Credible Credits
Year: 2013
Director: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, Annie Rose Buckley, and Paul Giamatti
Tagline: Where her book ended, their story began.
Synopsis: Walt Disney pulls out all the stops to get author P. L. Travers to sign over the rights to make Mary Poppins come to life on film.
Synopsis: Walt Disney pulls out all the stops to get author P. L. Travers to sign over the rights to make Mary Poppins come to life on film.
Review
It is not an enviable task to create a film when everyone already knows how it is going to end. The trick is to create a memorable journey that keeps the audience engaged along the way. Saving Mr. Banks does just that.
The film pits Walt Disney's charm against P. L. Travers' cantankerousness. From the get go, we learn that Travers doesn't want her books to be Hollywoodized. She doesn't want it to be a musical, there is to be no animation, and Dick Van Dyke has to go. Clearly Walt "wins" in the end. But there is much more to the film than just artistic headbutting. Saving Mr. Banks interweaves two stories, both centered around Travers (who is brilliantly portrayed by Emma Thompson). Story one is about Travers' youth in Australia and her loving yet flawed father. Story two is about the pre-production rigmarole Disney, Travers, and the other creative minds went through. The two narratives weave in and out beautifully. Story one gives depth and meaning to story two as the audience comes to understand not only why Mary Poppins and the Banks family mean so much to Travers, but why Travers is the way she is.
The acting in Saving Mr. Banks is terrific and helps to keep the clearly sentimental film from crossing over into the realm of sugary schmaltz. Paul Giamatti has a fun role as Travers' amiable chauffeur while she is in L.A. Tom Hanks does a good job as Walt Disney, full of charm and charisma. Although the whole time I just felt like I was watching Tom Hanks with a mustache. The film belongs to Emma Thompson though. She is critical, harsh, stubborn, and cantankerous, with a sardonic wit that flows throughout the film. Yet she still manages to be vulnerable and ultimately endearing, albeit in a prickly sort of way. Also excellent was Colin Farrell as Travers' father. He is entrancing one minute, tormented the next, and believable throughout.
As you might expect from a Disney movie about the making of a Disney movie, Saving Mr. Banks is full of humor, heart, and music. The score is dotted with snippets of music from Mary Poppins as the Sherman Brothers (the composers) present things to Travers for her judgement. The songs are there for more than just enjoyment, however. The film deftly uses them to tell its own story. "Feed the Birds," one of Walt Disney's favorite songs, is played when Disney is feeling particularly discouraged. And without giving anything away, let me just say that "Fidelity Fiduciary Bank" and "Let's Go Fly a Kite" are masterfully woven into the story line.
At the heart of the film is a theme of fatherhood. Throughout the story are fathers, some more flawed than others, endeavoring to do right by their children. Walt Disney is trying to keep the promise he made to his daughters. P. L. Travers' father is doing his best while battling his own personal demons. And as the stories unfold, the audience comes to understand why Mr. Banks needs to be saved. He must be saved for his own sake, but also for the sake of the children ... all the children.
The film is not without its flaws. The story has more than a spoonful of sugar to it and is perhaps more Disneyfied than realistic. If it doesn't quite fulfill all one's expectations, it is not for lack of effort. Still, I felt it didn't quite reach the level of magic it was trying to sell. But it came close. And though the outcome was assured, it was a fun journey to take.
The film pits Walt Disney's charm against P. L. Travers' cantankerousness. From the get go, we learn that Travers doesn't want her books to be Hollywoodized. She doesn't want it to be a musical, there is to be no animation, and Dick Van Dyke has to go. Clearly Walt "wins" in the end. But there is much more to the film than just artistic headbutting. Saving Mr. Banks interweaves two stories, both centered around Travers (who is brilliantly portrayed by Emma Thompson). Story one is about Travers' youth in Australia and her loving yet flawed father. Story two is about the pre-production rigmarole Disney, Travers, and the other creative minds went through. The two narratives weave in and out beautifully. Story one gives depth and meaning to story two as the audience comes to understand not only why Mary Poppins and the Banks family mean so much to Travers, but why Travers is the way she is.
The acting in Saving Mr. Banks is terrific and helps to keep the clearly sentimental film from crossing over into the realm of sugary schmaltz. Paul Giamatti has a fun role as Travers' amiable chauffeur while she is in L.A. Tom Hanks does a good job as Walt Disney, full of charm and charisma. Although the whole time I just felt like I was watching Tom Hanks with a mustache. The film belongs to Emma Thompson though. She is critical, harsh, stubborn, and cantankerous, with a sardonic wit that flows throughout the film. Yet she still manages to be vulnerable and ultimately endearing, albeit in a prickly sort of way. Also excellent was Colin Farrell as Travers' father. He is entrancing one minute, tormented the next, and believable throughout.
As you might expect from a Disney movie about the making of a Disney movie, Saving Mr. Banks is full of humor, heart, and music. The score is dotted with snippets of music from Mary Poppins as the Sherman Brothers (the composers) present things to Travers for her judgement. The songs are there for more than just enjoyment, however. The film deftly uses them to tell its own story. "Feed the Birds," one of Walt Disney's favorite songs, is played when Disney is feeling particularly discouraged. And without giving anything away, let me just say that "Fidelity Fiduciary Bank" and "Let's Go Fly a Kite" are masterfully woven into the story line.
At the heart of the film is a theme of fatherhood. Throughout the story are fathers, some more flawed than others, endeavoring to do right by their children. Walt Disney is trying to keep the promise he made to his daughters. P. L. Travers' father is doing his best while battling his own personal demons. And as the stories unfold, the audience comes to understand why Mr. Banks needs to be saved. He must be saved for his own sake, but also for the sake of the children ... all the children.
The film is not without its flaws. The story has more than a spoonful of sugar to it and is perhaps more Disneyfied than realistic. If it doesn't quite fulfill all one's expectations, it is not for lack of effort. Still, I felt it didn't quite reach the level of magic it was trying to sell. But it came close. And though the outcome was assured, it was a fun journey to take.
Quotable Quotes
- "No, no, no, no, no! 'Responstible' is not a word!" "We made it up." "Well, un-make it up." -- P. L. Travers and Richard Sherman
- "To be proper British, it should be 'Let Us Go and Fly a Kite' ... [tries singing it that way] Maybe I'll let that one pass." -- P. L. Travers (approx.)
- "Don't you want to finish the story?" -- Walt Disney
ISFS
Someday I hope to use 'cantankerousness' in Scrabble or Words with Friends.
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