Blog Directory CineVerse: A spoonful of saccharin mixed with a dash of downbeat flashbacks

A spoonful of saccharin mixed with a dash of downbeat flashbacks

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Many biopics are guilty of the sin of perpetuating a revisionist history that doesn't jive with the true facts. Such is the case with "Saving Mr. Banks," a Disney-produced homage to the magic, majesty and mastery of the Disney brand and its founding father – whose creative vision and influence, if we are to believe this film, were responsible for convincing "Mary Poppins" author P.L. Travers to permit a big screen adaptation of her work. Despite playing loose and free with the facts, however, "Saving Mr. Banks" proves to be an entertaining story-behind-the-story film enriched by memorable performances. CineVerse took a closer look at this picture last evening, and here's our supercalifragilisticexpialidocious spin on it:


WHAT DID YOU FIND INTERESTING, UNEXPECTED, DISTINCTIVE, REFRESHING OR DISAPPOINTING ABOUT SAVING MR. BANKS?
There’s a lot of star power and acting talent running the engine here that’s hard to ignore or not enjoy.
The film’s setting and subject is a curious one, considering that most box office today is directed toward teens and younger viewers, the vast majority of whom have never seen or heard of Mary Poppins; this film is obviously an attempt to primarily appeal to baby boomer nostalgia over the 1964 movie, which is now over 50 years old.
The flashback scenes to Travers’ childhood, some argue, grind the film to a halt and add a depressing sheen to an otherwise upbeat and wistful picture. So tonally, the film may feel inconsistent to many viewers.
It reinforces the power of movies to help us escape from our troubles while also demonstrating that real troubles are often what motivates artists to create escapist art.
In a crass and cynical reading of the film, you could make a case that this is just a feature-length commercial for the Disney brand, the myths and magic behind its founder and empire, and the classic films well represented in its vault. Viewers who subscribe to this theory may feel mistrustful about this film’s characters, plot and motivations for its making.

WHAT THEMES CAN YOU PINPOINT ARE AT WORK IN SAVING MR. BANKS?
The dangers of living in the past, choosing to be haunted by guilt and regret, and not forgiving yourself for past actions.
The ability for art to be both transformative and limited in its power.
Art can be a collaborative process whereby a creator compromises his or her vision to allow another artist to shape or adapt that creation for the benefit of pleasing the most people possible.
Art can also have deeply personal inspirations and motivations behind it that may or may not be identified and appreciated by the masses. Travers may have been driven to create Mary Poppins based on her childhood experiences and feelings about her father, but that knowledge is not necessary for us to be able to enjoy the 1964 Disney film Mary Poppins.

MUCH OF THIS PLOT HAS BEEN DEBUNKED AS FACTUALLY INCORRECT – INCLUDING THE FACT THAT DISNEY HAD ALREADY OBTAINED THE FILM RIGHTS TO MARY POPPINS WHEN TRAVERS ARRIVED TO CONSULT WITH THE DISNEY STAFF AND THE FACT THAT TRAVERS HATED THE FINISHED FILM; DOES THIS KNOWLEDGE DETRACT FROM YOUR ENJOYMENT AND APPRECIATION OF SAVING MR. BANKS IN ANY WAY?
Many viewers can fall into the trap of believing most or everything they see in a film biopic because cinema wields a mighty power to persuade.
You have to consider the source here: this is a movie made by Disney about its beloved founder and one of its most treasured properties, so it’s highly doubtful they would tackle anything truly controversial about the true nature of this subject or the true life facts about the making of Mary Poppins.
Nevertheless, this picture arguably doesn’t do any harm in serving as a validation of the mastery and magic that went into the creation of an indisputable movie masterpiece – Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins.
That being said, because most of us have such a favorable impression of the 1964 Mary Poppins film, it’s easy to look at the Travers character as depicted in this movie as being overdue for an epiphany, change of heart or even an apology to Disney himself; portraying her as stubborn and obtuse about a soon-to-be-made film that we know has been widely beloved and acclaimed predictably telegraphs to us that this character will be proved wrong.

OTHER MOVIES THAT COME TO MIND AFTER WATCHING SAVING MR. BANKS:
Finding Neverland, about Peter Pan creator J. M. Barrie
Miss Potter, about Peter Rabbit creator Beatrix Potter
Shadowlands, about Narnia author C.S. Lewis
Hitchcock, about the famous director
Gods and Monsters, about Universal Studios horror movie director James Whale
Dreamchild, about the woman whom Alice in Alice in Wonderland was modeled after
Nanny McPhee

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY JOHN LEE HANCOCK
The Rookie
The Alamo
The Blind Side

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