10 Best Mary Poppins Moments
Even after 60 years, the iconic Robert Stevenson Disney musical Mary Poppins (1964) remains a perennial favourite for viewers of all ages.
The result of Walt Disney’s desire to move into more prestige filmmaking, and loosely adapting P.L. Travers’ children’s books about a magical nanny, the level of affection held for the songs, the revolutionary visuals, the characters and the performances (particularly that of Julie Andrews in the titular role) mean that Mary Poppins is not a film short on classic moments.
As depicted in the biopic Saving Mr Banks (2013), Travers wasn’t all that happy with the creative direction of the Disneyfication of her character, but audiences loved it and Mary Poppins became one of Disney’s most successful films at the Oscars, winning five awards including Best Actress for Julie Andrews.
But which scenes and musical numbers in this beloved comfort film make the heart flutter, set toes tapping, and bring on the waterworks? Winds in the east, mist coming in… like somethin’ is brewin’ and ‘bout to begin… these are the the 10 Best Mary Poppins Moments.
10. The Admiral’s Timekeeping
“Posts everyone!”
The Banks family’s neighbour on Cherry Tree Lane is one Admiral Boom (Reginald Owen), a senile retired seafarer who has set up a new vessel on the roof of his house. Every day at just past 6pm (his watch is slow) he fires a cannon to mark the hour. The whole family must brace themselves and their possessions.
After Ellen the maid (Hermione Baddeley) shrilly announces “Posts, everyone!”, the whole household assumes their well-practiced positions, keeping anything breakable in place as their house walls shake, sending everything toppling and sliding across the drawing room before bouncing back more-or-less as it was before. It’s a piece of pleasingly absurd physical comedy, and a great example of old-fashioned filmmaking craft, with lots borrowed from similar techniques used in theatre; it’s all down to the cast’s timing (a result of their intense rehearsals) and a clever use of hidden wires.
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9. Run on the Bank
“If you invest your tuppence wisely in the bank, safe and sound, soon that tuppence, safely invested in the bank, will compound!”
On Mary Poppins’ suggestion, the nominative determinism-monikered Mr Banks (David Tomlinson) takes his children Jane and Michael (Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber) to see where he works, the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank. But when Mr Banks’ decrepit old boss Mr Dawes Sr (Dick Van Dyke) tries to pressure young Michael into opening a savings account with his tuppence, chaos ensues.
It’s an on-the-nose metaphor for the evils of capitalism sure, but the sight of some seedy old white dudes swarming around a child to get his pocket money in order to begin to accrue interest on it is still an effective one.
This scene serves as one of George Banks’ lowest professional points. Previously a promising junior partner at the bank, his son ends up being the catalyst of panic as customers assume the bank is about to go bust and lose their money. But could Mary Poppins ever have foreseen what an impromptu take-your-child-to-work day would result in? Well, of course…
