danybug Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Can I say I adored this movie? The movie was extremely well done and everyone was just so perfectly suited. I can't exactly put my finger on why I loved it so much. I rarely gush about movies, but this one was so special for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari C in SC Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 We just watched it tonight and really enjoyed it too. I would have loved to hang out with Walt Disney! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 We liked it a lot too...very well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Can I say I adored this movie? The movie was extrenely well done and everyone was just so perfectly suited. I can't exactly put my finger on why I loved it so much. I rarely gush about movies but this one was so special for some reason. My mom and I saw it in a theater attached to a mall and we enjoyed it. It got us both thinking about creativity and the role of the artists, family relationships, turning life into story, etc. So much food for thought.....and then we left the theater and encountered all the gaudy Christmas decorations, bright lights, and insane Christmas shoppers. I wanted to run back into the theater! What a contrast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danybug Posted March 29, 2014 Author Share Posted March 29, 2014 I know you always hear authors say how characters in their books are family to them and about all of the emotions tied up with their work. The movie just brought this struggle to life so vividly. I loved that. And how Walt mentioned about whomever the man was wanting Mickey when he first created him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danybug Posted March 29, 2014 Author Share Posted March 29, 2014 I know you always hear authors say how characters in their books are family to them and about all of the emotions tied up with their work. The movie just brought this struggle to life so vividly. I loved that. And how Walt mentioned about whomever the man was wanting Mickey when he first created him. And you could sense he totally felt the true struggle for Ms. Travers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary in VA Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 I was so disappointed Emma Thompson didn't get an Academy Award nomination for her performance. I thought she was wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 We still haven't seen this! Darn it, must add it to my list to do ASAP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 We still haven't seen this! Darn it, must add it to my list to do ASAP! You should, Heels! You have totally dropped the ball on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 I thought the movie was terribly disappointing because it was only half done. We didn't get to meet the woman Mary Poppins was based on. All that devotion to a woman who brought order to the chaos and we get a couple of nothing scenes with her in them and then BAM! roll credits. It made the movie unsatisfying and fizzled right when it was about to get really good. Bad screenwriter. Bad editor. Don't give someone an ice cream cone and as they'll joyfully licking it, throw it in the trash can before they've finished it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrub Jay Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 We've had the screener for months now. This thread inspired me to watch it tonight :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 SPOILER ALERT I thought the movie was terribly disappointing because it was only half done. We didn't get to meet the woman Mary Poppins was based on. All that devotion to a woman who brought order to the chaos and we get a couple of nothing scenes with her in them and then BAM! roll credits. It made the movie unsatisfying and fizzled right when it was about to get really good. Bad screenwriter. Bad editor. Don't give someone an ice cream cone and as they'll joyfully licking it, throw it in the trash can before they've finished it. Well, IDK. I was also expecting more of "Mary Poppins." But I think one of the points of the movie (perhaps the whole point) was to show how her father needed saving, and although she couldn't do that as a little girl in real life, she could do it through writing. I thought the movie was going to go in a different direction. I thought Mary Poppins (the real Aunt) was going to come in and put everything in order, and there would be a happy ending like in the movie. I did not expect Mary Travers' dad to die. It made it extremely poignant to me, that he did die, and they were truthful about MT's life, and about how she wrote the book with the idea that she could have her happy ending only in literature, only in the world she could craft, not in the world she had to live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuzu822 Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 SPOILER ALERT Well, IDK. I was also expecting more of "Mary Poppins." But I think one of the points of the movie (perhaps the whole point) was to show how her father needed saving, and although she couldn't do that as a little girl in real life, she could do it through writing. I thought the movie was going to go in a different direction. I thought Mary Poppins (the real Aunt) was going to come in and put everything in order, and there would be a happy ending like in the movie. I did not expect Mary Travers' dad to die. It made it extremely poignant to me, that he did die, and they were truthful about MT's life, and about how she wrote the book with the idea that she could have her happy ending only in literature, only in the world she could craft, not in the world she had to live. Just a picky note: while P.L. Travers' went by Pamela, her first name was Helen, not Mary. :-) I watched the movie this week as well, and although I enjoyed it, I remain terribly disappointed at Disney's handling of Mary Poppins, The move is one of my favorites, but I've always felt unsettled about it since I learned how Travers herself felt about it. All too common for adaptions, I guess! