'Mary Poppins' Poster Analysis

Mary Poppins is a super-nanny who becomes the nanny of the Banks' kids. She has some type of magical powers that amazes the children and proceeds in putting all the things wrong right. The children try to pass on some of her positive traits to their parents.

This film has a female protagonist which is portrayed through this poster - although closely followed by a male. This could be representative of the male dominance still being around as women were only just strongly beginning to push for equality - almost as if there was still a need for women to have a man with them.

During the 1960s, women's sexual liberation was becoming more prominent. In the 1950s, women stereotypically had long skirts/dresses to below the knee. This is poster is slightly challenging this stereotype with Mary Poppins' skirt rising above the knees - alluding to a more sexualised view of women in the media at this time. She is also more in the foreground than the male - reinforcing the stronger representation of women as real people rather than trophy housewives for males to come home to. Furthermore, her pose is very relaxed and care free - suggesting she is relaxed around the male and doesn't have a 'perfect' impression to uphold.

The main focus of this poster is the illustrated heads of the main characters. The women has a short hairstyle - typical of the 1960s. She has her make-up done too, reflective of the standards people expected of women at the time. Her facial expression is happy and almost caring - showing the audience some glimpses of her personality in the story. Her overall style is representative of the era.

In the billing block, the female actress is above the male. This shows a stronger representation of all genders - the billing block is not bias towards gender. You can infer that there will be a good representation of women because it is by Walt Disney. Disney is known for it's female protagonists, however they are usually a 'damsel in distress' or just generally need saving in some way. This poster suggests that Mary is independent with the use of angles. The angle is not tilted up or down at Mary - these would change the representation of her (strong or weak). The audience is level with Mary suggesting that gender equality coming more prominent in society.