100 Movies before we move: #53
Emmy says:
A Most Marvellous Movie. Watching for the first time in over a decade I have an understanding of filming and editing that has let me see the skill this movie has in combining live action with animation and the displaying of the carpet bag’s misleading dimensions and the aerial antics. The singing and dancing is magnificent and talented. 10/10.
Jeff says:
Strangely, I have never watched Mary Poppins before. We’re going to watch the new movie on Monday, so it seemed like a good idea to see the original first. At the risk of being thrown into the fireplace, it wasn’t as good as I was led to believe. I suspect this has to do with time: my age means I’m not as wowed by the song and dance numbers (which were fantastic, to be honest) alone; and advances in cinema (and high-def TVs) make the special effects looked jarringly obvious. My main problem, though, was the story. While there was a narrative, it was a mess. Action films are rightly criticised for having little plot except to get to the next set piece, and this is what happened here: the story (such as it was) is only a vehicle to arrive at the next number. It bothered me. Still, the set pieces were delightful and for its time the effects were very clever. 8/10.