What the hell is the connection between the two?
I didn’t even know there WAS one until I read this absolutely wonderful article in The NY Times this morning.
I am in love with that entire article – its insights, its comparison with the BOOKS of May Poppins and the movie/Broadway show … but I also love how the article is written. Edward Rothstein … Wonderful writer.
I wasn’t aware that Travers’ first ambition was to be a poet – and that Yeats was her ultimate idol … Love it.
I’d heard that Travers was aghast at the Disney treatment of her books, but of course it was too late to withdraw the rights.
In any case, Julie Andrews is practically perfect in every way as the embodiment of Mary Poppins. Not that this article isn’t great; but his drive-by of the movie is somewhat one-sided. I’d always taken it as a reminder not to lose some of the wonder of childhood even as one becomes an adult – not to overdo it as Uncle Albert does, lest one float helplessly to the ceiling. And Mr. Banks wasn’t told necessarily to act like a child, but to spend more time with his own. (And David Tomlinson is also perfect.)
Excellent info on Ms. Travers, though.
I love the movie too, I grew up with it, but I think all of his points on the differences between the two are extremely well-put.
I just love the image of her making this pilgrimage to Yeats’ door …
Dad – did you know this story??
Oh and Mere …
Let’s not even discuss the nervous breakdown you had when you first saw this movie!!!
I just started reading Mary Poppins to my 4 year old (and went to the Macy’s Minneapolis walkthrough). I think the article makes some valid points. The book Mary Poppins is rather different than the movie. She is much gruffer, more matter-of-fact. And, the book parents don’t need much fixing – in fact Mary Poppins keeps coming back.
But Book Mary Poppins is even more magical, and more unique. She is known and held in awe by all sorts of magical, amazing people in the world. (come on, she hangs stars in the sky!)
I think it boils down to Book Mary is very earthy, and Movie Mary is very etherial.
I love the movie. Always have. And, I have long loved the books. However, I think the movie is only loosely based on the books :-)
melissa –
I believe I saw the movie BEFORE I read the books – and I remember being almost … frightened by the Mary in the book. She is tough, man, a tough cookie.
But I agree – MORE magical.
I have to agree with Nightfly– I was kind of aghast that the article thought the movie was supposed to be All About Childhood Being Great — yes, the dad (in particular, and also the mom to some extent) learns that he needs to spend more time with his kids, but the kids also learn that they need to start giving their parents more credit.
I watched it recently — hadn’t seen it since being a rather small child — and one thing that was just hilarious to me was the mom, who is a complete FLUFFCASE. There is no way you’d be able to portray a woman — a suffragette! (by the way… when I watched as a kid I had NO idea what a suffragette was… it was just a cool word in a song, like SuperCalifragalisticExpialadocious, hee) — as so airheaded today.
All that being said, I do agree with the point that the book and movie are two different objects — so much so that my kid brain, which normally had a really hard time with changing books around in movies (I had an absolute FIT when The Little Mermaid came out and she didn’t die), didn’t even really register the book and the movie as coming from the same source.
charlene – it’s funny, i felt the same way as a kid. I looked at the book and the movie as being almost completely different.
I absolutely loved the books
And the movie made me sick
Julie Andrews was this sickly-sweet smiling treacly lollipop.
That wasn’t Mary Poppins