Cinema Tuesdays Review

Practically Perfect
By Nathan Cone

On December 16, the stage version of Disney's "Mary Poppins" became a smash hit in London's West End, raking in over $20 million in advance ticket sales. The Times of London gave the show a five-star rating, declaring it "better in every way than the Disney film." The Evening Standard also heaped praise on the musical. In fact, there were near-unanimous huzzahs for the show. Not coincidentally, the "Mary Poppins: 40th Anniversary Edition" DVD was released on Tuesday, December 14, and it's practically perfect.

Little needs to be said about the film itself. A certified classic, "Mary Poppins" was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, and won five. It's full of jolly songs, beautiful scenery (courtesy of matte painter Peter Ellenshaw), and ingenious combinations of live actors and animation. Julie Andrews delivers a star-making performance in this, her first feature film, and Dick Van Dyke, despite a shaky hold on his Cockney accent, is charming. If there's any complaint to be made with "Mary Poppins," it may be too long for some, especially young children. Nearly 2 hours and 20 minutes of Poppins is a lot to take in one dose, even with a spoonful of sugar. In fact, some showings of the film in England were presented with an intermission.

Walt Disney tried for years to convince author P.L. Travers to allow him to make "Mary Poppins," and she eventually relented, provided she were allowed to be a consultant to the production. Walt agreed, and a documentary on this two-disc set reveals just how involved she was, from the casting, to the type of outfits Mary Poppins would wear, to the tape measure she uses to "measure" Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael (Matthew Garber) upon her arrival at 17 Cherry Tree Lane.

This two-disc set marks the third time Disney has released "Mary Poppins" on DVD, and it appears they've finally gotten it right this time. To start, the picture is anamorphically enhanced, to take full advantage of widescreen televisions. And it looks brighter and sharper than it ever has before. A new surround-sound mix isn't as incredible as some of the newer films released on DVD these days, but it does sound nice.

The set includes a nearly hour-long documentary on the making of "Mary Poppins," and an entertaining audio commentary track featuring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Karen Dotrice, and co-composer Richard Sherman.

Sherman takes center stage in two of the features on the disc. He and his late brother Robert wrote songs for many Disney films, and for "Mary Poppins," dozens of songs were written even before production on the film began. Sherman takes the viewer through the film and plays some excerpts from some of the unused songs in "A Musical Journey with Richard Sherman," and sits down at the piano in another feature for "A Magical Musical Reunion" with Andrews and Van Dyke.

Listening to Sherman talk about the music of this film is fascinating, and his love for the material really shows. Sherman reveals how a song called "Practically Perfect" became "Sister Suffragette," how an old English jig turned into "Step In Time," and he performs an entire deleted song, "Chimpanzoo," that was meant to be included during the tea party on the ceiling at Uncle Albert's house. Sherman also gets a little emotional as he recounts how Walt Disney's favorite song from the film was "Feed the Birds," which he felt to be the heart of the movie itself.

Archive footage of the film's premiere at Graumann's Chinese Theatre is fun to watch, as is 16mm newsreel footage of a party thrown by Technicolor to celebrate the premiere. There are art galleries, trailers and television advertisements, and more included on the disc.

Last but not least is a newly created short film starring Julie Andrews, and based on one of the "Mary Poppins" stories that did not make it into the film. Although I feared "The Cat That Looked at a King" would be a cheesy attempt to recapture Poppins magic, it stands on its own as a pleasant success.

Whether or not the stage version is better than the film remains to be seen for American audiences. Until then, we have this splendid set to charm us at home. Go ahead, spend your tuppence on "Mary Poppins: 40th Anniversary Edition," and you'll be in for a jolly holiday.

12/17/04

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