The Julie Andrews appreciation thread

[SoGone]

Yes, "The Sound of Music" is a piece of cheese, and most of the songs sort of suck.

Yes, Mary Poppins is ridiculous, and the best part of the movie itself is that Dick Van Dyke looks like he's on acid the whole time (and it's unintentionally hilarious).



But you know, fuck it, because Julie sings the fuck out of those songs. She can make a total turd like "My Favorite Things" sound beautiful and wonderful. And like mark said, that's proof of a great vocalist.



And there's the little matter of two musicals called "My Fair Lady" and "Camelot," which are, oh, about the best damn things that pop music has ever produced; thank you Frederick Loewe!



But yeah. I <3 Julie.

[mark]

I've always kinda fancied her actually... And I love Mary Poppins - how could anyone NOT love Julie Andrews???!!!!...

I said proof of a great vocalist is making the most out of a shit song did I???!!! Sounds vaguely familiar but I don't fully rememeber saying it !!! sux to be old!!!

[SoGone]

I'm pretty sure every kid who saw those movies wanted Mary/Maria to be their nanny!



I sort of do, and I saw Mary Poppins for the first "real" time less than a month ago...

[mark]

Really???!... It's a great film just to ... be happy with lol, I dunno, it's a nice feelgood film compared with the bollox you get in supposed 'feelgood' films these days...!!! It's just nice, and i'm nice, so nice all round!!!!

[SoGone]

I saw it when I was 4 or 5, but I didn't really watch it, because I hated it that much...but I dunno, I quite liked it when I saw it just this year...


As much as I hate Disney on principle, they do make good feel-good films (or at least used to).

[mark]

Disney-Pixar! <3

[SoGone]

Pixar's the one post-Lion King Disney-related project that does anything worthwhile.

[SoGone]

A few observations about Mary Poppins:


- If George Banks puts his kids to bed at 6:03, how can he blame them for being ill-behaved?

- Only in the 1960's could you have a comedy about emotionally distant parents, one of whom is a singing alcoholic

- Forget what they say; Bert and Mary were getting it on.

[mark]

All reasonable observations!!!

[SoGone]

...I'm listening to the soundtrack now (!), and I find it telling that the children don't ask their parents to be closer to them; instead, they present their folks with specific demands for a nanny. So maybe it's Jane and Michael's fault all along for being ungrateful progenies.



Also, was anyone else disturbed that Mary sings the children to sleep with a song about a bag lady? Equally disturbing is that they never actually go to feed the birds, but by movie's end they dance to the park to go fly a kite.



...and I don't know much about banks, particularly in the 1910's, but I'm guessing that if someone went to the Fiduciary Festwhatever Bank and tried to open up an account with nothing but tuppence, they would be laughed out into the miserable, impoverished district of London.

Just saying.

[SoGone]

...oh, and I don't think Bert was a real chimney sweep; did they have dope dealers back in 1910? Could be have been a pimp? Because there's no way he would have been that happy. Especially given that he tries so hard to convince us through his endlessly repeated Chim-Chim-erie song that he's content with his position in life.

[SoGone]

...not to betray Julie (or car wash *unt), but while watching the film version of My Fair Lady about ten minutes ago, I discovered that when Audrey Hepburn is wearing a nightgown and lying back in her bed, she's eminently doable.


Actually, she's even dead sexy during the scene when she fantasizes about shooting Professor Higgins. I do believe I've found a new love.

[mark]

stop it with the Hepburn!!!!... you're hurting my feelings fawning over beautiful women!!!!...

And I think you've been thinking about 'Mary Poppins' that little bit TOOOOOOO much!!!! Although again all very good points - maybe the reason Jane and Michael are so specific about the type of nanny they want is because their parents are such terrible idiots - the father is completely wrapped up in his job and the mother is just plain stupid and dopey!!!! Those parents are prime examples of candidates for your sterilisation mission Andy!!! Oh, and you're right about Bert, he really does try and convince us a little TOOOO much how great his life and job is!!!! Maybe he's trying to persuade people how great it is because he wants to train them up so they can take over his job and he can run off with Poppins to Never, Never land!!!! Or something like that!!!!

[SoGone]

That hair! That dress! Those shades!

...and then the woman underneath!



I still say Jane and Michael are spoiled brats: I mean, they don't even draft the letter in secret. They go and READ it to their parents! Remember, these are the same kids who are so bratty that their parents can't keep a nanny. They might as well have just given their parents the finger.

...especially as the "rosy cheeks and very pretty" line implies that their mother is ugly in addition to being negligent.



I like the idea of Bert being a propagandist for his job! So maybe it's not just the cocaine he's so obviously doing.

[mark]

Hepburn always looks french to me in that pic for some reason, just a 'look'!!!...

In 'Poppins' the mother IS ugly and VERY stupid and the father is a nasty, self-centred bastard!!! I mean, you saw him in 'The Love Bug' - it may be a different film but he's pure evil!!!! Anyone who would assualt a helpless VW has to be related to the devil!!! (do you reckon he knows sunshine???!!!)... So tbh I think the kids are quite reasonable in their request!!!! They're cuties, not as cute as you, but cuties still the same - and they're only such miserable, difficult kids because of thier selfish parents!!!!

I always thought Bert was a part-time heroin saleman??!!! am I wrong in that???!!! I thought that's where Suede got a lot of their inspiration from, Mary Poppins!!!!