I am yet to meet someone who has not seen Mary Poppins. It is not something that regularly comes up in conversation because it is assumed that everyone has seen this movie. Try and think of someone who hasn't seen it. This year marks Mary Poppins' 60th anniversary and parents are still showing their kids this film. So what makes a 60-year-old movie still relevant today and the kind of movie that you can rewatch many times throughout life and not get sick of? That's what I intend to explore in today's Re-View.

I think the clear reason that Mary Poppins remains relevant is because the movie was ahead of its time. This is seen across many aspects of the film but is probably most prominent in its practical effects. Of course, this movie was produced before the age of the computer meaning that all effects had to be practical and no CGI could be used. Whilst some of the effects are probably a little transparent today, many are quite believable, especially to children. Whilst rewatching the movie the other day, there were some effects that I was trying to figure out how they pulled it off. Unlike CGI, these effects do not become outdated. Perhaps some of the effects would be more realistic with the use of modern CGI; that's understandable. However, it would be embarrassing for a 60-year-old movie to have more realistic effects than a modern movie with a massive CGI budget (*ahem*, any Marvel movie ever). There's just something about this kind of movie that makes it feel much more authentic than a large portion of movies today.

Another way in which Mary Poppins was ahead of its time was through its political messaging. Firstly, the movie made the smart decision of setting the movie fifty years earlier. This allows for any kind of outdated political ideas to be shrugged off as the movie is set in a time when this was normalised. However, the film doesn't stop there. It challenges the political views of that time by discussing the role of women in the household. The movie then places a woman in a strong feminist lead role whilst many other movies of the time saw women as a bit of romantic relief in a James Bond film. What does this mean today? Not much. Having a woman as a lead is luckily not out of the ordinary in 2024. But this was a big step in 1964. 

Mary Poppins also used a kind of comedy that doesn't go out of date. By providing us with timeless comedy, it means that people can still laugh at the movie today. Perhaps some of the jokes may have been funnier when the film was first released, but I'd say on the whole, the movie is just as funny today.

Can we also take a moment to appreciate the songs and the dancing? How do you write music that people will still enjoy in 60 years' time? Turns out The Beatles weren't the only ones capable of this. The music feels like time and energy was poured into it to get it exactly right. That's more than I can say about the movie musicals of today that use programmed drums and autotune. And the dancing! Now of course Dick Van Dyke is incredible (did you know that he was 40 in Mary Poppins?). But the male dance ensemble of this film is truly breathtaking and easily enjoyed today.

Now perhaps my only criticism of Mary Poppins is the length. It was made at a time when the average length of movies was at a peak. 2 hours and 19 minutes may not seem long when placed next to the movies of today. However, this film is intended to be a family movie and I know that kids will struggle to sit still for this length of time. There's a point in the film which I always think is the end of the movie. I think this is because it was how far we'd get through the movie as kids before we got too bored and needed to do something else. Could you take anything out of the movie? No. It's just something to bear in mind.

Mary Poppins is clearly a timeless classic. It's no surprise that parents are still showing this movie to their kids. It is the kind of movie that will outlast its audience. There's something about the movie that feels genuine and authentic. I wonder which movies being released today will still be enjoyed in 60 years' time. My guess is it's not going to be The Avengers.

Review by Tristan Carr

Last edited: 03/03/2024