Rating: 
Summary: Mary Poppins is Movie Magic!
Review: Mary Poppins, released in 1964, is perhaps the most famous and magical movie ever released by Walt Disney. Based on the character and books by P.L. Travers, it captured the public's imagination in much the same way as The Sound of Music did a year later. It tells the story of Jane and Michael Banks who write an advertisement for "The Perfect Nanny", attract the attention of Mary Poppins and end up in a whole new world of fantastic adventure. Even now it has a visual inventiveness and imagination that is both remarkable given the period in which it was made and far more appealing than many of the digitized special effects predominant in films today. For instance, the scene of the new Nanny tidying Jane and Michael's nursery with a snap of the fingers is a pure enchantment; toy soldiers march back into their box and a dolls house is put back in order. Also the look of total disbelief on a Maids face as Nanny and children go sliding down the banister on their way to the park is a delight. The "Jolly Holiday" in the country fantasy sequence is also a masterful combination of animation and live action. Julie Andrews once again is excellent in the title role giving a winning performance as the very British Nanny who is "practically perfect in every way". Here she sings some of the scores most well loved songs and also won an Oscar for her efforts. Her co-star Dick Van Dyke is given ample scope to display his amazing versatility, playing no less than three roles in the movie including his most well known and loved as Bert, the Chimney Sweep (and pavement artist) and Uncle Albert who enjoys having tea parties on the ceiling. David Tomlinson as Mr. Banks is suitably stuffy, later softening and becoming more comfortable in his Fatherly role with the help of "That Poppins woman". Glynis Johns as Mrs Banks is also wonderfully dizzy but quietly determined not to be the compliant appendage by fighting for her cause as "Sister Suffragette". In addition, the melodic score by the Sherman brothers contains many popular songs that nearly everyone knows by heart including A Spoonful of Sugar, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious ( what a mouthful!), Feed the Birds, Chim Chim Cher-ee and I Love to Laugh. The DVD includes some great options such as Sing Along With the Movie, footage of the Hollywood Premiere attended by Walt Disney and the films stars and a documentary about creating the films magic. Mary Poppins prevails as one of the all time great movie musical classics and it's not hard to see why.
Rating:
Summary: A magical Disney masterpiece!
Review: This is the story of two children who are in need of a perfect nanny, then comes " Mary Poppins" ( Julie Andrews) whom happens to be a magical and perfect nanny who joins up with a lovable chimney sweeper " Bert" ( Dick Van Dyke) on adventures of teaching the children to have fun.
A highly entertaining and magical fantasy from disney, this movie recieved the academy awards for best song ( " Chim Chim Chimmeree"), best actress ( Julie Andrews) and best visual effects. The special effects are excellent for it's time including excellent performences.
This is going to be re-issued in a special 2-disc Special Edition coming in 2004, so be prepared to be outstanded by this magical and unforgettable masterpiece.
Rating: 
Summary: New Edition Coming
Review: Just a quick note here - if you are thinking of purchasing a copy of Mary Poppins now, just wait a little while.
Sometime in 2004, Disney will be doing a "Special Edition", two disc DVD release that will be similar to thier recent reissue of Sleeping Beauty. With all of the features on that, people who buy this DVD recently will be disappointed if they didn't wait. Disney will be including all of the "Making of", pre-production art, and other features that make their new "Special Editions" great, to the new edition of Pocahontas. There are three other "Special Editions" due in 2004 - Alice In Wonderland, Lilo and Stitch, and Pocahontas. Alice will be the first released in 2004. Also, there's the "Platinum" edition of Aladdin in October 2004. Worth waiting for in my opinion. You have been warned. :-)
Rating:
Summary: Phenominal!!!
Review: I think this movie is terrific,and there is not a thing wrong with it.Julie Andrews well deserved her Oscar, and I think Dick Van Dyke should have got one too.The songs are mesmorizing, and all the actors did a wonderful job. I'd have to say my two favorite songs are "Chim-Chimnie", and "Feed the Birds". It's in my top 4 Disney movies of all time.With 101 Dalmatians, Pinochio,and Peter Pan. "Mary Poppins" is terrific, and a movie the whole family should enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: It's Great
Review: This film is one of the best Walt Disney ever made!! I have a twenty month old daughter and even she stops to watch "Mary Poppins"!! I even sing "A Spoonful of Sugar" while I clean house!! It is hands down a brilliant piece of cinematic history! You can't go wrong with Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke!
