Mary Poppins

Rating:
Summary: Perfect in Every Way
Review: The Banks family is in need of a new nanny for Jane and Michael. Fortunately, one arrives on the wind in the form of Mary Poppins. She's everything the kids want, fun and magical. But while she's taking them to chalk painting countrysides and tea parties on the ceiling, their father is less then happy. Can he be made to see beyond the end of his nose?

Ok, so this movie is really little more then an excuse for song and dance numbers. It's still great! The plot is paper thin, and you loose site of it in the middle of some of their fantastic scenes. Of course, part of that is because the movie is based on a book that is really nothing but short stories. Still this movie is more about fun then anything else. And it has that in spades. What kid wouldn't have fun imaging that they get to do all the things that Jane and Michael do in this movie?

It's said that Walt Disney poured everything he had learned into making this film, and it shows. Many of the special effects hold up remarkably well today. There were some I still hadn't figured out until watching this special edition. And the music! Any fan of Disney knows these songs by heart. And you can't help but find yourself humming "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Jolly Holiday," "Let's Go Fly a Kite," or "Chim Chim Cher-ee" for days after seeing it.

Those wanting to own a great DVD of this film won't be disappointed in this two-disc set. Disc one features the movie in all its wide screen glory. I can't see how it's ever looked better. The soundtrack has many different options, but the Home Theater mix will blow you away. It's fantastic. There is also a commentary track featuring Julie Andrews, Dick van Dyke, Karen Dubice (Jane), and Richard Sherman. Sprinkled in are archive comments from others, including Disney himself. Also included are some pop up facts to read along with while watching the movie. Disc two features a new documentary on the film, a deleted song, and more on the music with Julie, Dick, and the composers. And be sure to check out the animated "The Cat That Looked at a King," a tale adapted from one of the later books in the series.

One thing that comes through loud and clear in this set is how much fun everyone had making it and how much they respect Walt Disney. The fact that this film has lasted 40 years is testament to his genius. With this set, it'll be enjoyed by generations to come.

Rating:
Summary: Practically Perfect in Every Way!
Review: Mary Poppins was unquestionably Walt Disney's greatest achievement during his lifetime. The thought of making a full-length musical movie based on the P.L. Travers novel with an all-star cast, completely filmed on a Hollywood sound stage about a story set in London is in itself mind boggling, but Director Robert Stevenson managed to make it happen. The film was Julie Andrews' first film and earned for her her first Academy Award in a story that was almost a scandal in Hollywood that year; she had been the one to create the role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady on Broadway, but that same year, My Fair Lady was released with Audrey Hepburn in the lead, so most of the film industry -- and Julie Andrews herself -- saw the Oscar as a way of apologizing for the slight. However, her performance in the film was, as was Mary Poppins, "practically perfect in every way."

Appearing with her is Dick Van Dyke, the only non-Brit in the cast who none the less gives an excellent performance in the roles of Bert and as Mr. Dawes, Sr. David Tomlinson and Glynis Johns star as George and Winifred Banks, parents to Jane and Michael Banks, played by Karen Dotrice and Michael Garber. The star-studded cast also includes Hermione Baddeley, Reta Shaw, Elsa Lanchester, Arthur Treacher, Ed Wynn, Arthur Malet, and Jane Darwell.

The musical score by Robert Sherman is outstanding. The songs include "Chim Chim Cheree" (which won an Academy Award), "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Feed the Birds," "I Love to Laugh," and the song that introduced a new word into the lexicon of moviegoers everywhere, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

The film is a riot of special effects, real-life characters in animated settings, and musical and dance sequences that make the film worthy of the label "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" without question. Mary Poppins the film, like the nanny Mary Poppins herself, is "practically perfect in every way."

Rating:
Summary: "Enhanced Mix" is an attrocity! Original Theatrical is solid
Review: Mary Poppins is an amazing film, and one of my personal favorites. This review is on the 40th anniversary DVD, not the film itself - actually this is more of a warning than a review. Please, avoid the "enhanced home theatre mix" at all costs. It is truly attrocious. The bass has been pumped to a ridiculous level; all the music tracks have had a dull reverb applied and have been stripped of their glorious high-end; and, most disgusting, new sound effects have been added where there were non before, and others have been altered. All of these alterations are totally unnessecary and appalling from an artistic standpoint. The original theatrical mix is PERFECT - nominated for an Academy award actually - EXCEPT, on this DVD, they have mastered it at a much lower volume than the g**awful enhanced mix. All this means is that when you choose the Original Mix, you'll have to crank the volume to bring it to the level of the rest of the DVD (trust me this is NOT a fault of the original mix, it's how the DVD was authored). It's really sad that Disney has molested such a fine sound mix, and on top of that, the revised mix is the default option. Apparently the Australian and Japanese versions of this release have the Original Mix as the default option...
One more note of caution for film purists, it looks like they've digitally erased some of the matte lines and wires used for the special effects. Also, despite the pristine look of the picture, the colors seem just a little off when compared to the raw live action footage seen in the special features (footage which was later mixed with animation. It would seem that if they are going to color correct the film, they would use that footage as a reference, but I could be wrong

