SUPERCALIFRANCHILISTICKEXPIALIDOSIOUS!


A fine Disney classic - but it's a flipper!   January 14, 2001
 7 out of 9 found this review helpful

The film's great, but it's one of the few DVDs left you have to turn over half way through. This is really annoying when your kids aren't old enough to do this themselves.


CLASSIC   January 2, 2001
 2 out of 5 found this review helpful

This film was my favourite film when I was 6 years old, 18 years on and I still can't help myself.

This will be a children's favourite until the end of time.


At last! Mary Poppins in true Widescreen glory.   May 19, 2000
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Disney has finally done full justice to its finest live-action adventure. There are no extras on this DVD, in true Disney fashion, but scene-access, pin-sharp clarity and vivid colour are the reasons for buying this classic.

We've all seen it on television several times, but to witness it in such quality and in a correct Widescreen ratio (1.85:1, true 35mm format) is the icing on the cake.

We all know the plot - Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews, of course) turns up at the home of crusty Mr Banks to take charge of his children, Jane and Michael. She has a few more tricks up her sleeve than the usual nanny - namely, the ability to take the kids on wonderful cartoon adventures along with her chimney-sweep friend Bert. Along the way, Disney's most memorable songs are heard.

This wasn't the first Disney film to combine live-action and animation (don't forget that Song of the South did that in 1946), but it was their finest achievement. And what's more - Julie Andrews IS Mary Poppins! She's "practically perfect in every way" according to her tape measure in the film - much like this DVD version of the movie.


Mary Poppins Opens Our Hearts   March 15, 2000
 1 out of 2 found this review helpful

This film is a delight from the opening credits straight through to the sad/happy ending. Everyone involved with the film seems to be having the time of their lives and Disney definitely made the right choice when he signed up the superb Julie Andrews to play the 'Practically Perfect' nanny of the title. She looks like an English rose and her singing and acting are superb - never going 'over the top'. Feed The Birds still brings a tear to my eye, as does the ending when she knows her work has been done and must leave. The other cast members; David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns, Ed Wynne, Hermione Baddeley, Arthur Treacher, to name but a few, give sterling performances and stop this enchanting story from losing any pace. There is always one (slight) fly in the ointment - and here it is Dick Van Dyke. Well, not actually the man himself, but his attempted Cockney accent. Sometimes it is virtually impossible to understand some of the words that come out of his mouth! The accent apart, he still delivers and is an excellent 'leading man' for Julie. With its superb score including Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious; Feed the Birds; Stay Awake; I Love to Laugh; A Spoonful of Sugar; Let's Go Fly a Kite and Chim Chim Cheree, no wonder it won Academy Awards for its musical score, special effects and film editing and, of course, for its wonderful leading lady! This DVD version is delightful. Remastered with superb sound and picture, this is a 'must' for the family DVD library. Look out for the continuity error (doesn't every film have one?): It occurs in the scene where Mary is being interviewed by Mr Banks and she is holding the letter that the children had written but which Banks had ripped up and thrown on the fire. In the close-up of the letter, Mary's gloves change colour - she is actually wearing white gloves but in the close-up they turn black!