Music and the Fictive Dream
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins - The Life I lead - 1964-USA-Richard & Robert Sherman
Biographical Information
The Role of this song
This song sets up the necessity of a solution, which is brought forth through the character Mary Poppins. Throughout the song are many indicators of the disconnect between Mr. Banks and his family. His wife and children are merely servants and heirs instead of family members and people to grow with and care about. We see Mr. Banks as a hardened, militant father and husband who is at risk of total alienation from his loved ones. Mary Poppins arrives to reconnect him with his beloved family.
Social Commentary
The major social message found in Marry Poppin’s is the concept of having a healthy work/life balance. Many men and women from prior generations valued work and work ethics more than their own family life, creating a void in their lives, which they often filled with alcohol. Work and alcoholism often took the place of family, and we see this in P.L. Traver’s childhood experiences with her father (P.L.Travers). This imbalance in Mr. Bank’s life caused him to be completely disconnected from his children and wife who desperately craved his attention and care. The Life I lead is our first introduction to Mr. Banks and his family. It is where we meet George banks and get to see how disengaged he is from everyone, including his family. The first instance of Mr. Bank’s obliviousness occurs when Katie Nana, the children’s former nanny, rushes out in a huff with her belongings. Without even realizing her distress, Mr. Banks helps her on her way, completely missing the point of their former nanny storming out. When his wife, Winifred Banks, tries to explain that their children are missing, Mr. Banks gives her an inappropriate response to the information she is trying to give him, proving that he is completely ignoring her. In fact, Winifred must repeat the urgency of the situation multiple times until he finishes singing the song and asks in a confused state "Winifred, where are the children?". Even when his children go missing, he is more concerned about his schedule being disturbed rather than their safety. This song shows how he shuts out his entire family in exchange for his work life.
Opinion
This song clearly describes how Mr. Bank’s poor work life
balance negatively effects his family. The lyrics describe his precise and inflexible
expectations for adherence to his pre-set schedule. The distinct, militant
march of the rhythm aligns with the strict meaning of the song. At 124 beats
per minute, we sense how driven Mr. Banks is and how little time he has for “foolish
things” like fun or play. My favorite part of this movie is watching how Mary
Poppins transforms Mr. Banks from a businessman to a family man. At the end of the film we see his priority
shift back to his family, which ultimately brings him more happiness and fulfillment than
working in his bank.
Sources
"Mary Poppins (Film)." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Nov. 2021,
Mary Poppins (film) - Wikipedia
"P.L. Travers." Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 20 Aug. 2020,
Hi Olivia! This was a great choice; a classic movie! Definitely one of my all-time favorites. I personally have never seen "Saving Mr. Banks" but I am intrigued to watch it now! You did a great job breaking down this movie and the meaning behind it, that being Mrs. Poppins reconnected a father with his children. I love the moral of the story, to have a healthy work/life balance. I think this movie does a great job making that point and doing so through music is very effective. Great job detailing the march of the rhythm and the strict meaning of the song!
ReplyDeleteI've never even watched Mary Poppins but I have heard and seen a lot and understand what it is about. I like your opinions and the song choice you used. I think even now days, many people focus more on work or other things rather than their families, so I really appreciated your blog post choice. While you don't really go into detail about what musical elements make up the song, I think you still did a great job explaining the song and the resources you used to back up the explanation.
ReplyDeleteI love Mary Poppins! I used to watch it constantly as a kid - my favorite part was when they sing the song when they're sweeping the chimneys. I love watching them dance over the rooftops :) I love the pomp and circumstance of these songs. They make you want to jump up and dance and it's great. I like how you explained the social commentary and how the message hidden in this movie is just to have a healthy work and social life, and how important it is to have balance in your life. If people focus too much on work, they lose what it means to be human, which is having and caring for a family. I really liked how you included the part when the mom is trying to tell the father that his children are missing and he doesn't listen because he's too worried about his work schedule. Even as a kid I thought it was strange for a father to not respond with absolute panic when told that his children were missing! Good job, I enjoyed reading your thoughts :)
ReplyDeleteYour choice took me down memory lane, I loved this movie as a kid. The explanation you gave hit the nail on the head. Balancing work and family life is not the easiest thing to do. That is true whether you are in a fortune 500 company or the person on the bottom. Like you stated this happens with the father and also the mother. Ultimately we have to find a way to make time for quality family interaction.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy you wrote about Mary Poppins! Though I have only seen the movie once or twice when I was younger, I love the music included in this story. I liked the song you picked because I feel as if I can relate to it very much. Growing up has definitely made balancing work and life much harder. My love for the Mary Poppins music came from when my dance studio did a musical theatre routine to the song Step In Time (linked below).
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/YSCdFVc6DoY