Post by GirlyGhoul on Jan 18, 2016 14:59:23 GMT -4
I searched and could not find a thread for this. I also didn't want to pull up the Dick van D y k e thread just to talk about this movie because after David Bowie and Alan Rickman, Dick's name popping up top might give everyone heart attacks.
But anyway, I have a friend who is 53 years old and has NEVER seen Mary Poppins. This came up early in our friendship and I declared that we would have to have a movie night just to watch it... but after 15 years of knowing each other, we've never had our 'Mary Poppins' night. I finally decided I would just buy the movie and give it to her for her birthday since now she has a baby granddaughter who will surely want to see Mary Poppins someday. And also my friend just needs to freaking see this movie! It's just that damn delightful!
So as I've been waiting for the movie to arrive from Amazon I started watching as many clips as I could find on YouTube and reading things about it. Something I came upon which I didn't realize before is that P.L. Travers was not a fan of the movie. I guess if I'd actually bothered to see 'Saving Mr. Banks' I would have learned that earlier. But I didn't, so this is the first I'm hearing of it. One of the reasons it's said she didn't like the movie was the "anti-feminist" ending where Mrs. Banks decides to give up her fight for the suffragette movement and spend more time with the family. She gives up her sash to be used as the tail of Mr. Bank's kite and skips away with the children now immersed in her role as dutiful wife and mother.
BUH ZUH?!?!? Ok, I NEVER got that message from the movie! I always thought that she put her sash on the kite specifically so the message of 'Votes for Women' would be flown above the crowds for all to see. And Mr. Banks accepting the 'tail' was symbolic of him finally embracing his wife and her beliefs. I also never got the impression she was neglecting her family. Yes, they have a nanny and a cook and a maid so Mrs. Banks isn't very hands on with the children or the home. But that was pretty standard for Victorian Era upper class folks. From what I understand, Victorian women of means weren't really expected to do much except organize social events to keep their husband's name in good standing and pop out a kid now and then (which would be then handed over to a nanny, and probably not one as cool as Mary Poppins). I always thought it was pretty awesome that Mrs. Banks secretly spent her free time as a suffragette and especially that she did it against stuffy old Mr. Banks's wishes. Plus she got all the chimney sweeps to shout 'VOTES FOR WOMEN!' in their step in time dance.
So I certainly never saw any anti-feminist message (quite the opposite in fact) in the movie. Nor did I see Mrs. Banks change her stance in anyway. Am I missing something? I'm not seeing where P.L. Travers could get upset about how Mrs. Banks was portrayed in the movies (although to be fair, I never read the books).
But beyond all that, I think the movie is awesome! And I've always been more of a horror buff and lover of guts n splatter. Mary Poppins is just charming, witty and feel good enough that I've always had a fond place in my heart for it. You know what I think it is? It's a feel good movie without being treacly. There aren't really any bad guys, just one man's inability to loosen up and enjoy his life. And no one outwardly mocks him for being stuffy or flat out tells him he's wrong for being how he is. They just gently guide him towards being more involved with his kids and helping him find a way to be happier.
Plus there's dancing penguins! :-)!!
But anyway, I have a friend who is 53 years old and has NEVER seen Mary Poppins. This came up early in our friendship and I declared that we would have to have a movie night just to watch it... but after 15 years of knowing each other, we've never had our 'Mary Poppins' night. I finally decided I would just buy the movie and give it to her for her birthday since now she has a baby granddaughter who will surely want to see Mary Poppins someday. And also my friend just needs to freaking see this movie! It's just that damn delightful!
So as I've been waiting for the movie to arrive from Amazon I started watching as many clips as I could find on YouTube and reading things about it. Something I came upon which I didn't realize before is that P.L. Travers was not a fan of the movie. I guess if I'd actually bothered to see 'Saving Mr. Banks' I would have learned that earlier. But I didn't, so this is the first I'm hearing of it. One of the reasons it's said she didn't like the movie was the "anti-feminist" ending where Mrs. Banks decides to give up her fight for the suffragette movement and spend more time with the family. She gives up her sash to be used as the tail of Mr. Bank's kite and skips away with the children now immersed in her role as dutiful wife and mother.
BUH ZUH?!?!? Ok, I NEVER got that message from the movie! I always thought that she put her sash on the kite specifically so the message of 'Votes for Women' would be flown above the crowds for all to see. And Mr. Banks accepting the 'tail' was symbolic of him finally embracing his wife and her beliefs. I also never got the impression she was neglecting her family. Yes, they have a nanny and a cook and a maid so Mrs. Banks isn't very hands on with the children or the home. But that was pretty standard for Victorian Era upper class folks. From what I understand, Victorian women of means weren't really expected to do much except organize social events to keep their husband's name in good standing and pop out a kid now and then (which would be then handed over to a nanny, and probably not one as cool as Mary Poppins). I always thought it was pretty awesome that Mrs. Banks secretly spent her free time as a suffragette and especially that she did it against stuffy old Mr. Banks's wishes. Plus she got all the chimney sweeps to shout 'VOTES FOR WOMEN!' in their step in time dance.
So I certainly never saw any anti-feminist message (quite the opposite in fact) in the movie. Nor did I see Mrs. Banks change her stance in anyway. Am I missing something? I'm not seeing where P.L. Travers could get upset about how Mrs. Banks was portrayed in the movies (although to be fair, I never read the books).
But beyond all that, I think the movie is awesome! And I've always been more of a horror buff and lover of guts n splatter. Mary Poppins is just charming, witty and feel good enough that I've always had a fond place in my heart for it. You know what I think it is? It's a feel good movie without being treacly. There aren't really any bad guys, just one man's inability to loosen up and enjoy his life. And no one outwardly mocks him for being stuffy or flat out tells him he's wrong for being how he is. They just gently guide him towards being more involved with his kids and helping him find a way to be happier.
Plus there's dancing penguins! :-)!!
