Saving Ms. Poppins

[MovieBob]

Saving Ms. Poppins

A humble, hardworking British author - a woman no less, struggling for acceptance in a quite distinctly patriarchal business - is sought after to approve a movie based on one of her books; one to which she is very personally attached.

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[Falseprophet]

So this movie humanizes Travers similar to how The Social Network made Zuckerberg a sympathetic character? That could be interesting, if it didn't sound like Saving Mr. Banks does it in the most formulaic, Oscar bait-y manner.

 

[RJ Dalton]

Personally, I'd have preferred the complexity of reality to the bullshit nice-ing up of everybody. I've never bought the "Disney was evil" line, even though I think what his company has become of late most certainly is a hugely corrupt entity. Disney was a complicated man of his time, but he was a man of passion and I've always found it hard not to hold at least a certain amount of begrudging respect for him.
Can't say much about the Marry Poppins author, though. Don't know enough about her, but she sounds more interesting in real life than in the manufactured, trope-heavy story they've given her here. But then, isn't that always the case with these "historical dramas"?

 

[Nurb]

I don't know if I missed it in the article, but why did they "soften up" Tavers so much if the facts make it more interesting?

 

[Gizen]

I don't know if I missed it in the article, but why did they "soften up" Tavers so much if the facts make it more interesting?

Because she's ultimately the main character of the film, and while reality may be more interesting, it also makes it more difficult for your typical movie going audience to feel sympathetic for the character, which in turn often leads to them receiving the film more poorly then a more cliched, stereo-typical portrayal. That is, afterall, why that stuff becomes so commong and stereo-typical in the first place.

 

[Revnak_v1legacy]

I don't know if I missed it in the article, but why did they "soften up" Tavers so much if the facts make it more interesting?

Because the real her was full of interesting factoids, but would probably not be that entertaining to watch in a movie since she'd seem quite crazy and unsympathetic, much like Disney could depending on how they did it.

 

[Darth_Payn]

Good article, Bob. I never got on board with the "Walt-Disney-was-evil-ha-ha" gravy train. It's like somebody's half-assed attempt to be "hip" and "edgy" [cough]FamilyGuy[/cough] I've also seen it from Robot Chicken, although it's hard to tell what those guys actually like.

 

[DoctorM]

Love the article. I was certain you were going to beat on the white wash of Walt drum. A very pleasant surprise.

But, Bob, do your readers a favor. Please refrain from sentences that are a paragraph long. You drown us with run-on sentences.

 

[Darmani]

I am put off by the straightening of her character and removal of son (as I would be of whathisname's mistress) These are key elements to a person's life. Making their personality more pleasant with editting and emphasis is just .. well we do that in life.

 

[Ipsen]

and was not, despite what you may have heard, cryogenically frozen

!!

This was my 'Santa isn't real' revelation, Bob. How dare you, in this manner! :.<

Otherwise, fun article. I always appreciate it when you do 'secondary' reviews like this alongside Escape to the Movies.

 

[Trishbot]

They should have just gone full-on "P.L. Travers was really crazy" rather than try and make her sympathetic. From mysticism and mediums to a burning hatred of music and cartoons to a personal life with lovers and kids that could best be described as "bizarre"... she was the equivalent of a modern day Scientologist, really.

And she's the reason we never got any beloved follow-ups to the original Mary Poppins movie. They wanted to make more. They tried to make more. However, she hated the cartoon segments so much that she forbid them from every adapting any of the following novels into film.

She's sort of like the anti-J.K. Rowlings, a woman who embraced the people who loved her works and admitted that adapting her books to film required some sacrifice and alterations but, ultimately, so long as the product turned out great she was okay with it and how it inspired and thrilled the young and young at heart.

 

[SlightlyEvil]

and was not, despite what you may have heard, cryogenically frozen

!!

This was my 'Santa isn't real' revelation, Bob. How dare you, in this manner! :.<

Otherwise, fun article. I always appreciate it when you do 'secondary' reviews like this alongside Escape to the Movies.

Yeah, this is one of those "I acknowledge it's not true, but wouldn't the world be a marginally more interesting place if it were?" things to me.

 

[jmarquiso]

Travers' lover and son would have been a more interesting plot point, as it isn't only the proper British-ness that clashes with Disney's Americana. And whether Walt's Wizard was an act or not - I would really love to see if that was portrayed well by Hanks in the film.

 

[SonicWaffle]

She's sort of like the anti-J.K. Rowlings, a woman who embraced the people who loved her works and admitted that adapting her books to film required some sacrifice and alterations but, ultimately, so long as the product turned out great she was okay with it and how it inspired and thrilled the young and young at heart.

Plus, you know, they drove a dump-truck full of money up to her house. She's not made of stone!