Disney Mary Poppins Response

    Disney's version of Mary Poppins (1964), is significantly more progressive than I expected it to be, yet it is not quite as progressive as it appears to be.
    To begin, there are certainly ideas and actions in the movie that were overtly progressive and somewhat shocking considering the age in which the movie was produced. The obvious example of a progressive idea in the movie is Mrs. Banks' participation in a female suffrage movement. On its own, the portrayal of a women's rights activist in a movie in 1964 is quite open-minded, but Mrs. Banks' words regarding the movement are further evidence of a progressive theme in the movie. For example, in a description of why she's fighting for voting rights, she claims "as a group [men are] rather stupid". Her claim here not only attributes an intelligence to women, but it also insults men. Furthermore, whereas in other Disney texts, Women are passive and domestic, Mrs. Banks attempts to take control of the destiny of all future women and is not merely confined to a matronly character. Now I do recognize that Mrs. Banks is quite submissive to her husband. Nevertheless, the idea of a woman being proactive and fighting for her own rights is a notable difference from the other Disney texts that I have encountered up to this point. In addition, Mary Poppins seems to have a certain control over the male characters in the play -- or at the very least, she is certainly not submissive to them. Evidence of this control can be seen in the street painting outing. Even though Bert suggests the idea of going into the painting, both the children and he are completely reliant on Mary Poppins' abilities in order to actually do so. The idea of the man being reliant on Mary Poppins provides a great deal of power to Mary Poppins, which is somewhat unusual in a male-female relationship in 1964. Furthermore, perhaps a more notable instance of Mary Poppins' lack of submissiveness to men is when she orders for both Bert and herself. Although it is only a small action, it allows Mary Poppins to appear powerful over Bert in the scene, and in no way reliant on him.
    There are, however, certain scenes and ideas that may seem quite progressive on the surface, but upon taking a deeper look into them they may be somewhat problematic. For instance, even though Bert is characterized as gentle, and the creed of his kind is "forbearance",  some of his actions he is not so innocent. For example, while out for food with Mary Poppins, Bert lists all of the other women he has taken to the same restaurant. Bert then sings a song about Mary being his favorite customer to bring there, which on its own seems harmless. Nevertheless, considering the amount of women he lists in the song, it seems entirely possible that he attempts to woo her with it. As such, the scene as a whole serves to objectify women, and it takes away from the previously mentioned feminist tones in the movie. The main issue with the story, however, is the ending. There is a happy ending, and the father (and the mother a little bit too) does realize that family is important. Nevertheless, I do find two issues with the ending. My first issue is that the father recently learned that making money and creating a legacy for himself is not as important as being a true father to his children. Nevertheless, when he is offered a spot on the chair at the Bank (a job that undeniably carries more prestige and pays more generously than his old job), he gleefully accepts it without any hesitation. This action, perhaps does not completely take away from the lessons Mr. Banks learned in the movie. Nevertheless, it does suggest that there is still a large value to be placed on legacy and wealth. Furthermore, although I do agree with the message that Disney is trying to send here, it does result in yet another instance of the glorification of being in a wealthy, white family.
    In conclusion, even though there are some ideas that are somewhat old-fashioned, Disney's Marry Poppins largely relays a progressive theme. Although by nature, Nannies often will come across as strong and capable, the extent of the feminist themes in the movie go far beyond simply the nature of Nannies. When considering the year the movie was made, Disney certainly does portray females and certain values in a surprisingly progressive way.