Disney Mary Poppins

The Disney musical adaptation was released in 1964. Primarily based on the first novel in what was then a sequence of four books, it also lifted elements from the sequel Mary Poppins Comes Back. Although Travers was an adviser to the production, she disapproved of the dilution of the harsher aspects of Mary Poppins's character, felt ambivalent about the music, and so hated the use of animation that she ruled out any further adaptations of the later Mary Poppins novels. At the film's star-studded premiere, she reportedly approached Disney and told him that the animated sequence had to go. Disney responded by walking away, saying as he did, "Pamela, the ship has sailed". Enraged at what she considered shabby treatment at Disney's hands, Travers would never again agree to another Poppins/Disney adaptation, though Disney made several attempts to persuade her to change her mind.

So fervent was Travers' dislike of the Walt Disney adaptation and due to the way she had been treated during the production, that well into her 90s, when she was approached by producer Cameron Mackintosh to do the stage musical, she only acquiesced upon the condition that only English born writers (and specifically NO Americans) and no one from the film production were to be directly involved with the creative process of the stage musical. This specifically excluded the Sherman Brothers from writing additional songs for the production even though they were still very prolific. However, original songs and other aspects from the 1964 film were allowed to be incorporated into the production. These points were stipulated in her last will and testament.

Travers was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1977. She died in London in 1996.

Chapter I

East wind

1. Read chapter I “East wind”.

2. Words and word combinations to be memorized:

1. cross-roads

2. to follow one’s directions

3. to be dilapidated

4. to need a coat of paint

5. to advertise

6. a flagstaff

7. a weathercock

8. to make money

9. a money-box

10. a latch

11. nursery

12. to bang

13. a newcomer

14. peering eyes

15. the top landing

16. to slide up the banisters

17. a sigh of relief

18. to undo smth

19. to be insulted

20. to be fixed (about eyes)

21. to be good for smb

22. to fly apart almost at a look

23. to sniff

2. Find the words and word combinations & give the situations in which they are used: cross-roads, to be dilapidated, to advertise, a newcomer, to slide up the banisters, to be insulted, to be good for smb, to sniff.

3. Compose short dialogues with the new words and word-combinations and perform them in class.

4. Give the literary translation of the following extracts:

And Mrs. Banks came to the conclusion that she would rather have Jane, who was the eldest, and Michael, who came next, and John and Barbara, who were Twins and came last of all. That was how the Banks family came to live at Number Seventeen, with Mrs. Brill to cook for them, and Ellen to lay the tables, and Robertson Ay to cut the lawn and clean the knives and polish the shoes and, as Mr. Banks always said, “to waste his time and my money”.

But Mary Poppins`s eyes were fixed upon him and Michael suddenly discovered that you couldn’t look at Mary Poppins and disobey her. There was something strange and extraordinary about her – something that was frightening and at the same time most exciting. The spoon came nearer. He held his breath, shut his eyes and gulped. A delicious taste ran round his mouth. He swallowed, and a happy smile ran round his face.