Tuesday 25 March 2014

Saving Mr Banks (2013)

  'Saving Mr Banks' is a 2013 American film directed by John Lee Hancock and starring Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks.

  Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) wants to make a film from the P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) novel 'Mary Poppins' and has been trying for twenty years to persuade her to give him the rights. P.L. Travers decides to take a trip to California, paid by Disney, and there he would try and obtain the rights. Things don't go 100% to plan as Travers is an uptight, well-spoken, strict and grumpy woman who refuses to give her permission. Disney tries everything to obtain the rights, from a trip to Disneyland to having her say on the film's results. Meanwhile, Travers reminisces on her childhood in Australia, and the events that would inspire the creation of Mary Poppins.

  Firstly, I have to say I am a massive fan of the original Mary Poppins. It's a timeless film, that has catchy songs, good acting and a nice message. So of course I'm going to be slightly biased with this review.

  The acting in 'Saving Mr Banks' is very good. Tom Hanks does his 'Tom Hanks charm' amazingly as always, while Emma Thompson is fantastic as P.L. Travers. I am surprised she wasn't nominated for an Oscar, but they never seem to make the right decisions (although this year was close). Emma Thompson does her usual depressive British character, but this time you feel like she is Travers, not just an impression which I was expecting.

  The music of Mary Poppins may be the best thing about the 1964 film, with all of the songs being good to tear-jerking in quality. In 'Saving Mr Banks' they recreate these songs on a piano, and the results are great. However it made me want to watch the original again, which is always a problem with films like this.

  This is another film in which the main character reminisces events in chronological order. If she were to reminisce in real life, she would have thought about the most important event first. It also plays to the trope in which "If a main character coughs, they will die before the end". Despite this, I thought the script was very well-written, with witty dialogue and a remarkable closeness to what actually happened.


TO CONCLUDE
As good as a film about getting the rights to a film can get. I almost cried at the end. I didn't. But it was close. The extras on the blu-ray are worth watching as well.

SCORE
79

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