Saving Mr. Banks*
Yesterday afternoon we saw the new Tom Hanks flick, Saving Mr. Banks. All about the Disney Empire working to land the Mary Poppins project in the early 1960s. The terrific Emma Thompson plays P.L.Travers, the book's cantankerous author, and Hanks makes a pretty good Disney. And we all enjoyed it a lot.
I just saw a review this morning of the film; it caught some of the subtlety:
"... Living [in early 20th century Australia] in a completely different lifestyle than shown in the film 'Mary Poppins,' Travers’ family is having major problems, and her Aunt Ellie [Rachel Griffiths, from that great TV show Six Feet Under] comes to help. The audience cannot help but notice the similarities of Mary Poppins arriving to save the day, and as Travers['] early years unfold, we see some of the history and meaning behind the [Travers] creation."
http://www.wfaa.com/entertainment/movies/Friday-Features-Saving-Mr-Banks-review-238552961.html
When I say "we all..." liked it, I might add a social note: SEVEN of us trooped off to our Vero cinema to see it. It was part of a farewell to a Canadian couple we've grown to love here -- after meeting them on our cruise around Australia last year! Following the film, we had everyone back to our place for fajitas and a nice impromptu party...
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* A murky title, referring to the Travers character's real-life dad (played stunningly well by Colin Farrell, whom I didn't even recognize 'til the ending titles). "Saving" him is what Travers demands when the Disney staff try to portray him as a "bad" character...Hanks as Walt has to chase her back to London to convince her he'll portray the father as the hero Travers wished him to be. As I said, a subtle plot...
I just saw a review this morning of the film; it caught some of the subtlety:
"... Living [in early 20th century Australia] in a completely different lifestyle than shown in the film 'Mary Poppins,' Travers’ family is having major problems, and her Aunt Ellie [Rachel Griffiths, from that great TV show Six Feet Under] comes to help. The audience cannot help but notice the similarities of Mary Poppins arriving to save the day, and as Travers['] early years unfold, we see some of the history and meaning behind the [Travers] creation."
http://www.wfaa.com/entertainment/movies/Friday-Features-Saving-Mr-Banks-review-238552961.html
When I say "we all..." liked it, I might add a social note: SEVEN of us trooped off to our Vero cinema to see it. It was part of a farewell to a Canadian couple we've grown to love here -- after meeting them on our cruise around Australia last year! Following the film, we had everyone back to our place for fajitas and a nice impromptu party...
_____________________________
* A murky title, referring to the Travers character's real-life dad (played stunningly well by Colin Farrell, whom I didn't even recognize 'til the ending titles). "Saving" him is what Travers demands when the Disney staff try to portray him as a "bad" character...Hanks as Walt has to chase her back to London to convince her he'll portray the father as the hero Travers wished him to be. As I said, a subtle plot...