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 It's on my must see list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 SPOILER ALERT Well, IDK. I was also expecting more of "Mary Poppins." But I think one of the points of the movie (perhaps the whole point) was to show how her father needed saving, and although she couldn't do that as a little girl in real life, she could do it through writing. I thought the movie was going to go in a different direction. I thought Mary Poppins (the real Aunt) was going to come in and put everything in order, and there would be a happy ending like in the movie. I did not expect Mary Travers' dad to die. It made it extremely poignant to me, that he did die, and they were truthful about MT's life, and about how she wrote the book with the idea that she could have her happy ending only in literature, only in the world she could craft, not in the world she had to live. Yes, I get that it was the point of the movie about her dad, but since they went to great lengths to show her hypervigilance about "protecting" her characters because they were family, I think they were obligated to do more than a few minutes with the Mary Poppins character. They spent so much time and detail on the chaos and instability and then they didn't even bother to contrast it to the order she brought. That was sloppy story telling. What they did they did well, but because they left such a huge void after they'd spent so much time building up to, it was a case of poorly done movie making. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entropymama Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 I thought it was wonderful. I don't think it was meant to be an explanation of where Mary Poppins came from; as other posters have said it was really about P.L. Travers' relationship with her dad. I liked that they gave glimpses of her life that weren't explained. She mentions she has family that wouldn't know if she was halfway across the world, and when she's asked if she has children she says, "No - not precisely". I think we're left with the idea that there is more to her story, this is just a slice of it. I watched it with my 12 year old and we had some wonderful discussions about life. Why does the dad keep drinking when he knows it is hurting his family? Why doesn't he want the little girl to be like him? It was lovely and I got to explain how sometimes people don't act the way the should, even if they want to do the right thing. At the end I asked her if she liked it and she said, "Yes. I liked it a lot. It wasn't always a happy story, but it was a good story." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 I thought the movie was terribly disappointing because it was only half done. We didn't get to meet the woman Mary Poppins was based on. All that devotion to a woman who brought order to the chaos and we get a couple of nothing scenes with her in them and then BAM! roll credits. It made the movie unsatisfying and fizzled right when it was about to get really good. Bad screenwriter. Bad editor. Don't give someone an ice cream cone and as they'll joyfully licking it, throw it in the trash can before they've finished it. While I did like the movie, I agree that was disappointing and annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 You didn't really get to meet Mary Poppins because Mary Poppins was a child's fantasy - partially inspired by her aunt but also by her fantastic stories of a white horse - someone who came to the rescue to allow adults (more than the children in the original stories) to go back to that time of innocence and safety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 You didn't really get to meet Mary Poppins because Mary Poppins was a child's fantasy - partially inspired by her aunt but also by her fantastic stories of a white horse - someone who came to the rescue to allow adults (more than the children in the original stories) to go back to that time of innocence and safety. Somehow I didn't know that. Thanks. That makes sense. ETA: We watched it as a family tonight and I guess I did realize before that it was a relative who came to help, I just forgot. But, I wanted to know a little more and I guess I expected to see where some of the inspiration came from more than we were shown. What I didn't get when I first saw the movie was that the arrival of the aunt was really more of a jumping off place for Traver's imagination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Just a picky note: while P.L. Travers' went by Pamela, her first name was Helen, not Mary. :-) I watched the movie this week as well, and although I enjoyed it, I remain terribly disappointed at Disney's handling of Mary Poppins, The move is one of my favorites, but I've always felt unsettled about it since I learned how Travers herself felt about it. All too common for adaptions, I guess! Of course! Sorry for the goof! