BFE4BC&index=1
Is the blog the result of watching the movie with Lulu?
I never much liked the movie "Mary Poppins," which I saw at a drive-in in California when I was in college... so, no, I'm not the best demographic in hat case. The book, which I encountered at about age seven, on the other hand. Fabulous. And no holiday with Mary.Seeing these movies first as a child and then as an adult sometimes changes the whole feeling. I first saw "Wizard of Oz" as a child, and was deeply moved and scared and enchanted by it. As an adult, I still love it, but it's a whole different thing. It has lost its power but kept its magic.
Now... "Willie Wonka" (the original) is one I saw as an adult on TV when I was down with the flu, miserable, and feverish. I saw it in a more childlike state, and found it nightmarish and mesmerizing.
Yes, these movies are all "dark." "Wizard of Oz" has so many layers of creepiness that, while wonderful, it is a textbook of the whole purpose of fantasy and fairy tales. The "cleaning up" (and Disneyfying) of these classic tales robs them of their power, purpose, and their art. I find the Disney ending of "Little Mermaid" is horrifying and insulting. The original is beyond magical to metaphysical. It haunted and charmed me as a child, and still does. The original tale will have no meaning, and be really disturbing to today's kids. And that's a shame.
Kids seem to need the dark side to help them confront their fears and sort out their anxieties. We can try to protect them, but I think this sanitizing (especially of complex endings and emotional tangles) is a mistake. Mary Poppins is the embodiment of all adult supervision and authority. She flies away at the end, just as the iron hand of parental control dissipates with the onset of budding adulthood and independence. I know, I'm going all freudian, but read Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson in the original, and even Mary Poppins... In fact, even Dr. Seuss has a dark side, and I think that's why kids relate so well to those books.
In short, kids not only love, but need the creepy stuff. And be honest... don't you still love those flying monkeys?
Sounds like somebody needs a spoonful of sugar this morning ...
Thanks for that trailer "The Other Lee"! I don't think most people fully appreciate the art form that is the movie trailer. The true unsung heroes in the entertainment bidness are the editors. Gods, I tell ya.
My almost 5 year old son likes the Mary Poppins movie. Especially all the usuall scenes that are classic. We sing the songs a lot too. His latest favorite though is Nanny McPhee with Emma Thompson. Clever concept. He ate it up!