Mary Robinette Kowal - Turning 40 With Mary Poppins
On Sunday I'm turning 40, which I am strangely excited about because I've always thought that 40 would be the age at which I would finally be taken seriously. Understand this is profoundly different from being old -- my grandmother turned 104 yesterday, so I feel like I still have decades before I'm physically aged, and I doubt that I will ever feel old internally. I will, for instance, always love the world of fantasy, which by its very nature requires you to be young at heart. So I hope you'll indulge me in a little bit of nostalgia as I look back at some of my favorite childhood movies, all of which just so happen to be fantasies... Seriously. What did I just tell you? Comply!
Mary Poppins (1964)
It's not just that we have the same first name, though I'll admit that doesn't hurt. As a child I loved it because of the magic. As an adult, I'm fascinated by the realization that this movie is actually an urban fantasy: You have a middle-class British family with an unexceptional life, until Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) arrives. She has a bottomless carpet bag, she can clean a room in the blink of an eye, and she jumps in and out of sidewalk chalk drawings. By using household magic, she makes order and discipline cool, which appeals to my adult domesticated ways. She also demonstrates that you can find wonder in everyday activities, which helped define my whole career path. Heck, I'll still stop by sidewalk art and wonder if I could jump into it.
Dr. Dolittle (1967)
The images and creatures are what I remember most from this amazing children's book adaptation. Thanks to his pet parrot, Dr. Dolittle (Rex Harrison) learns to speak 500 animal languages, which makes being a vet significantly easier. The ability to communicate with man's best friend is still high on my list of ultimate fantasies, and with his Edwardian style and far-reaching adventures, Dr. Dolittle would in many ways be right at home with the League of the Extraordinary Gentlemen -- especially when we reach the end of the movie and he finds the Great Pink Sea Snail. Traveling inside a sea snail? Hellooooo, Nautilus.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
Speaking of traveling, um, flying car! What's not to like about this movie? You have characters with names like Caratacus Potts (Dick Van Dyke) and Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes) undertaking an epic automotive adventure. What starts off as just a down-on-your luck family with a busted up ride quickly transforms into a proto-Steampunk flick complete with zeppelins. Add to that the Child Catcher --to this day one of the creepiest villains to ever cross the screen -- and you have a formula for ultimate fantasy escapism.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Now, I'll admit this one could arguably be deemed straight science fiction since all of the wonders Willy Wonka conjures (i.e., chewing gum that will turn a girl blue and cause her to swell up like a blueberry) are the result of invention as opposed to magic But the world is so fantastical in both its visual appeal and the sheer grandiose nature of the "science" that I am totally claiming it for fantasy. What I love about this movie is that it uses its fantastic elements to expose human fallacy, whether it's being sucked into a chocolate river or being shrunk into a television. Sure, you can talk about gluttony or greed in other ways, but the fantasy in Wonka gives it a gloriously graphic representation. Plus, I've always wanted my own glass elevator.
Charlotte's Web (1973)
By now you've noticed that most of my choices are musicals with a high incidence of talking and singing animals in them. Charlotte's Web not only falls into that camp, but it is well-nigh the perfect movie in my opinion. The animation captures the style of the original illustrations in a visual feast. But the fantasy aspect, that the animals talk and work together, is what really makes it for me. Wilbur, facing certain death, is saved by a spider who can read and write. The story is a beautiful parable for friendship and sacrifice, and still makes me weep every time I watch it.
Now, for my birthday, what I'd like from you is to hear about which of your favorite childhood movies (fantasy-skewed, of course) will never grow old.
Mary Robinette Kowal is the winner of the 2008 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. She is also the art director at Shimmer Magazine and a professional puppeteer. Her column appears every Friday.
"Add to that the Child Catcher --to this day one of the creepiest villains to ever cross the screen"
I'll have to watch this again but I think my favorite villian, and memorable somewhat urban fantasy movie, is Mr. Dark in Something Wicked This Way Comes. The way Jonathan Price plays Mr. Dark is astounding and mesmerizing. I don't think I've ever witnessed a bad guy on the screen with so much force and charisma portayed in such a subtle manner. It was because of his portrayal of Mr. Dark that I read the story by Ray Bradbury, and suffered my first horrific bout of disappointment in book to film translation. I was so, so hoping for Mr. Dark to be expounded on; I thought the book had to be better than the movie. Sadly, no!
Just to recap for the younger audience, Something Wicked This Way Comes tells a fantastic and horrific tale of a demonic carnival that comes to town once a year in the middle of the night and offers to make true the dreams and fantasies of the town's people. Those who either lost their dream, like the college football star who lost a leg in the war and could never play again, or those who simply wanted more, as in the man who dreamed of all the women, these fantasies were offered for a steep price.
To see Jonathan Price play the carnival ringleader is a definite treasure. The way evil just settles into his eyes during the few moments of camera time he has, to see the seething hate broiling just under the surface of his calm and amicable demeanor, I've never seen a performance like that.
In fact, I shall have to watch it again this weekend!
Also, Happy Birthday!! The Big 4-0! Like you, I too still feel young, though I'm 35. I find moments in which it depresses me that I'm getting older but then it goes away as I open one fantasy novel after another, experiencing one adventure after another. May you forever feel such youthful exhuberance!
Oh, and Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I would have to say this version is way better than the Johnny Depp one. And I loved the boat ride scene even though when I first saw it when I was little it scared me because of the pandemonium and the threat that suddenly it would blossom into a real and horrific nightmare. The colors, the crazed look on Wonka's face, and the chaotic blending of it all, creepy!.
Thanks for bringing these all back. I still have fond memories of Mary Poppins even though my little sister would watch the movie, like, 500 times a day. I always liked the chimney sweeps, there was a certain degree of roguish nobility that appealed to me.
