Blog Directory CineVerse: Never say never to "Neverland"

Never say never to "Neverland"

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Last week, CineVerse examined "Finding Neverland," a biopic loosely based on the life of Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie and the sources that inspired him to write his famous story. While the filmmakers played fast and flexibly with the true-life facts about the author, the movie serves as a undeniably entertaining sentimental reflection on the power of creativity and the passionate resolve of an imaginative mind. Among the conclusions we came away with after viewing the picture, these thoughts prevailed:

WHAT DID YOU FIND UNEXPECTED OR REFRESHINGLY DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS FILM?
It’s an adult-oriented movie that puts yourself at the level of the child characters in it and doesn’t condescend or treat such matters trivially. It forces adults to give credence to the importance of the imagination at any age—something grownups have abandoned a long time ago.
There’s no hint of a romance between Barrie and Sylvia; usually, a love interest/affair is shoehorned into any drama.
Barrie isn’t shown as a Michael Jackson-like kook or deranged genius; he simply personifies the values imbued in Peter Pan: he never wants to grow up and become a prim and proper adult.
We are also allowed to see what Barrie sees and imagines—rain in the theater, his dog transformed into a bear, Neverland in the backyard, etc. 
Depp also isn’t chewing scenery or performing over-the-top acting acrobatics here; this is arguably one of him most subtle, subdued and quiet performances that are rare to find in his filmography lately. He was also nominated for a best actor Academy Award for this role.
The movie doesn’t give short shrift to the Barrie’s marriage; this conflict lingers throughout the film, and both husband and wife are sympathetic figures who each have their reasons.

THIS FILM HAS BEEN CRITICIZED FOR NOT ADHERING MORE FAITHFULLY TO THE TRUE LIFE FACTS ABOUT J.M. BARRIE. IS THIS A FAIR CRITICISM, OR ARE THE LIBERTIES THE FILMMAKERS HAVE TAKEN ACCEPTABLE TO YOU IN ORDER TO PRODUCE A MORE ENTERTAINING MOTION PICTURE?
To be fair, the opening and closing credits state that the movie is based on the stage play and “inspired” by true events, which serves as a fair notice disclaimer that what is depicted is not necessarily accurate.
The big problem that some film critics and scholars have about this biopic is that irresponsibly misleading: that it conjures up a tall tale that Barrie based Peter Pan on the young Peter Davies’ refutation of emotions concerning the death of his father (who actually was alive at that time). In this way, the movie overlooks the popular theory that Peter Pan was pure and simple a wish fulfillment creation by Barrie.
Virtually every biopic or film adaptation of an historical event plays loose and fast with the facts, often to tell a better cinematic, visual story within a tight two-hour format. Consider that “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Ed Wood,” “Braveheart” and so many other biopics are considered quality films, yet they condensed and altered characters and situations, cast actors who didn’t look like the original person, and created fantasies and legends to engage the audience instead of depicting the straight honest details.

FILMS THAT COME TO MIND AFTER VIEWING “FINDING NEVERLAND”
Big Fish
Amelie
The Princess Bride
Shadowlands (based on the author C.S. Lewis)
Saving Mr. Banks (about the professional relationship between “Mary Poppins” author P.L. Travers and Walt Disney)

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY MARC FORSTER
Monsters Ball
Stranger than Fiction
The Kite Runner
Quantum of Solace
World War Z

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