8. Mary Poppins
“Mary Poppins” is a classic film that is well known for its pro-family message. The hidden conservative theme is the film’s stance on feminism. The character of Mrs. Banks is dedicated to her fight for women’s suffrage, which was the feminist cause of the day during the time in which the film is set.
The film takes a subtle jab at women who would put any cause over the care of their children. It is her engagement in this social struggle that causes the children to need a nanny in the first place.
The Banks parents are engrossed in their pursuits of careerism and political causes to the point that they ignore their children. The message of the film goes even deeper when you consider that it is set in the early 1900s and was made in the 1960s.
Victorians placed little value on children as seen in the motto of the time “Children are to be seen and not heard.” Charles Dickens revealed the exploitation and mistreatment of Victorian era children in his many novels that addressed the subject.
This Victorian version of self-centered adulthood is a great parallel to the sixties-generation who were so busy acting like spoiled children that they often put the well-being of their own offspring on the back burner. Divorce and latch key kids are the legacy of the baby-boom generation.
Mary Poppins message to both of the parents in the film: children come first.
If you disagree with me- “Go fly a kite.”
Next: C.S. Lewis’ masterpiece…
