SAVING MR BANKS

Based very loosely on a true story, this is the tale about all the shenanigans behind the making of the multi-Oscar winner smash hit movie ‘Mary Poppins’ in 1964. Walt Disney had been pursuing the book’s author P.L. Travers (Pamela) for the past 20 years to get the film rights and now in a last ditch attempt to persuade the reluctant writer he had arranged to fly her to Los Angelas for a visit to see if she could be tempted by the screenplay that had been written.

Mrs Travers, as she insisted on being addressed by all and sundry, was a formidable woman and although actually Australian by birth, had become this quintessential English grand dame with a marked distaste for everything American.  The only reason that she had been persuaded to take this trip by her Agent was that as her book sales had slowed up considerably, she was running out of money.

Everything about the Studio, including the script, the songs and Walt himself totally appalled her and she made sure that everyone knew this in no uncertain terms.  She ran roughshod over the poor screenwriter, dismissed the Sherman brothers cute songs as banal, and at one point even threw the whole script out the Rehearsal Studio window.

In a series of flashbacks it became clear that these stories that she had written about this magical Nanny were rooted in her own tough childhood in the Australian outback. When her beloved father (surprisingly sensitive performance from Colin Farrell), who had always encouraged her vivid imagination, tragically died when she was only 7 years old, it was the sudden appearance of her Aunt who had come to ‘save’ the family that was the turning point in her young life. When Mr Disney finally realised that in the book it wasn’t the children that the Nanny had come to rescue, but Mr Banks himself, he knew then that he had cracked the code to Mrs Traver’s story … a fact he used to now convince her that he could be trusted to make a movie that she would like.

Saving Mr Banks is a gloriously funny over-sentimentalised movie that proves to be a great vehicle for the Emma Thompson’s dynamic turn as Mrs Travers with her rapid-fire acerbic wit. She is nothing short than superb with an hilarious performance that will probably earn her an Oscar Nomination.  The flashbacks show us that she has never reconciled to her loss of her father and this accounts for her overly protective grasp on her Mary Poppins books.  It takes Tom Hanks effortlessly playing an amiable Walt Disney with more patience than God and an unshakable charm offensive that wins her over so that he gets to make his movie. At the premiere in LA, which Mrs Travers had to invite herself too, she sits between the Sherman brothers and openly cries. Alls well that ends well.

If only that was all true though.  This movie that had originated in Australia and then was slated to be produced by the BBC in the UK, but as they needed get permission to use the songs etc from Mary Poppins they needed approval of The Disney Company who then ended up making this movie.  Hence the discord between Mrs Travers and Walt ended up on screen as being totally cordially, with Mr Disney being portrayed in such an impossibly saintly manner. What is not shown, is that after the Premiere Mrs Travers sought out Walt and demanded that the animation sequences be removed. He is quoted as saying ‘That boat has sailed Pamela’. After that she refused to sell him the film rights for the rest of the Mary Poppins books, and never ever returned to Hollywood.

Another omission that was even stranger given the fact that in this movie Mrs Travers frequently asked other people if they were parents, yet there was no mention of the fact that she had a child too.  Never married (she had relationships with people of both sexes) she had adopted one of twins, but had very oddly refusing point blank to adopt his brother.

‘Saving Mr Banks’ is a entertaining crowd pleaser ….. but think how much better it would have been if they had used more facts and less fiction.

P.S. Stay for the final credits as they used the actual tape recordings that the real Mrs Travers made on that fateful visit to the Studios.

★★★★★★★★