Rating:
Summary: How she became the nanny.
Review: The Disney classic gets a pristine makeover, preserving what many feel is the studio's finest live-action film. I personally have never quite warmed to this film, despite its charming score and impressive technical accomplishments, but still it is worth seeing and will certainly remain a favorite for generations to come. It is nice to see a young Julie Andrews, fresh from her run in Camelot on Broadway, just before her star-making performance in The Sound of Music, and Dick Van Dyke at the peak of his popularity, clearly having some on-screen chemistry together. This film is historic, charming and technically brilliant, just not my personal favorite Disney movie. The DVD transfer is flawless, and the extra features will delight little Janes and Michaels everywhere.

Rating:
Summary: "perfect in every way"
Review: All the stars aligned for this movie: perfect script; perfect music (songs and score); perfect technical reaches (animation inserts that are brilliant); perfect cast; and perfect leading actress (and astonishingly talented vocalist whose voice will always be cherished) - you could say the movie is "perfect in every way."

Julie Andrews deserved every superlative accolade she received for her part in this jewel and for her role in "The Sound of Music."

The second dvd in this set is actually worth the disc it's pressed on (sometimes these "extras" are just an added marketing joke to add a dvd but not this one). There are some treasured moments captured and for someone who adored this movie growing up it's the most amazing reflection on truly ground-breaking film.

Rating:
Summary: The best to celebrate SUPERCALIFRAGILISITESPIALIDOCIOUS
Review: With full aditional features you can enjoy and remember your chilhood with the olds and greats Julie And Dick.
Supercalifragilistiespialidocious.

Rating:
Summary: Mary Poppins (40th Anniversary Edition)
Review: We are a 3 generation Mary Poppins family. I saw it as a young child--when it first came out, grew up with the MP music books and repeated viewings of Mary Poppins.
I ordered the VCR tape approximately 20 years ago at a premium price. I am still using it. My 3 sons grew up with Mary Poppins, learning each and every line to the songs and script. They played "Mary Poppins". Now my 2-1/2 year old granddaughter is the biggest fan--2-3 times a day the video is viewed. I purchased 2 sets of the DVDs as well as the music CDs for 2004 Christmas. Our granddaughter sings to the music, knows each scene and hushes us as not to miss a particular song. She does the Spit-Spot mirror scene-hand gestures and all!
Mary Poppins--is wonderful!


Rating:
Summary: It Would Be Six Stars...If
Review: This is a great movie ... maybe the perfect movie, in that it is entertaining from beginning to end, the story is easy to understand and take a personal interest in, the bad guys are never too scary, and the ending could not be happier.

The morals too are right ... children are more important than adults, the family is more important than the job (or cause), and good behavior is important, but so is having fun.

I think it is fair to say that ... the better a movie is, the more times we will watch it. And Mary Poppins ranks high in that department. All the different parts (the acting, the wonderful songs, the animation) seem to come together perfectly, and the final product is, well, ... practically perfect in every way.

Thank you Walt Disney for giving us this movie.


Rating:
Summary: Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious --- Most Delightful Way!
Review: Come along now, children, let's read this review. No straggling now. There you go.

I must have only seen "Mary Poppins" when I was a little kid because I only barely remembered the movie when I was watching it and definitely didn't remember the plot. Definitely an experience worth having, whether you've seen it once, or many, many times.

The basic plot is that two kids have been a real terror to their nannies, but not so much out of meanness as the nannies' domineering personalities. They draw up a list of their needs for a nanny and when the wind changes, Mary Poppins comes, despite their tight-laced fathers' wishes. They're soon off on fantastical adventures that may just change the lifestyle of their entire family! This movie makes important comments about suffrage, structure, and just finding the joy in life. It's supercalifragilisticexpealidocious! (And I didn't even have to look that up!)

The movie is presented in wide-screen with fully-restored, bright and colorful animation and practically perfect sound. There's also both a subtitle and a close-caption track, although oddly these differ greatly in what they do and don't pick up on. I ended up keeping on both.

Like other recent Disney Platinum releases, this DVD contains a wealth of special features that will help you to enjoy the movie more. Chief among them is a great deleted song. You also get a complete making-of feature, a look at the movie magic, a game, promo posters and trailers and many other simply delightful goodies.

Like the "Aladdin" release, this release is loaded with both a commentary track and pop-up fun-facts. If you actually decide to watch all of this stuff, you'll end up having seen the film at least three times by the time you're done!

So what are you waiting for? Go off now and buy this! Spit-spot!

Rating:
Summary: Sweeter than sugar
Review: Still a classic after all these years, and a monument to Julie Andrews' splendid voice. Mary Poppins has stood the test of time, with generation after generation enjoying it as much as the previous one and the songs such as "A Spoonful of Sugar" are timeless treasures that live on longer than anything that will ever appear on the Top 40. Buy one for yourself, one for your kids, and one for the grandkids. A must-have for any film fan.