Happy birthday Mary!
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is among my childhood favorites too! Dick Van Dyke is amazing! This movie is timeless and ageless; I still love the music :-)
Other favorites from my childhood:
The Lion King-awesome story, cool animation, happy music
Mulan-the music is unbeatable! And girl power, yay!
Iron Will-I don't think it was necessarily marketed for children, but I loved this movie as a kid. I have a thing for wolves and dogs, so this story really appealed to me on so many levels.
The Ugly Dachshund-I think we got this from a garage sale, but it was such a cute movie we watched it over and over again and, most probably, so will my hypothetical future children!
I never actually saw Mary Poppins until I was a teenager, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. "In every job that must be done there is an element of fun. Find the fun and snap, the job's a game..." Yup, "Spoonful of Sugar" pretty much encompasses my philosophy on homework.
Wow. Disney owned my childhood!
Mary's choices are all great pre-1980 fantasy movies. I sitll find myself whistling tunes from Mary Poppins in the privacy of my car, when nobody's around, but nobody will ever know that (Shhhh!). One that got left out might be the granddaddy (or grandma?) of all old fantasy movies, "The Wizard of Oz" (1939). Another great one was Jimmy Stewart's "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946). (Another great Stewart movie was "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" from 1939, basically a political fantasy, but that's a different type of fantasy.) "King Kong" (1933) was another great fantasy, as were "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad" (1958) and "Jason and the Argonauts" (1963). And then there are all the great Disney animated movies from long ago - the best (or at least best known) of which were probably Snow White, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, and The Jungle Book. There's also some horror fantasies (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man), but those are more horror than fantasy.
It's funny that until Larry mentioned the animated ones, I'd totally forgotten them. One Hundred and One Dalmatians and Aristicats would definitely make the list. Hm... more singing dancing animals.
Thanks to Mary, I just realized I've never seen "Aristocats," so I guess it's time to make use of my recent Christmas Netflix gift. Regarding Mary Poppins, it actually makes me a bit sad when I see the picture above. Matthew Garber, who plays Michael Banks (on far right, age 8) will go on an acting gig in India in 1976-77, and apparently come down Hepatitis, which spreads, and he dies of pancreatitis at age 21. Sorry to put a damper on everyone's day ... on the other hand, Dick Van Dyke (83), Julie Andrews (73), Glynis Johns (Mrs. Banks, 85), and Karen Dotrice (Jane Banks - now 53!) are all alive and well. David Tomlinson (Mr. Banks) had a long and successful career, including starring in another great fantasy movie, "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" (1971), and lived to age 83 in 2000.
Mary, here's an idea for a future column: A "Where are they now?" column about actor/actresses who starred in past great SF & Fantasy movies.
Hi Mary, loving the columns. It made me think of my childhood favourites:
Darby O'Gill & The Little People - loved, loved, loved this movie, and still do. One of Sean Connery's first leading roles (and he sings!)
The Twelve Chairs - I remember staying home sick three days in a row in 6th grade to watch this on the afternoon movie...struck me then as one of the funniest movies I'd ever seen, and I still love it. Formed an early attachment to Frank Langella, who is divinely handsome in this flick.
The Mouse That Roared - Peter Sellers silliness, but I'd read the book, and loved Alec Guiness as Queen Juliana
Freaky Friday - Jodie Foster. I'd seen her in The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, and thought she was a great actress even then (my parents pretty much let me watch whatever I wanted, and read even more); I bought the book for the Edward Gorey cover back then, and found I liked the story.
The Borrowers - okay, a made for TV movie, but I'd SO loved the books, that I automatically had to see this movie. When my parents got a VCR, I bugged them like crazy to find this one. Delightful story that doesn't change despite it being a book from the 50's. I loved the original illustrations by Joe and Beth Krush too, and it led me to Bedknobs & Broomsticks by the same author
Fantasia - couldn't get enough of this when young. It led me into ballet lessons when age 9, and that stuck til high school. I still think that it, and Allegro Non Troppo, are two of the most visually stunning movies ever made.
Alice in Wonderland - everything Disney is known for, but only this one really worked for me. Well, loved Lady and the Tramp and the Aristocats too - especially the scene with the Siamese cats 'we are siamese if you please!"
And of course, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Mary, I'll send you the fudge recipe that is at the end of the book, it's delicious!!
What a fun column! Such a great day job :)
There's a fudge recipe at the end of the book?! Must have!
Fantasia. Loved the dancing hippos, the dancing mushrooms and Night on Bald Mountain. Also loved Sleeping Beauty and Dumbo, even though the "Baby Mine" number always made me cry.
Not fantasy oriented, but I really liked Hand in Hand as a kid. I don't think it's every been released on vhs or dvd. I'm not even sure it was a theatrical movie; it might have been a BBC movie. I remember watching it on a saturday afternoon on tv.
Happy Birthday Mary!
I loved 'The Three Lives of Thomasina". For some reason I heard the song often, must have been ads. Back then once was all most got until it hit the small screen. Like many Disney works, it is hard to watch now without tears. Once I thought Disney was cruel. Maybe he was teaching children empathy. I remember watching "Mary Poppins" with my daughter when she was around seven. She was enchanted while I noticed that Mary seemed almost mean when she said she would call the police on the children. As a child Mary was perfection to me. And she will remain perfectly perfect for years to come.
Happy Birthday Mary Robinette Kowal. May you stay as enchanted with the movies as we fans are.
Oh, I forgot The Three Lives of Thomasina, another childhood favorite! We got it on VHS and watched it several dozen times when we all had the chicken pox one summer! We even named our cat after her!
Happy birthday, Mary!!!