Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

The true story of how the film adaptation of Mary Poppins came to be, this film is a delight for audiences of all ages.

Pamela Travers (Emma Thompson) - or P. L. Travers as she is known to her legions of fans - is invited to Los Angeles by Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) himself. Disney has been pestering Travers every year for the last twenty years for the film rights to her book, which is loved by children and adults alike the world over.

Pamela - or Mrs. Travers, as she prefers to be called - is not the least bit interested in selling her book to Disney, who she believes will turn it into a cheesy cartoon, ruining the gravitas of the story and the characters.

When she arrives in LA, she is picked up at the airport by driver Ralph (Paul Giamatti), who is very sweet and is constantly trying to engage her in friendly conversation, but she seems mostly uninterested and unimpressed with his relentless optimism.

Ginty (Annie Rose Buckley) and her father, Travers Goff (Colin Farrell).

Meeting Walt Disney, she is also introduced to the team who will be bringing her book to life: scriptwriter Don DaGradi (Bradley Whitford) and songwriting duo Richard (Jason Schwartzman) and Robert (B. J. Novak) Sherman. Together, the four of them pore over every single line of every single page, Pamela disagreeing with most of their decisions as things progress.

Throughout these events, we also see flashbacks into her past, growing up as a young girl (played by Annie Rose Buckley) in Queensland, Australia. Her father, Travers Goff (Colin Farrell) is the local bank manager and a terrible alcoholic. Her mother, Margaret (Ruth Wilson), is at home with her and her two younger sisters. We learn that she was christened Helen, but her father has given her the pet name of 'Ginty', and their relationship is very touching.

These flashbacks also give tremendous insight into the origins of the plot and characters which would later inhabit her books.

P. L. (Pamela) Travers (Emma Thompson).

The screenplay for this film, written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith, is incredibly well-written, with a real richness to the characters. Of course, these are representations of people who actually existed - and a few of whom were still alive at the time - as opposed to completely fictional characters. The writers were somewhat aided by a series of recordings made by Pamela - she insisted every session with the writing team was recorded on tape for posterity - and copious amounts of notes, as well as consultation with one of the real-life Sherman brothers. The way in which they have weaved the story with the flashback sequences is excellent, and there is much here for fans of either the Mary Poppins book or the Disney film to discover.

The music - aside from the Sherman's songs - is written by Thomas Newman and is, as anyone familiar with Thomas Newman would presume, absolutely perfect for the film, and matches the on-screen action and emotion of each moment brilliantly. The inclusion of almost all of the songs from the Mary Poppins film is also good, and we get to witness the development of some of the finer points of these songs as they are being written.

Michael Corenblith's stunning production design skills and Daniel Orlandi's gorgeous costumes take the audience back - convincingly and with stunning realism - to the early 1960s, setting the scene brilliantly. The scenes set in Australia too are well designed, and the costumes altered accordingly, as these scenes take place in the early part of the twentieth century.

Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) tries to win over Pamela (Emma Thompson) with a
trip to Disneyland.

The performances of the entire cast are wonderful, especially those of Hanks and Thompson. Again, playing characters who were real people brings extra challenges with it, but these two performers in particular have done an incredible job. Paul Giamatti is lovely as the always-optimistic chauffeur, and has his share of dramatic moments within the story, too, which he handles well.

Director John Lee Hancock has made a pretty decent film here, one that I am always happy to watch again. There is so much in this film to notice and pick up on, and I still don't think I've noticed it all yet; each time, I discover something more. If you're a fan of Mary Poppins, give this film a look; you won't regret it.

8 1/2 out of 10.