Like many of my friends, I am eagerly anticipating the new film about the making of Mary Poppins, Saving Mr. Banks, so I thought I'd sing the praises of the beloved original film. But where do I even start? All the actors are so incredibly fantastic and wonderful and memorable. Every single face in this film makes me feel like I'm looking at an old friend, especially David Tomlinson as Mr. Banks. Maybe it's because there's a quality about him that reminds me of my own father, but when I look at him I feel like I've known him my entire life. The entire cast is great. Say what you will about Dick Van Dyke's questionable Cockney accent, but his dancing and physical comedy is absolutely top-notch. And Julie Andrews! She needs no explanation; she's "practically perfect in every way."
Can we talk about the music for a second? Every single song in this movie is a classic. Even the songs I found kinda boring as a kid are my favorites now..."Stay Awake" and "Feed the Birds" are just sublime. Those Sherman Brothers, man. That's a whole lot of talent right there. "Let's Go Fly a Kite"? Such a great song! "Jolly Holiday"? Marvelous! Every song is so good!
I'm trying not to gush over this movie, but it's more difficult than I thought. There's a lot to take in - frolicking in chalk drawings, dancing with chimney sweeps, winning a horse race, laughing on the ceiling, cleaning a room with the snap of your fingers - but I guess at the end of the day there's only one word to describe this film...
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Oh come on, you knew that was coming.
No comments:
Post a Comment