This New Year’s weekend, Los Angeles’ own New Beverly Cinema decided to close out the year with 2 matinee screenings of the seminal Disney classic, Mary Poppins.
Released in 1964, the film stars Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns, and a young Julie Andrews in the title role that would win her an Oscar and catapult her to stardom. The film tells the story of the dysfunctional Banks family. With a workaholic father and and activist mother, the Banks children Jane and Michael are a rambunctious lot. As a result, Mr. Banks hires a nanny, Mary Poppins, who is a little more than she seems. Jane and Michael soon learn that Mary Poppins has certain magical abilities allowing them to jump into chalk drawings on the sidewalk, have tea parties on the ceiling, and even dance on the rooftops with a chorus of chimney sweeps.
The film was presented on an IB Technicolor 35mm film print struck during the time of its original release, which only added to the experience. The color and lighting were pristine, better than any Blu-Ray presentation. The film was one of the last to play at the New Beverly for some time, as the theater is scheduled to undergo some remodeling this month.
