Mary Poppins 50th Anniversary Blu-ray December 10th, 2013 (1 Viewer)

[moviebuff75]

If Oz still has errors, then I hope the 3D version does fail.

 

[warnerbro]

Personally, I always thought Dick Van Dyke's cockney dialect was great. And the character he created is one I will always love. He is a big part of my childhood.

 

[Rob_Ray]

I have no more problem with Dick Van Dyke's accent than I do with the fact that Cherry Tree Lane is obviously an indoor set on a soundstage. It's a fantasy set in that wonderfully unreal Fantasyland that was uniquely Disney.

**
"I've seen Paris, France and I've seen Paris, Paramount. I prefer Paramount." -- Ernst Lubitsch.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

I guess it's a question of how one's suspension of disbelief is formed while watching a movie, which also has a lot to do with one's background. As a child of English descent raised in Canada exposed on a near daily basis to various English accents (my parents have friends from all over the isle), I can accept the mixing of animation with live action, studio sets, etc. knowing the limitations of film at that time, but when you throw in a poorly done Cockney accent, it completely takes me out of the movie. Idiosyncratic, I guess, but a similar and somehow less jarring experience occurs when watching The Untouchables, Highlander (arguably the most ludicrous, with a Frenchman playing a Scotsman and a Scotsman playing a Spaniard), and some other films. Go figure.

 

[Rob_Ray]

I guess it's a question of how one's suspension of disbelief is formed while watching a movie, which also has a lot to do with one's background. As a child of English descent raised in Canada exposed on a near daily basis to various English accents (my parents have friends from all over the isle), I can accept the mixing of animation with live action, studio sets, etc. knowing the limitations of film at that time, but when you throw in a poorly done Cockney accent, it completely takes me out of the movie. Idiosyncratic, I guess, but a similar and somehow less jarring experience occurs when watching The Untouchables, Highlander (arguably the most ludicrous, with a Frenchman playing a Scotsman and a Scotsman playing a Spaniard), and some other films. Go figure.

How does Audrey Hepburn's cockney accent in My Fair Lady strike your ears? I love Audrey, but she's never been convincing to me as a Cockney, any more than Mr. Van Dyke.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Fecking hate Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. The movie is beautifully done (much like Mary Poppins), with an excellent cast apart from Ms. Hepburn, but again, it takes me out of the movie.

 

[JohnMor]

I can understand. I'm originally from Texas, and when I hear a fake twang or Southern drawl, it can take you out of the piece. I love DVD, but man, his accent in this is something else! But I still adore this movie! And of course, Hollywood film history is filled with bad accents of one kind or another.

 

[Professor Echo]

I also would have preferred if Dick had just used his normal American accent. I think at that time before the real advent of "perfect accent" acting, when only actors like Brando were truly braving those waters, very few people would have noticed or cared. Especially us kids, but then again, us kids didn't notice how bad the accent was either!

(Streaming the great jazz radio station WDCB out of Chicago while reading this thread today and they played McCoy Tyner's rendition of "Chim Chim Cher-ee," a very welcome coincidence).

 

[Everett S.]

I have some very grave news about Bambi.

Was that "Bambi Meets Godzilla" ?.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Man, I haven't seen this movie in probably 30 years. Looking forward to it.
Interesting to note how great the top 4 moneymakers of that year were (from earlier in the thread: Poppins, Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Goldfinger).

 

[Ejanss]

Nice memory, but next time how about a friendly neighborhood SPOILER WARNING? Unilkely as it may seem, it's possible some folks reading this thread may never have seen the movie.

The HTF policy on this should always be to never assume everyone has seen everything and to always include a SPOILER warning. Rant over.

Think I'm uniquely qualified on that point, as I remember seeing the movie in the theaters with an audience that either had never seen it, or had developed amnesia in the last 7-10 years, and the ending wasn't a spoiler--Now, the end-credits reveal of the actor playing Mr. Dawes Sr., or that

Spoiler

the parrot umbrella talked at the end,

THAT knocked us for a loop without any warning. You'd think we would've seen them coming .

 

[Dee Zee]

I was a 13 year old boy into rock and roll when I saw this in Chicago. I loved it and my sister and I played the soundtrack incessantly at home. The soundtrack album was issued on CD in 1989 and a 2 CD Special Edition Came out in 2004.I have the 40th DVD which I recently watched with my 4 year granddaughter. She liked it but the DVD didn't look so good on my 60inch screen. So looking forward to this release as well as The Sword and the Stone coming soon.

 

[classicmovieguy]

The only "Poppins" soundtrack on CD that I have is this one... not sure if it's the 1989 edition but I bought it around 1993-94 if memory serves...

Plus I picked up this CD a couple of years ago as a "cut-out"... It was part of a short-lived series of vintage Disney reissues...

 

[warnerbro]

I think that's what makes MARY POPPINS so endearing: it's the beautiful fantasy world that is I want to visit over and over again. It's the way I'd love the world to be. It's one long beautiful painting accompanied by haunting music.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Louis Prima sings Mary Poppins?!?!?!

The Greatest!

 

[Ejanss]

Louis Prima sings Mary Poppins?!?!?!
The Greatest!

Just as long as Julie Andrews doesn't sing "I Wanna Be Like You".

 

[Mike Frezon]

Louis Prima sings Mary Poppins?!?!?!

The Greatest!

That album is a pisser. It is exactly what you think it would be. It fails to disappoint.

 

[Jonathan Burk]

This should bring back some memories for all you fellow members of the "original Disney VHS" club:

 

[Gary Seven]

This is the album I had as a kid...

Look forward to the Blu Ray

 

[Brandon Conway]

Personally I'd love to see a movie where every character has the Van Dyke Cockney Accent™.