The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) stated that the judgment regarding the 1964 classic, which starred Dick Van Dyke and Dame Julie Andrews, was taken due to the colonial term “Hottentots” being used.
In the past, white Europeans have disparaged the Khoikhoi people of South Africa using this term.
The phrase appears twice in the movie, once when Michael, one of the kids, is asked if he’s going on an expedition to “defeat Hottentots” by actor Reginald Owen’s character.
Afterwards, the admiral sees soot-covered chimney sweepers and yells, “We’re being attacked by Hottentots,” before hurling pyrotechnics in their way.
The BBFC declared: “Mary Poppins has a historical background, yet the use of discriminatory language is not condemned and goes beyond what we consider to be appropriate language at U.S.
“We therefore classified the film PG for discriminatory language.”
