SAVING MR BANKS – A DISNEY TRIBUTE

According to her grandchildren “Travers died loving no one and with no one loving her”. Welcome to the world of Pamela Lyndon Travers aka Helen Lyndon Goff.  Saving Mr Banks tries to reveal the thought process behind the shaping up of our beloved Mary Poppins. Is there a reason for the melancholy that accompanies P L Travers ? What made Disney wait for 2o years to get the lady’s approval?  John Lee Hankock provides the answers in typical Disney style.

The positives – Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson and Paul Giamatti and Collin Farrel are in top form. I loved the scenes in which Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson face off – trying to outdo and outsmart each other. Despite the brooding tone of the film there are ample does of love, hope and redemption. The father – daughter bond that gives shape to Mary Poppins is beautiful. It is this bond which makes us relate to P L Travers despite her apparent meanness. A daughter whose life lingers around her failed father.

The negatives – The film turns out more like a self – propaganda for Walt Disney and tries to portray P. L Travers as some haughty non-co-operative woman. The film tries to sugar coat the fact it was one woman against  a huge production trying to preserve her work. I agree – everybody loves Disney even me too. But even he had flaws. The fact that P. L Travers was completely ignored for the movie’s premiere is ample testimony to this.  

Despite the flaws Saving Mr Banks is worth a watch just for it’s impeccable leads, wonderful setting and some heart-warming scenes before that watch catch Mary Poppins on DVD to fully understand the  depth of SAVING MR BANKS.

My Rating 3.5/5

As promised – My post of the day – A letter which touched my heart.

http://gsaptekar84.blogspot.in/2013/07/letters-and-love.html