Mary Poppins

I recently read the book Mary Poppins and didn't think much of it, particularly in contrast to the Disney movie. In the book the plot goes like this - Mary flies in, Mary and the children have a series of adventures and then Mary leaves. There doesn't seem to be a point to the book. The movie, on the other hand, has Mary coming to help a dysfunctional family - the children are disconnected from their parents. She leaves once she is no longer needed because the parents have had their priorities readjusted.

I borrowed the 40th Anniversary DVD and the 40th Anniversary Soundtrack from my brother to check out the special features and see what they had to say about the book. It was quite gratifiying to find that Richard Sherman (who, along with his brother Robert, were the songwriters) had the exact same take on the book that I had. Going through the material reminded me how great this movie is and, in particular, how incredible the song "Feed the Birds" is. At the end of his life, it was Walt Disney's favorite song. He would often ask the Sherman brothers to play it for him and then say, "That's what it's all about."

Cider House Rules

This movie wasn't what I thought it would be. I had heard it was controversial because it talked about abortion and there was some sex and nudity. They were both there but neither dominated the movie. It troubles me that those were the only impressions given to me by friends who had seen it. The abortion argument and the sex scenes served as examples to help make a point. Using controversial or objectionable material often will draw people to interact with it and cause them to think. The danger is that someone is so offended that they cannot get past the example to see the point that the example is trying to demonstrate. This is the trap I believe my friends were caught in. I believe there is some validity to the point being made - that there are rules and expectations placed upon people which are unrealistic because they are made without an understanding or without regard to the circumstances of the people expected to follow them.

There were a few other very thoughtful things along the way that I appreciated. Chiefly, the realization by Homer that to take a "wait and see" attutude was tantamount to letting someone else decide for you.

Apart from the cerebral, there was plenty of other things to like about this movie. The kids in the orphanage were adorable, the relationship between Homer, Dr. Larch and the orphans was touching and the cinematography was well done. I really enjoyed it.

Intro

One of the most fun things about watching a movie is talking about it with friends. The movies that I like the best are ones that make me think and I do some of my best thinking in front of a keyboard. I think that blogging about movies I have seen will help me process it better. Then, after I have pontificated, I hope a good conversation about it will emerge.

That's the idea at least.