Rating:
Summary: it's the best movie!
Review: Mary Poppins is my favorite movie. It has great animation, good music, good actors.....everything's good!
Even my 2 year-old brother loves to watch it! My whole family likes it. I think that it is Julie Andrew's best movie.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT ANAMORPHIC!
Review: As much as I love this movie (it was the first movie I ever saw as a child, and my earliest memory of seeing a movie), I was very pissed to discover that this release is NOT ANAMORPHIC! Yes, it is the original aspect ratio, which means that Disney has once again given us the WORST of both possible worlds: black bars on the top and bottom, AND reduced resolution due to the non-anamorphic encoding. I wish the studios would wise up (and Amazon would correct its listing) to give us an image quality worthy of the medium. Preserve the original aspect ratio, by *all* means, but don't give us widescreen without ANAMORPHIC "enhancement"!!!! Other than this MAJOR caveat, the image quality is actually quite good, and the sound is wonderful. I still love this movie. However, until Disney gets wise, any "widescreen" release that is NON-ANAMORPHIC will get nothing higher than one star in my book!
Rating:
Summary: Pure Family Fun!!!!
Review: This is a great film for any kid and a complete dream come true to have a baby sitter this fun Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke team up together and they seem to have a great time together entertaining the kids and I love to see Julie with her umberella a good friend have gave me a figurine of her holding her umbrella I really did like this movie it is witty, fun, enchanting, and entertaining!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Movie for All Ages
Review: MARY POPPINS was a favorite of mine as a child, but oddly enough, I enjoy it even more now that I'm an adult. Like most great children's stories, this one deals with serious issues -- like childhood loneliness and neglect -- in a warm and light-hearted way. Julie Andrews is simply perfect as the governess of the title: prim and proper yet fun-loving, too. Her singing voice is in its golden prime here, making a musical treat of each of her songs. Dick van Dyke's Bert is good-natured and fun; the role displays all of van Dyke's many talents: acting, comedy, mime, singing, and dancing. David Tomlinson is totally believable as Mr. Banks, the stern father who finally learns to appreciate his children. The reason Tomlinson's performance is so convincing is that there is a certain absent-mindedness -- even silliness -- about him even when he is strict, so that it's not so very far-fetched that he would suddenly want to take off from work to "go fly a kite." The Banks children, Jane and Michael (Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber), are also totally convincing -- as someone else wrote, they are real children and not "cute moppets." Ed Wynn, with that bubbly giggle that itself suggests someone who floats, is cleverly cast as Mary's Uncle Albert, who suffers from "chronic laughter," making sheer delight of the tea party-on-the-ceiling scene, in which Jane and Michael learn how to laugh and enjoy themselves. (This was the second of two Disney movies in which Wynn's character gave an eccentric tea party; the first, of course, was ALICE IN WONDERLAND.) The movie is filmed in glorious technicolor, with lush settings that delight the eye as they evoke Edwardian London. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the score, which is simply the finest ever written for a Disney musical. ("Feed the Birds, Tuppence a Bag" is one of my favorite songs ever, and it is obvious why "Chim-Chimeree" won an Oscar). MARY POPPINS is a must-see for children -- or for any adult who wants to revisit childhood with its simplicity and fun.
Rating:
Summary: The Nanny triumphs over the Governess
Review: The first thing you notice about this movie is that Julie Andrews shines. She looks young, happy and a darn sight prettier than in The Sound of Music. She either put everything she had into the part of Mary Poppins, or had a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious time playing her. This role was obviously tailor-made for Julie Andrews and nobody else. The second thing you appreciate is the subtitles option, which is the only way you can understand what Bert is saying half of the time, unless you're a cockney, or know one to translate for you.
Some of the British terms are quite unusual, and will fly over the heads of most. Other little comments: I thought the housekeeper stole the scenes she was in - really funny stuff Some of the songs went on a bit too long for short attention spans. In the chalk sceneries, Mary Poppins tells the children not to fall and smudge the paintings, but Bert kneels down in his white trousers and they remain immaculate. (Not complaining, just something I noticed) There are a lot of songs you know, that you didn't know came from this movie. Summary:
Great visual effects for the time, great acting by everybody, sing-a-long quality music, a highly entertaining classic movie for all ages. Buy it and learn to speak cockney with Bert.
| 
