Mary Poppins in the Movie: Which Actress Became the Real Lady of Perfection

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Since the first book by British writer Pamela Travers about the ideal nanny was published in 1934, Mary Poppins has become one of the most beloved fairy-tale heroines of children and adults. Despite the incredible popularity of this image all over the world, there were only four adaptations of this story, and the last of them was recently released. Which of the actresses was able to most convincingly reincarnate in the image of Lady Perfection - you judge.

The first in world cinema to portray Mary Poppins on the screens was actress Mary Weeks in the American television show in 1949. Mary Weeks devoted her entire life to her acting career and, just like her heroine and the writer who created it, was never married. In recent years, the actress was seriously ill and died in 1995 at the age of 85. A year later, the “mother” of Mary Poppins, Pamela Travers, also passed away.

Back in the early 1940s. Walt Disney thought about the film adaptation of Pamela Travers's book - he planned to shoot a full-length musical film. However, the writer was not going to sell the rights to film her works to Hollywood screenwriters - she did not want her books to be "tormented by filmmakers." Walt Disney had to seek the consent of the writer for 20 years! In 1961, Pamela Travers came to Los Angeles for 2 weeks, and he attacked the writer. Whatever he did - he showed her sketches of scenery, gave her to listen to the music for the film, coordinated with her the list of selected actors, arranged excursions to Disneyland, told her about his childhood. And the fortress fell! Pamela agreed on the condition that she would actively participate in casting and making the film.

They say that the decisive fact was the choice of British actress Julie Andrews for the lead role - she even surpassed the Hollywood star Bette Davis on the auditions, as the writer was categorically against the role of Mary Poppins being given to an American woman. Prior to that, Julie Andrews performed on Broadway, and her appearance on the big screens became triumphant - she received an Oscar and a Golden Globe for this work. The further film career of the actress was very successful, but many viewers continued to call her Mary Poppins and considered this role the most successful. Despite the fact that this film was a great success, the writer was still disappointed with the film version of her book.

Of course, the only real Mary Poppins for the domestic audience will probably forever be Natalya Andreichenko, who brilliantly reincarnated as an ideal nanny in the film "Mary Poppins, Goodbye!" in 1983, the director claimed that he actually shot a fairy tale that was not at all for children: "".

Leonid Kvinikhidze initially saw Anastasia Vertinskaya in the lead role, but their views on this image did not agree, and he had to look for another actress. The music for the film was written by Maxim Dunaevsky. Once he invited the director to his home to listen to new compositions. There Kvinikhidze was met by Natalya Andreichenko, with whom Dunaevsky had an affair at that time. She began humming songs written for the film. As it turned out, this was a planned "action" - they wanted to convince the director that Andreichenko is ideal for the role of Mary Poppins. However, at first Kvinikhidze was categorically against - Andreichenko at that time was a lady with magnificent forms, a real Russian beauty, whom everyone knew from Sibiriade, and the director was looking for a fragile graceful lady, restrained and refined in English. The actress lost 15 kg in a few weeks - and Kvinikhidze had to give in! But she was not allowed to sing in the film - her voice was not clear enough and melodic, and the songs of Mary Poppins were performed by Tatyana Voronina.

The heroine of Natalia Andreichenko in the film needed not only to sing, but also to dance. It was very difficult for the actress - she was injured on the set. Later she said: "".

On January 3, 2019, another film about the fairytale nanny was released - "Mary Poppins Returns". The main role in it was played by British actress Emily Blunt, known to the audience in the movie "The Devil Wears Prada". According to the plot of the new film about Mary Poppins, after the events described in the book, 25 years have passed and the nanny again meets with her matured pupils. On the set, the actress had to overcome her fear of heights - after all, her heroine had to "fly", suspended from a crane at a height of 15 m above the ground. The actress admits: "".

The fairytale heroine also had real prototypes: Who became the prototype of Mary Poppins.