Saving Mr Banks

The Disney Studios are currently on a milking spree of their biggests hits and adaptations on their own history. To the latter category belongs Saving Mr. Banks. As far as I'm concerned this was an original and well scripted choice, but I fear for a project like Maleficent, due next summer. What will be next? A dramatisation of the studio's 1989 renaissance with The Little Mermaid? Tommy Lee Jones as the Big Bad Wolf?If you are a down and out Disney fan you have presumably been aware of the hassle that preceeded bringing Mary Poppins to the screen, but unless you studied the material you are unlikely to know Disney tried to obtain the film rights of P. L. Travers's books for twenty years, how she travelled to Hollywood (here the films begins), sat in during sessions, being a pain to poor Don DaGradi (screenwriter) and the Sherman Bros (composers). The deadlock between Disney and Travers is captivating and funny. Moreover, it gives Saving Mr. Banks its subject: Her being in desperate need of the money and him, overzealous, having green-lighted the film already before she had sold the screen rights.Curiously enough, despite Travers (played by Emma Thompson) being overly fussy and a downright nuisance most of the time, you sympathise with her cause. Perhaps surprisingly so did her mighty 'opponent' Walt Disney (Tom Hanks), as he imparts to an employee: `I fought this battle from her side too' - referring to attempts to buy Mickey Mouse from him. Disney, of course aware of Travers's near destitution, is gentlemanly enough to not really stress it.Obvious is that the end result of Mary Poppins as film ended up being everything but `empty pap,' as Travers feared. Yes, there are songs, yes there are pinguins - but without the ongoing efforts of her creator Mary Poppins could have ended up superficial - or so at least this film has it. However judge for yourself: In the multiple Oscar-winner Mary Poppins's magic remains wonderfully restraint, happens around her rather than served up happily, which might have occured had Travers not challenged and forced DaGradi to draw from the corners of his creativity.In Saving Mr. Banks we are treated to flashbacks of Travers's preteen years in Australia's outback: A mother she never warmed to, and a father (Colin Farrell), for whom she felt quite the opposite. Gradually she becomes aware of the darker side of her beloved Travers Goff, an alcoholic, who in his dying days doesn't shrink from using the girl to get the booze. Aunt Ellie arrives to set things right - and somewhere along the transition from Helen Goff to P. L. Travers we are made to understand that the earlier rejected stern aunt ("You promised you'd make everything right") becomes sublimated in Mary Poppins, although that happens off screen. The role of father Mr. Banks/Travers Goff then turns out to be pivotal - with such a title we could wait for it. His overlong, dramatic nightly walk to the bank in the Mary Poppins film is now explained.The pleasant amount of dialogue between Disney and Travers accommodates Hanks and Thompson's acting - which is brilliant. Nevertheless, Hanks's portrayal leaves that of Thompson behind. Much of his `lines' are conveyed through his facial expressions, which in itself are those of a boss used to not giving away anything by them - and Hanks is a master at getting them right. His initial approach to procure the rights, `having made a promise to his children he simply has to keep,' ricochets off Travers's armour. This is something Disney, aside from being used to get what he wants doesn't comprehend, presuming using a promise to a child to be a trump card (the reason why Travers is immune is for this motivation becomes clear, but a comment addressing it ended up in the deleted scenes). After this, the stage is set. The supporting cast is strongest where there are no flashbacks concerned: Paul Giamatti as chauffeur Ralph should be mentioned first, but then Whitley Bradford, B. J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman as the hapless trio of DaGradi and the Sherman Bros all deserve applause, as does Melanie Paxson as Dolly. Sound and picture quality of the Blu-ray are very good, and the extras include some deleted scenes and a small making-of, involving the one surviving Sherman Brother Richard. For the sentimentalists among us (that's me as well) `Let's Go Fly a Kite' is included with said Sherman taking place behind the piano in the exact spot the song was composed 50 years ago. The whole cast and crew are present, as opposed to a single dry eye. Praiseworthy. Saving Mr. Banks's finale is devoted to its 1964 premiere, concluding the story of a story - how the film about the flying nanny was made. I couldn't help but thinking of what poor Mrs Travers would have thought of the musical, happily many years away from the film.

Whilst this is a "Disneyfication" of the "alleged" events, "based" on a real scenario ..it remains a DISNEY story under DISNEY's control.It is an absolute tear jerker emotively, the author PL Travers father did die when she was young, it is likely that she stifled her emotions as a result.The rest!? well you'd have to study Travers history beyond a wikipedia page to come to your own conclusion, no doubt though she was very protective of HER creation & the series of Mary Poppins books, of which the Disney story broaches one, maybe two!?That is not to say it is a bad film (I myself am very anti disney as I find much of it potentially damaging to a child in the real world, thats not to say they shouldn't dream, ..far from it, however "disneyfication" runs rampant, ..even through this, to their credit at the end of the film as the titles roll it cuts back to the rehearsal room we are now familiar with (the jelly beans & reel to reel recorder) & we hear the archival audio of P.L. Travers trying to hold court & protect her vision (as author) of her creation that had enthralled the children & adults who read the original stories long before it was "disney'ed" ..& perhaps partially explains why Travers was so reluctant.Don't think of "walt" as the benevolent hero here, he was not, & if you want to see another film of corporate entities taking "contrl" of others creations ..check out the story of "Ray croc" (Mc Donalds) ..& tell me if Mc D's mde films theirs would not display the cut throat despotism of the "anything for the deal" boss, ..Walt Disney was used to getting his way too.Regardless of the real % of fact vs fiction it makes for an excellent film that had us in tears for different reasons.Both Tom Hanks & Emma Thompson made for a riveting film, one we will watch again, but not *too* soon as it left us a little frayed (in a positive way) it brought my own childhood & why in our family "we do what we do" to the fore.P.L Travers ( an apparently single lady) was correct to attempt to dictate her "family" portrayed on the big screen, as it clearly went beyond the character of Mary Poppins, watch & you will see.

Excellent film. Writing and acting are superb.