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Mary Poppins [VHS]

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Average Customer Rating:	4.5
Release Date:	1998-03-31
Brand:	Walt Disney Records & Audio
ISBN:	0788812262
Actors:	Julie Andrews; Dick Van Dyke; David Tomlinson; Glynis Johns; Hermione Baddeley
Audience rating:	G (General Audience)
Format:	Animated; Closed-captioned; Color; Live; Special Edition; NTSC
Language:	Unknown: English;
Cinematographer	Edward Colman
Editor	Cotton Warburton
Producer	Bill Walsh
Writer	Bill Walsh; Don DaGradi; P.L. Travers

Product Categories

Andrews, Julie; Baddeley, Hermione; Dotrice, Karen; Dyke, Dick Van; Johns, Glynis; Owen, Reginald; Shaw, Reta; Tomlinson, David; Treacher, Arthur; Wynn, Ed; Stevenson, Robert; Comedy; All Disney Titles; VHS; G; 3-6 Years; 7-9 Years; 10-12 Years; Feature Films; Mischievous Children; Family Films; Fantasy; Classics; Drama; All Disney Titles; Animated Movies; 3-6 Years; 7-11 Years; For the Whole Family; Comedy; Kids & Family - Adapted from Books - General

Product description

There is only one word that comes close to accurately describing the enchanting Mary Poppins, and that term was coined by the movie itself: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Even at 2 hours and 20 minutes, Disney's pioneering mixture of live action and animation (based on the books by P.L. Travers) still holds kids spellbound. Julie Andrews won an Oscar as the world's most magically idealized nanny ("practically perfect in every way," and complete with lighter-than-air umbrella), and Dick Van Dyke is her clownishly charming beau, Bert the chimney sweep. The songs are also terrific, ranging from bright and cheery ("A Spoonful of Sugar") to dark and cheery (the Oscar-winning "Chim Chim Cher-ee") to touchingly melancholy ("Feed the Birds"). Many consider Mary Poppins to be the crowning achievement of Walt Disney's career--and it was the only one of his features to be nominated for a best picture Academy Award until Beauty and the Beast in 1991. --Jim Emerson

Customer reviews

« It's a funny thing... »

First let me say that I like this movie. I'm British by birth so I am duty bound to deduct one star for the most unsuccessful attempt at a British accent ever to be immortalized on film. It shows how much the standard of acting has improved when you hear the flawless British accents of actors like Rene Zellweiger or Johnny Depp. Dick Van Dyke simply can't do a British accent and should never have been cast in the part. There was a British actor/singer at the time called Tommy Steele, who already had an impressive stage and screen resume and who would have been perfect in the role. However, he was overlooked for the bigger name (in the US) of Van Dyke. Ironically, Julie Andrews was passed over a year earlier for the movie of 'My Fair Lady' for the non-singing, but better-known, Audrey Hepburn (whose cockney accent was almost as bad as Van Dyke's). Andrews showed what a mistake that was by winning an Oscar for this film. However, that quibble aside, this is a joyous, entrancing movie.

The funny thing I referred to in the title of this review is that in most movie adaptations of books, like say the Harry Potter series, angry reviewers spend much time and energy complaining that the movies don't follow the books. Hardly anyone (I did find one such review) says that about 'Mary Poppins', even though the movie bears little resemblance to the book and, in particular, the character of Mary Poppins is completely changed.

Personally, I've never felt that movie adaptations need to follow the books on which they were based. Movies are a totally different medium and the only criterion should be whether the movie works as a movie. In that respect, 'Mary Poppins' works admirably.

Rating: (4 out of 5) @ 2010-08-25

« Blu Ray »

I bought this for my kids ages 6 & 4, and they love it but I am wondering why in 2009 they did not remaster it to HD? A Blu Ray release would have been huge!!!!!!

Rating: (5 out of 5) @ 2010-08-11

« Mary Poppins Anniversary Edition »

The product is fine, in good condition. And I apreciate the sender including a nice note - shows that she cares about what she does and her product. Thank you.

Rating: (5 out of 5) @ 2010-08-05

« Mary Poppins stinks and Dick van Dyke is a bastard »

First of all, I hate "Mary Poppins." It's garbage. It's crap and I hate Dick van Dyke is a bastard, the bloody bastard. He's so stupid and annoying. He's a loser. Hate to sound like the British, but the man is a bloody bastard. He's a piece of trash and I can't stand the man's presence. He stinks up every room he enters. An added bonus: this film is filled with bad and embarassing moments. I hate this movie, it's so stupid and lame and bad. I don't see why people even like this movie, it stinks. it's so horrible. I hate Julie Andrews, she is so annoying. She stinks. She's such a phoney baloney. She's so fakey. She's so annoying too, she really gets on you're nerves. I wish I could pinch her cheekbones or something or slap her fat face. She's so overly cheery and ick. She's a old windbag now, but still irreating. I never bought those kids either, how sweet they are?! Please! They're so fakey. I bet the director had to literally sit down and get it out of em' and they had to act really fakey onscreen. I bet it was a riot. I hate the mother of the children in the movie, she was such a goody-two shoes Disney character. I hated howed the father was always like a captain general, and he was a loser. Old Walt really didn't luck out on this one, this movie is horrible and it spells bad. This movie is bad and it rots. I think that the movie "Nanny McPhee" was much better and a better movie about a nanny changing the lifes of naughty children. This movie was horrible and I hate it and can't stand Julie Andrews. She's irrating.