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 You didn't really get to meet Mary Poppins because Mary Poppins was a child's fantasy - partially inspired by her aunt but also by her fantastic stories of a white horse - someone who came to the rescue to allow adults (more than the children in the original stories) to go back to that time of innocence and safety. Quoting myself to add to it - Travers herself was also quoted later on in saying that Mary Poppins was inspired by the Mother of God. This was after she was part of a group around a religious guru who taught that the moon feeds off the energy of dead people. So there is no straight line to one person being the inspiration for the title character in the books. The movie "Saving Mr. Banks" was inspired by P. L. Travers' life but is not a 100% true telling of it - esp. of the relationship between her and Disney. P. L. Travers herself is not portrayed as quite the bizarre person she really was (see the above mention of some of her religious beliefs). The movie simplified a lot in an effort to make a movie that told a cohesive story relating P. L. Travers' childhood - esp. as influenced by her father - to the books and later the Disney movie. As a story - inspired by but not a true retelling of history - I think it is quite brilliant in how it tied things together. Yes, it is much simpler and cohesive than real life but then perhaps it is more comprehensible than real life - esp. when it is marketed as a family movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 We just finished watching it a bit ago, and dh and I absolutely loved it. On the meeting Mary Poppins end, I'm glad we were only given glimpses of the inspiration. Filling the movie with the real aunt (imo) would take away from the Mary Poppins we know and love, whether from the book or the movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 We all just finished it and loved it. Youngest, 11, said she would never watch Mary Poppins the same way again and now wants to read at least the first book. None of us were disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 I'll never watch Mary Poppins the same way again either, but I always knew there was a huge difference b/t the book and the movie. I always said that the Disney version was much less dark than the books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 You didn't really get to meet Mary Poppins because Mary Poppins was a child's fantasy - partially inspired by her aunt but also by her fantastic stories of a white horse - someone who came to the rescue to allow adults (more than the children in the original stories) to go back to that time of innocence and safety. This was my interpretation, as well. Mary Poppins was the savior that her real-life aunt was not. Young Helen even yells at her aunt, "You said you would make everything all right and you didn't." The reason we don't really get to know the aunt is because she IS NOT Mary Poppins. I thought the film was brilliantly done, even if not completely historical. One little fun tidbit: The adorable little blond haired girl who plays Helen's little sister, Biddy, was our neighbor two doors down. It was fun to hear all if her stories about filming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 SPOILER ALERT Well, IDK. I was also expecting more of "Mary Poppins." But I think one of the points of the movie (perhaps the whole point) was to show how her father needed saving, and although she couldn't do that as a little girl in real life, she could do it through writing. I thought the movie was going to go in a different direction. I thought Mary Poppins (the real Aunt) was going to come in and put everything in order, and there would be a happy ending like in the movie. I did not expect Mary Travers' dad to die. It made it extremely poignant to me, that he did die, and they were truthful about MT's life, and about how she wrote the book with the idea that she could have her happy ending only in literature, only in the world she could craft, not in the world she had to live. This was a topic of discussion at our house tonight and Ds just came back into the room and said "I've been thinking about it and maybe the point isn't so much that Travers made her happy ending in her books. Instead maybe we should consider how much anguish she caused herself by not accepting her life as it occurred. The entire time she was fighting over the creation of the movie and she was also fighting against the reality of her past as it happened." Interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danybug Posted March 30, 2014 Author Share Posted March 30, 2014 So, glad everyone else enjoyed the movie as well! I have never read the book and did not realize there were more. And to tell the truth I was not aware that the book was anything super special until Disney said. We have read most of the real stories used for Disney movies but I never thought to look for Mary Poppins. I am going to order it from Amazon as I am intrigued now. And to add to the discussion, I think the movie was done perfectly. It could have explored more angles and it stayed simple and focused, yet brought the depth of glimpses of her past. I also think delving more into Mary Poppins herself would have taken away from the poignancy of the connection between Travers and Disney. It also would have steered the story in a different direction than "saving Mr. Banks". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 My dh and I watched it at the theater a few months ago but we watched it tonight as a family. The kids really liked it, especially my oldest. I don't think I will watch Mary Poppins in quite the same way again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 I went to this movie with friends when it was in the theater and I really enjoyed it. I looked up a little on her life afterwards. The movie isn't an exact retelling but I think it did a good job. I think the movie actually made Disney look better and it made it seem like she was happy with the results in the end when she was most definitely not but it did do a good job of getting the main events across. I want to read the books to my kids after seeing this movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 I read the first Mary Poppins book way back when I was a nanny fresh out of college. It is a much different character than the movie version, that's sure. There was a sarcastic edge to the book that I enjoyed as an adult but which totally went over the kids' heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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