Cadaverous Pallor
06-22-2006, 11:00 AM
I'm bored on my last day at the school. I'm done. I have a TV and VCR in here that never gets used, except when I test tapes. Some teachers bring a boombox to work today - I put Mary Poppins in the VCR.
It occured to me that it's been a while since I've watched the whole thing, though I do still have most of it memorized. My brother and I watched it endlessly as kids. We had inside family jokes about a lot of it. My grandmother had the soundtrack on cassette and I'd put that on quite often. I know all the words to all the songs. I still think of the words to "Stay Awake" when I can't sleep, and it still helps.
I often forget just how much I love this movie. Every time we watch Fantasmic I feel compelled to wave at the chimney sweeps on the roof of the Twain. Mary and Bert are among the few characters at the park that I actually would like to have a moment with.
I swear, I can cry at many of the moments in this film. I almost did when Jane and Michael sang the nanny advertisement letter.
Yeah, this movie hits me in my weak spots. I'm now realizing that there are so many levels to my love for it.
There's the childhood/family connection. I can't stress that enough. My brother traveled to England a while ago, and along with visiting Abbey Road made sure to visit the building used for the Tuppence a Bag sequence.
There's the pure fantasy aspect. Yes, the effects have aged, but the actual happenings are still perfectly viable. Watching carousel horses racing along carving lines in the dirt with poles attached to nothing still brings a smile. Mary floats down with confidence, and while the Love to Laugh sequence really suffers from perspective problems, the levity is still contagious.
"Sometimes a person we love, through no fault of his own, can't see past the end of his nose." I have family that is like this in various ways. I'm sure we all do.
Then there's the heart of the story. The idea of stopping to smell the roses. Of being firm but indulging in playfulness, not only with kids, but with ourselves. I realize that in working with kids and anticipating parenthood, Mary Poppins is my hero. Sure, I can't make cleaning up so fun that a child will say "I don't want to go on an outing, I want to tidy up the nursery again", but I can do my best. We all battle with becoming jaded. I hope I can maintain a balance of youthfulness and responsibility in all things. Michael's tuppence hits close to home, as I save for the future but indulge myself as well.
You've seen me often ponder what fantasy is, what Disney is. Thinking about this leads me to why Mary Poppins is so iconic. It's a fantasy about fantasy. The message is that joy is important. That laughter is necessary. That cold hard reality can eventually overwhelm your happiness.
If you haven't seen this in a while, dust it off and post here of the memories it kicks up. I'm going to purchase the DVD. I don't buy movies often, but I must have it.
...
On a less poignant note, here are a couple things I noticed: Where do the nannies go when they're blown away? Do they break limbs when they land miles away? Are their memories wiped?
Also, I'd suppose this all occurs during the summer holidays. No school for the kids at all. I'm sure they go to boarding school.
Please God don't let them remake this one.
It occured to me that it's been a while since I've watched the whole thing, though I do still have most of it memorized. My brother and I watched it endlessly as kids. We had inside family jokes about a lot of it. My grandmother had the soundtrack on cassette and I'd put that on quite often. I know all the words to all the songs. I still think of the words to "Stay Awake" when I can't sleep, and it still helps.
I often forget just how much I love this movie. Every time we watch Fantasmic I feel compelled to wave at the chimney sweeps on the roof of the Twain. Mary and Bert are among the few characters at the park that I actually would like to have a moment with.
I swear, I can cry at many of the moments in this film. I almost did when Jane and Michael sang the nanny advertisement letter.
Yeah, this movie hits me in my weak spots. I'm now realizing that there are so many levels to my love for it.
There's the childhood/family connection. I can't stress that enough. My brother traveled to England a while ago, and along with visiting Abbey Road made sure to visit the building used for the Tuppence a Bag sequence.
There's the pure fantasy aspect. Yes, the effects have aged, but the actual happenings are still perfectly viable. Watching carousel horses racing along carving lines in the dirt with poles attached to nothing still brings a smile. Mary floats down with confidence, and while the Love to Laugh sequence really suffers from perspective problems, the levity is still contagious.
"Sometimes a person we love, through no fault of his own, can't see past the end of his nose." I have family that is like this in various ways. I'm sure we all do.
Then there's the heart of the story. The idea of stopping to smell the roses. Of being firm but indulging in playfulness, not only with kids, but with ourselves. I realize that in working with kids and anticipating parenthood, Mary Poppins is my hero. Sure, I can't make cleaning up so fun that a child will say "I don't want to go on an outing, I want to tidy up the nursery again", but I can do my best. We all battle with becoming jaded. I hope I can maintain a balance of youthfulness and responsibility in all things. Michael's tuppence hits close to home, as I save for the future but indulge myself as well.
You've seen me often ponder what fantasy is, what Disney is. Thinking about this leads me to why Mary Poppins is so iconic. It's a fantasy about fantasy. The message is that joy is important. That laughter is necessary. That cold hard reality can eventually overwhelm your happiness.
If you haven't seen this in a while, dust it off and post here of the memories it kicks up. I'm going to purchase the DVD. I don't buy movies often, but I must have it.
...
On a less poignant note, here are a couple things I noticed: Where do the nannies go when they're blown away? Do they break limbs when they land miles away? Are their memories wiped?
Also, I'd suppose this all occurs during the summer holidays. No school for the kids at all. I'm sure they go to boarding school.
Please God don't let them remake this one.