‘Mary Poppins’: The movie that made Todd Haynes “obsessed” with cinema
Before Greta Gerwig made Barbie, Todd Haynes used the Mattel dolls to make his own considerably more experimental – and controversial – movie. Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story was made using Barbies as cast members, depicting the musician’s struggle with anorexia, which caused her death in 1983.
The 1987 work was one of Haynes’ earliest projects, paving the way for him to make his first feature, Poison, in 1991. The latter was considered an early entry into the New Queer Cinema canon, of which Haynes soon became a significant figure. His next project, Safe, brought him greater attention, with Julianne Moore giving an incredible performance as a woman inflicted with a sudden mystery illness which makes her ‘allergic’ to her surroundings.
Haynes’ exploration of marginalised characters and themes has made him one of cinema’s most notable voices, able to achieve both critical and commercial success. The filmmaker typically features LGBTQ+ themes in his work, reflected in movies such as the lesbian romance Carol. He has also infused his works with his love of music, as demonstrated in Velvet Goldmine, I’m Not There, and the documentary The Velvet Underground.
The director’s main preoccupation is the disruption of normative society, using these unconventional themes – paired with atypical formal devices – to do so. Most recently, he released May December, which focused on a woman who began her relationship with her husband when she was 36 and he was just 13.
In an interview with BBC, Haynes once revealed the movie that made him “obsessed” with cinema. It was a childhood viewing of Mary Poppins by Robert Stevenson that made Haynes fall in love with the power of cinema. He explained, “From the first movie I saw, Mary Poppins, when I was three, I was obsessed. I was hooked on movies; they had a real deep impact on me, and they made me want to create things.”
The film, starring Julie Andrews as a nanny who appears from the sky using an umbrella, was a hit, winning multiple Academy Awards. Dick Van Dyke also starred as one of her beloved friends, although his questionable Cockney accent was widely slammed.
Still, that didn’t stop the movie from becoming universally loved, noted for its blend of live-action and cartoon sequences. The movie’s visuals were rather innovative and impressive for 1964, becoming one of Disney’s most acclaimed feats of filmmaking.
The film clearly demonstrated to a young Haynes that seemingly anything was possible when it came to cinema. Disbelief could be suspended, and dreams could come to life through the power of acting, animation, song and inspired editing techniques.
