Monday, 27 October 2008
You impatiently waiting too?
This is an excellent trailer. It's so unlike a Harry Potter movie and I'm really excited at the direction this is heading in. A lovely glimpse of Draco there, that happily evens out the 'acting' of Radcliffe and Watson. I'm already majorly pissed off that Warner Bros have delayed the film's release solely for making more money but I'm hoping that by the looks of this trailer the wait will be worth it.
Saturday, 11 October 2008
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag."
I've had a really depressing day. It just feels like everything's gone tits up at once. So, I was doing my homework and trying not to flunk my course when this film came on TV. I ended up watching it all the way through and finding it just as happy and beautiful as it was when I was a kid.
Jane and Michael are two disobediant children who have a habit of driving their nannies away with sheer frustration. Their father, the stern Banker Mr Banks (David Tomlinson), has had enough and wants his children to be raised with an iron grip. However, when he sends out an advertisment for a new, stricter nanny, it goes awry and the job is intercepted by the mysterious Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews). Mary takes the job and give the children several adventures and lessons along the way, with the help of jack-of-all-trades Bert (Dick Van Dyke.)
When I was a little girl, I couldn't decide whether I wanted Mary Poppins as a nanny or whether I wanted to be her. She's a truly wonderful character. The trouble with Mary is that she's so perfect - and many characters fawn over her in spectacular fashion - it is possible she might come over as a prissy show off (The fanfiction term is Mary Sue - a character who is 'practically perfect in every way.') It says something about the skill of Julie Andrews that she makes Mary such a joy. She's the right mixture of sweet, special, stern, slightly sarcastic and joyful. Her voice is something truly special too. She can make you laugh and smile with one song then sob like a child with the next. This was her on screen debut and she rightly won the Oscar. Mary Poppins is an iconic figure of my youth and I thank Disney and Andrews for that.
Dick Van Dyke gets a lot of stick for that accent. Yes, he cannot do a Cockney accent to sav his life but that is beside the point. You can't imagine anybody else playing Bert once you've seen him laugh and pratfall and woo Mary. He has a real gift for physical comedy and he is allowed to stretch that to his limits. The Londoner stereotypes might bug some viewers but I can happily ignore them just to enjoy myself. It's usually forgotten that Van Dyke has 2 roles in this film, the other being the very elderly bank manager. I had no idea it was him myself for many years. He excels in this small but memorable role too.
The actors had an extra hard time with this film due to the famous animated sequence. The scenes are pure joy, with dancing penguins and the wonderfully catchy 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' They manage to get right in with the scene, make you feel as if they are part of it all. The animation is very flat but for special effects of he time it's something groundbreaking. To see how far it's advanced, watch 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?' Music has always been a pivotal part of the Disney label and the songs here are provided by the genius Sherman brothers. They go from rousing (It's A Jolly Holiday with Mary) to haunting (Feed the Birds) and are all iconic. They take full advantage of Andrews' amazing set of pipes and lead to many a singalong. The set pieces are well choreographed and make the most of what is available.
It's been a while since I'd last seen it but what surprised me about Mary Poppins was how political it is. It's set during the 1910s, the time of the women's movement. The children's mother is a firm supporter of the suffragettes and frequently breaks into song about the movement. Contrasting with her real nature, she never stands up to her stern husband and willingly follows his choices. The real feminist of the movie is Mary herself. She doesn't do what Mr Banks tells her to do, she makes her own choices with her life and stands up for her choices. Another aspect I missed the first time around was the relationship aspect. Mr Banks never spends time with his kids and leaves their upbringing to the nannies. It isn't until Bert talks to him that he realises what he's done. It's a wonderful moment and less saccarine than usual Disney emotional moments. The film is a little too long for the impatient child and the kids are pretty annoying (aren't most on screen children?) but they're small nit picks. I can't stress enough how much I adore this film. I realise that musicals aren't very popular with most people but this should surely be the exception.
9/10.
Jane and Michael are two disobediant children who have a habit of driving their nannies away with sheer frustration. Their father, the stern Banker Mr Banks (David Tomlinson), has had enough and wants his children to be raised with an iron grip. However, when he sends out an advertisment for a new, stricter nanny, it goes awry and the job is intercepted by the mysterious Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews). Mary takes the job and give the children several adventures and lessons along the way, with the help of jack-of-all-trades Bert (Dick Van Dyke.)
When I was a little girl, I couldn't decide whether I wanted Mary Poppins as a nanny or whether I wanted to be her. She's a truly wonderful character. The trouble with Mary is that she's so perfect - and many characters fawn over her in spectacular fashion - it is possible she might come over as a prissy show off (The fanfiction term is Mary Sue - a character who is 'practically perfect in every way.') It says something about the skill of Julie Andrews that she makes Mary such a joy. She's the right mixture of sweet, special, stern, slightly sarcastic and joyful. Her voice is something truly special too. She can make you laugh and smile with one song then sob like a child with the next. This was her on screen debut and she rightly won the Oscar. Mary Poppins is an iconic figure of my youth and I thank Disney and Andrews for that.
Dick Van Dyke gets a lot of stick for that accent. Yes, he cannot do a Cockney accent to sav his life but that is beside the point. You can't imagine anybody else playing Bert once you've seen him laugh and pratfall and woo Mary. He has a real gift for physical comedy and he is allowed to stretch that to his limits. The Londoner stereotypes might bug some viewers but I can happily ignore them just to enjoy myself. It's usually forgotten that Van Dyke has 2 roles in this film, the other being the very elderly bank manager. I had no idea it was him myself for many years. He excels in this small but memorable role too.
The actors had an extra hard time with this film due to the famous animated sequence. The scenes are pure joy, with dancing penguins and the wonderfully catchy 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' They manage to get right in with the scene, make you feel as if they are part of it all. The animation is very flat but for special effects of he time it's something groundbreaking. To see how far it's advanced, watch 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?' Music has always been a pivotal part of the Disney label and the songs here are provided by the genius Sherman brothers. They go from rousing (It's A Jolly Holiday with Mary) to haunting (Feed the Birds) and are all iconic. They take full advantage of Andrews' amazing set of pipes and lead to many a singalong. The set pieces are well choreographed and make the most of what is available.
It's been a while since I'd last seen it but what surprised me about Mary Poppins was how political it is. It's set during the 1910s, the time of the women's movement. The children's mother is a firm supporter of the suffragettes and frequently breaks into song about the movement. Contrasting with her real nature, she never stands up to her stern husband and willingly follows his choices. The real feminist of the movie is Mary herself. She doesn't do what Mr Banks tells her to do, she makes her own choices with her life and stands up for her choices. Another aspect I missed the first time around was the relationship aspect. Mr Banks never spends time with his kids and leaves their upbringing to the nannies. It isn't until Bert talks to him that he realises what he's done. It's a wonderful moment and less saccarine than usual Disney emotional moments. The film is a little too long for the impatient child and the kids are pretty annoying (aren't most on screen children?) but they're small nit picks. I can't stress enough how much I adore this film. I realise that musicals aren't very popular with most people but this should surely be the exception.
9/10.
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