Dunno why I like doing these things, but whatever... Professional(Ish) Film Review #2: Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) Spoiler: Two Disclaimers 1. Like South Pacific before it, this one is also a musical set during wartime. This is purely coincidental, and will not be an ongoing trend among these review... things. And 2. This is a space race-era Walt Disney live action musical about children in the care of a whimsical woman with magical powers, set entirely in England and partly in London, features an animated sequence, and centrally stars David Tomlinson. I'd like to evaluate each film in isolation from its inspirations, but I can't avoid comparing and contrasting with Mary Poppins. So, yes, trailing behind the massively successful Mary Poppins seven years earlier, Bedknobs and Broomsticks came out fairly late in Disney's attempt to break into live/mixed action film. The movie sees three young orphans evacuated to a remarkably unimportant English seaside town during the London Blitz. They find themselves pushed into the sympathetic but begrudging care of local recluse Eglantine Price. The children quickly discover Price is a witch-in-training, educated by post from a self-proclaimed professor in London, and driven by the grand promise of the final lesson's spell, which she believes might allow her to turn the tide in the war. When Price's professor, Emilius Browne, abruptly ends his classes, the group uses magical means to travel to London, to plead Browne to resume his work, and a wild adventure ensues. But of course it would. Spoiler: The Good As an American, I don't feel entirely comfortable saying that this film roots out the accidental Americanisms of Mary Poppins, but I don't recall any Cockney accents at all, much less those of the Dick Van Dyke quality. The animated sequences do ring of casting directors not being bothered to find British voice talent, but outside that the film seems to be more convincingly English than its predecessor to my [entirely untrained] ears. One of the film's stronger pillars is its music. While the songs aren't as numerous or diverse as Mary Poppins', there's a decent spread of different tones throughout the film and they do their fair share to holding up to modern scrutiny. "Old Home Guard" is a horrendously catchy military march,"Eglantine, Don't Let Me Down" an energetic show tune. And "Age of Not Believing" in particular reminds us that in every childhood, one way or another, the magic eventually runs out. It's not as hauntingly somber as Mary Poppins' "Feed the Birds," but it helps ground the film in spite of the unbridled fantasy spread throughout. In fact, many parts of the film seem intent on keeping roughly the same tone as its much more famous contemporary, while still offering subtle twists on their shared formula. London is portrayed as lively but shifty and gilded, not friendly and mystical. The animated world turns out to be a bit of a tyranny, not a place of camaraderie. But nowhere are the two films any more different than in their final climactic sequence. And frankly, that's where this film really sets itself apart. The mysterious final spell becomes an incredible weapon against an unexpected visitor, and the resultant battle is as surprisingly grand as our heros' weapons are uncharacteristically badass. Yes, I consider this movie underrated because it's an overall at-par film, but with a great ten-minute battle sequence. Spoiler: The Bad The film sports several sequences that run on far too long. In particular, the lion's share of the animated sequence portrays a slapstick soccer match with various recycled animations, and even the final battle so deserving of praise has some jokes and events that are repeated to diminishing returns of entertainment. But the worst offender is the "Portobello Road" sequence, which lasts the better part of twenty minutes. It's at least a musical sequence, so it by necessity maintains a lively rhythm throughout, but begins to drag not too long in. It also gets a bit awkward when the dancing in the streets draws in soldiers from various British colonies, who proceed to dance their respective "native" dances. What probably passed as representation in 1971, now rings as a little culturally exploitative, if not extolling the virtues of imperialism. The children sometimes come across as near-vacant observers of the ongoing events. They start out as important and central characters, but their screen presence tapers off mid-film, and they have no apparent urge to seek out familiar people or places while they're in their home city, in spite of being homesick at the film's beginning. Spoiler: Conclusion This movie is, for the bulk of its duration, a by-the-books film built on Mary Poppins' formula. Better in some ways, worse in others, and usually just different enough to be distinguishable. But while its sister film builds toward just an emotional conflict, Bedknobs and Broomsticks fosters its two leads' development while building up to a much more tangible one. And even without its climax, the film manages to accomplish giving us more of what made 1967's Mary Poppins special without tainting the original. That may not make it the most original film, but it gives us more of a good thing. And what's so wrong with that?
Well, good point. Anyways, the days of @appesh1 responding to my long posts about higher ed and self-improvement might be over, but I can't say for sure. appesh1 will have to decide. @Giraffinator, I have a question for you. What do you think of school and higher learning in general?
Lucky... --- Post updated --- I don't get out till the 18th. I swear, my district is run my sadists. We're gonna be doing nothing these last 2 weeks but still ffs. --- Post updated --- Remember 2019 when life was actually decent?
I do homeschool, so I'm not a 100% sure as to when people get out in my district, but I bet the high school students in my area are already out for the summer. OT: @appesh1, sorry for mentioning 2,000 times. I feel like a crazy person for doing that. However, Win+Alt+PrintScreen isn't working on Psych2Go videos anymore. That sucks.
At my school, the day ends at 4:00pm compared to the usual 2:50pm or 3:00pm dismissal. my school is the only one that does this in the entire city wtf?
The only bad thing about getting out in May is that I go back in August --- Post updated --- North Carolina. Trust me, Its not a paradise
I haven't really thought about it that much, but I do have some things to state about it: I do think that school at all levels up to high school is greatly important for development and should be required to attend. However, the necessity of higher learning would vary depending on your interests and future in mind, ergo I do not believe college should be mandatory. It will block off certain job opportunities if one were to not attend, but even then there are viable jobs out there that only require a high school diploma; one can still make a living, it's not like college is required for one to be self-sufficient and well-living. I am personally planning on going to college in the future, but that's because of my interests in computers and computer-related subjects and I wish to expand farther than just general troubleshooting.
There are lots of jobs like that (some of them do require years of previous experience of course). Some of the higher-paying ones include subway/streetcar operators, power-line installers/inspectors, power plant operators, farmers, etc.
Good point, some of these jobs might prefer people with degrees, but I don't think you need a degree. I wanted to be a power-line installer/inspector when I was a kid, but if my passion for entertaining people doesn't go well. I might do power line work, we'll see. What do you think of someone making a living of entertainment/YouTube? @appesh1, if you think I'm pranking you. I'm sorry and I'm not trying to harass you. It's just that I'm really not sure how to re-enable the win key.
Same here, I didn't even make much of it since I didn't get any work for that whole week and got the rest of it done Monday of the previous week.
I hate rain during any other time of the year, but something about spring/summer rain is...idk I just love it, so I've been really liking the past two days and tonight because as I'm writing this it's raining.
Does anybody else miss SuperchargedAndSavage!, Honestly, I do and I think he was a great user. @ZentornoDrifter has been inactive for a while too. What the heck has going on with the Canadians lately? In general, I like rain as long as there isn't thunder or lighting.
Well lots of people don't have nearly as much freetime to be super active here or have stuff to do that limits their time to be active often. Or they could very well just be taking leisure breaks.
