In the I Love to Laugh scene in Mary Poppins, Bert and Uncle Albert must think of something sad to stop the giggling fits that cause them to levitate up to the ceiling. I can think of nothing sadder than criticising Mary Poppins, which is screening at this year's Abu Dhabi Film Festival (tomorrow, 5.30pm and Saturday, November 1, 2pm, Emirates Palace). "Not at all attractive to my way of thinking," as Mary would say.
No, Dick Van Dyke's Cockney accent isn't spot on. Nor is Poppins as severe a character as the author P?L Travers would have liked. And the suffragette subplot with Mrs Banks is at odds with current feminist ideology; Jane and Michael's mother neglects them because she's too busy campaigning for votes for women.
The reason for the film's longevity – Mary Poppins was premiered 50 years ago at Grauman's Chinese Theatre – is that it overcomes its shortcomings.
"It's like a fairy tale you ask your grandmother to tell over and over," says Teresa Cavina, ADFF's director of programming. "You are pleased because it comes out the same every time. It's the darling of kids of every generation."
No matter how many times you've watched the Walt Disney production, there's always something new.
Here are some fun facts and things to watch and listen for:
• Mary is a study of opposites. When she wants the children to go to sleep, she sings Stay Awake; when she arrives, she slides up the banister; and her seemingly empty bag contains both a hat rack and a potted plant. The songwriters Robert and Richard Sherman even wrote this theme into their music. When Julie Andrews sings the "down" part in Spoonful of Sugar, for example, her voice goes up in octave.
• Robert Stevenson's name doesn't come up on many best-director lists, but in addition to Mary Poppins, he helmed such classics as Old Yeller, The Absent-Minded Professor and the first two Herbie movies.
• The Sherman brothers wrote It's a Small World, the song that plays non-stop at Disneyland in California. They also wrote You're Sixteen, made famous by Ringo Starr.
• Van Dyke might have a lousy accent (which he blamed on his voice coach, who was Irish) but the man could dance. His moves in Step in Time, for example, are up there with some of Michael Jackson's. The sequence took an entire week to film.
• The movie holds the record for longest time available on video, at 33 years. "A thing of beauty is a joy forever," as Mary would say.
Remastered version of Mary Poppins to show at ADFF 2014
A remastered version of Mary Poppins will show at this year's Abu Dhabi film festival. Here are some fun facts and things to watch out for in this old classic.
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