The British Board of Film Classification has upgraded the age rating of “Mary Poppins” to “parental guidance” due to language it considers discriminatory, 60 years after the film became a success, the Daily Mail reported this Monday.
The change in classification, still to a “U” meaning no material likely to offend, was due to a term that was considered derogatory towards the Khoikhoi, a group of people who were among the first inhabitants of South Africa.
This term is used in the film by the character Admiral Boom, when first referring to people who do not appear in the film, and then to children in the film when their faces are darkened by soot.
Based on an investigation into racism and discrimination, film classification body the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) found that parents were concerned about “the possibility of exposing children to discriminatory language or behavior that they may inadvertently find disturbing or unintentional.” repeat,” a BBFC source explained to the Daily Mail.
According to the BBFC, the new rating only affects the theatrical version of the famous film, as home entertainment versions remain U-rated.
The word in question is “Hottentot”, the name adopted by the Dutch settlers for the Khoikhoi.
Maria Poppins, a fictional character created by P. L. Travers and played in the film by Julie Andrews, tells the story of an English nanny who uses magic and arrives under an umbrella, aided by the wind, at the family home in London where she cares for the little ones.