Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Saving Mr. Banks, 2013. Film.
Directed by John Lee HANCOCK. USA: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Last month I ended up going on a very spontaneous trip to the local cinema to see “any film that happened to be on at the time”. Who would’ve thought I was about to discover one of my favourite movies ever?

Saving Mr. Banks is comedy drama set in the 1960’s that tells the story of the struggles Walt Disney and author P. L. Travers faced leading up to the film adaption of Mary Poppins. Travers (a comically challenging Emma Thompson) is living in England and living off of royalties from the once beloved book series Mary Poppins. When the money starts to run low, the author finds herself in awful economic strain and travels very unwillingly to  Hollywood to meet Walt Disney   (a very cheerful, openhearted Tom Hanks) who has been badgering her for film rights for 20 years. In Travers’ eyes, Disney’s plans for Mary Poppins are simply butchering her work. Knowing how the finished picture turns out, it is clear that a lot of persuading must happen for Disney to convince the writer to allow him to turn her book into a magical music rather than the live action drama she was set on. Knowing what must happen in the end only makes the film more enjoyable. I was truly captivated as I watched the story unfold and constantly longed to learn to more about the story behind one of my favourite films from my childhood.

One of the reasons Saving Mr. Banks is so engrossing is the inclusion of interwoven sequences showing the events of Travers’ childhood and particularly the love she had for her reassuring, drunkard father (Colin Farrell). These sequences lead us to an explanation for her attitude towards life and, most of all, the characters in her books. The portrayal of Travers is perfect – we see a perfect balance between her cantankerous side that makes you wish she’d give in already and her vulnerable side that makes you long for her happiness. There are plenty of secondary characters to fall in love with particularly those involving Ralph the chauffeur (Paul Giamatti) who never fails to make me smile. The production scenes with the Sherman brothers (B. J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman) create wonderful comical moments that will make you frustrated, laugh and even, at one moment, make you want to cry.

As a spontaneous choice in film, I did not know what to expect from Saving Mr. Banks however I will admit I was expecting a lot of Disney magic. Whilst there’s no denying, there are a lot of magical moments, songs and comical scenes; it is a lot deeper than that. This is one of those films that will move you and stay with you for a long time afterwards.

Recommend to: Anyone with a love for Mary Poppins!

People who don’t mind a film that will make them cry

Anyone who doesn't mind the fact they will find themselves singing “Let’s Go Fly a Kite!” for days afterwards