Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
If the single word that makes up this article’s title is the one thing you took away from watching Mary Poppins then you may be surprised to know that the jolly word would have most likely induced a deep frown of disapproval from the author of the book itself, P. L. Travers (Emma Thompson).
Saving Mr Banks
Director: John Lee Hancock Writers: Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith Starring: Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Ruth Wilson, Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti, Bradley Whitford, Jason Schwartzman, Rachel Griffiths Runtime: 125 minutes Certification: PG
If the single word that makes up this article’s title is the one thing you took away from watching Mary Poppins then you may be surprised to know that the jolly word would have most likely induced a deep frown of disapproval from the author of the book itself, P. L. Travers (Emma Thompson). Mrs Travers to be exact. And nothing else. She is very clear as to how she would like to be addressed, much like how Walt Disney himself (Tom Hanks) would have to have others call him Walt instead of Mr Disney, and so it would seem that they have both met their deserving match in this film. And it turns out that this match is packed with wonderful little details.
There is never a boring moment in this incredibly well acted film despite its 125-minute running time. The story has a defined thread that it follows through without getting sidetracked but does manage to get enough details to weave a sound piece of work. It also makes good use of warm-toned flashbacks to add depth and layers to the emotions that lets the viewers understand the complicated character that is Mrs Travers, without overusing the sentimentality factor. Thompson, with 2 Oscars under her belt, is absolutely spot-on in terms of living and breathing her role in the movie. Her overwhelming reluctance in agreeing to Walt’s proposition brought to life by her stiff upper lip attitude that dominates more than the first half of the film is hilarious to say the least, which is made even more enjoyable by Hanks’ and other supporting roles’ priceless reactions that utilises every pause, flinch, sigh, look etc. to its fullest effect.
The film does not feature many characters which is because there is no need to do so; each character is meticulously placed to play their respective part that gets the overall clock of this movie tick smoothly. Even Disney’s receptionist has her moment of glory and Mrs Travers’ chaffeur in Orlando has something valuable to add to the fabric of the plot. Of course, seeing the woman herself who inspired the original character of Mary Poppins, aunt Ellie (Rachel Griffiths), is such a treat that it really is tease that we only get to see her for around 4 minutes total.
Another very welcome treat is the number of interesting trivia that is revealed to the viwer in relation to Disney as well as the making of Mary Poppins itself. Not only do you get to see the original character sketches that were used in the process, those who are already familiar with the Disney picture will instantly recognise its iconic words such as ‘spit-spot’ and ‘spoonful of sugar’ in addition to the songs that are sung for Mrs Travers’ high threshold approval and no doubt her reaction will only make it better. The concession that Mrs Travers was willing to make in the famous ending song ‘Let’s Go Fly a Kite’, for example.
All in all, this film is certainly one of the best we will see this year with its ever funny, heartwarming and intriguing content. By all means, do make sure to check out the original work of Mary Poppins if you haven’t done so already but then that would mean that you’ve been living in a cave.
