Mary Poppins is no longer a film suitable for everyone. It's also not a film for children. In the UK the classification has actually changed from “films for everyone”.“to “Films for children under 12, but only when accompanied by an adult”. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), 60 years after the release of the famous film starring Julie Andrews, The rating of Mary Poppins has been tightened on the grounds that the film contains “discriminatory language” and is therefore not recommended for children to watch the film alone.
Director Robert Stevenson's 1964 film was reclassified from “U,” which stands for “universal” (for all), to “PG,” for “parental guidance.” (in the presence of an adult for a child under 12 years old). In Mary Poppins, a derogatory term (“Hottentot”) is used for chimney sweeps, which was originally used by white Europeans to refer to the nomadic peoples of southern Africa with a face smeared with soot. The BBFC said this term “exceeds our guidelines” for “U” films.
The film is set in London in 1910 and is about a magical nanny who looks after the children of a family with the help of Bert. a traveling chimney sweep played by Dick Van Dyke. In 1965 he won five Oscarsincluding best actress and best song. In the film, Admiral Boom, a Navy veteran who believes he is still in command of a ship, uses the offensive word twice.
The British Board of Film Classification said it classified the film in 1964 and then again for a re-release in 2013. “Recently the film was re-submitted to us for a further theatrical re-release in February 2024 and we have rated it PG due to discriminatory language,” a BBFC spokesperson said. “While Mary Poppins has historical context, the use of discriminatory language is not condemned and ultimately goes beyond our acceptable language guidelines in 'U'.”. We have therefore rated the film 'PG' due to discriminatory language.”