Saving Mr. Banks DVD review
By Tribute on March 21, 2014 | 1 Comment
Saving Mr. Banks takes us back in time to witness the making of one of Disney’s most celebrated classics, Mary Poppins. Author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) is struggling financially and reluctantly leaves the comfort of her London home to meet with Walt Disney (Tom Hanks), who wants the rights to make book into a movie. Walt’s motivation to make the film is a promise he made to his daughters years ago, which sent him on a 20-year mission to acquire the rights. However, Travers is a force to be dealt with from day one – she’s very particular and critical of everything around her, and she refuses to settle or compromise. Travers has a very specific vision of how she would like her story to come to life, and Walt’s creative team doesn’t necessarily share that vision with her. She immediately dismisses the idea of any sort of animation in the film, as well as the cheerful musical numbers that the Sherman Brothers pitch to her. Walt’s promise to deliver persuades an otherwise reluctant “Pam” to work with the team.
The film takes us even further into the past – specifically, 1906 – with frequent flashbacks to Travers’ childhood, spent on a ranch in Australia with her wildly imaginative father (Colin Farrell), not-so-outspoken mother, and two younger sisters. As we go back and forth between 1960s Los Angeles and small town Allora, glimpses of a young Travers’ experiences with her family reveal the true inspiration behind the story of Mary Poppins.
As the film progresses, a critical Travers clashes more and more with the Sherman Brothers and a patient Walt. She refuses to accept Walt’s creative ideas or his magical touch to the story, and Walt struggles as he tries to understand her hesitancy. The flashbacks slowly present a better understanding of how Mary Poppins came to being, and they reveal that the eccentric nanny – with all her small details – were inspired by Travers’ stern Aunt Ellie, who came to save the day and “fix everything.” An older and distraught Travers has to relive her painful childhood memories, and we come to the understanding that her younger years, despite inspiring the novel, were nowhere near the cheerful and magical take that Walt envisioned for the film.
Emma Thompson gives a remarkable performance as the fussy and critical P.L. Travers, bringing to the screen the perfectionism and detail-orientation that Travers’ complicated character requires. We see the story of Mary Poppins’ creation though Travers’ eyes. At first glance, the author seems to be an unfriendly and difficult woman, but we eventually discover the tragic and emotional backstory that shaped Travers into the woman she became.
From Tom Hanks’ first moments on screen, his witty persona and charm set the stage and foreshadow an excellent delivery of Walt Disney’s character. Tom Hanks shows us multiple sides of the legendary filmmaker, including the imaginative creator, the caring father and the persuasive businessman.
Colin Farrell’s depiction of an alcoholic father living in a fantasy state was well done, and he moves the audience’s emotions as his character’s state worsens. Farrell’s dramatic acting gives life to the flashbacks, without which the full picture would have been incomplete.
The bonus features are not to be missed, as each deleted scene gives us more insight into the relationship between Travers and Disney. The features also include a musical tribute to the original Richard Sherman on the last day of filming, as well as a trip down memory lane with director John Lee Hancock as he explores the Disney Studios lot from the 1960s to modern day. Click here to enter to win a Saving Mr. Banks Blu-Ray combo pack. ~Yara Matar
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