Correspondent in London,
Mary Poppins will suddenly come down from her cloud.
The famous 1964 film has just been declared
de facto
potentially toxic for young children and removed from the “general audiences” category in the United Kingdom.
The British censorship body considered that the work contained
“discriminatory remarks”
.
The film was reclassified by the
British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)
, moving out of the "U" category (for universal) and into the "PG" category which requires parental guidance.
The organization explained that a derogatory term originally used by white Europeans about nomadic peoples of southern Africa - "Hottentots" - appears there to refer to soot-covered chimney sweeps.
“While Mary Poppins is set in a historical context, the use of discriminatory language is not condemned and ultimately exceeds our guidelines,”
he explains.
“Outdated and racist”
A BBFC spokesperson justified this position by explaining that
"according to its research into racism and discrimination, one of the main concerns of parents is the risk of exposing children to discriminatory language or behavior which they might find distressing or repeat without realizing the potential offense.”
The organization thus points out the
“outdated and racist”
nature of the term “Hottentots”, historically used by Europeans to designate the Khoikhoi of South Africa and Namibia.
He is used twice in the film by Admiral Boom.
Released in 1964 from Disney Studios, Robert Stevenson's musical film combines animation and live action.
She won five Oscars the following year, including Best Actress and Best Music.
The story, set in 1910 London, features a magical nanny, played by Julie Andrews, who transforms the lives of children feeling neglected by their parents with the help of Bert, a traveling chimney sweep played by Dick Van Dyke.
A very innocent atmosphere but two or three words apparently no longer get through.
The film is due to be released in select UK cinemas to mark its 60th anniversary.