We were in Chinon last night for a showing of Saving Mr. Banks (SMB) or as it is known in France, Dans l'ombre de Mary. The evening had been organised as a fundraiser for Rotary. We know a few people now who are involved with the Chinon branch. Some French, some English. A special Rotary promo film was shown first of all. Very well put together and very interesting to see the range of projects that Rotary supports and in so many countries.
If not yet seen, but if the moment arrives, have a look at this film. It was terrific, even though it was dubbed in French. The hurdle the dubbing presented was that the voices didn't have the sound of the central characters. An essential layer in what is after all a period piece. We're thinking that it would have been better sub-titled. So, we're not sure how completely the film worked last night for what was a primarily French audience. The nuances would have been difficult to pick up. All of which was highlighted by a fab surprise at the very end. Don't want to say too much. But for anyone who hasn't seen SMB, it's a gem of a surprise.
How many times have we've seen Mary Poppins? At a rough guess a dozen. And on tv., never in the cinema. Shamefully, given my theatre background and love of reading, I have never read the book, and worse, never once thought about the author. My entire knowledge of the story and the characters comes from the Mary Poppins film. Given the focus of Saving Mr. Banks, that is why for me the film was initially so intriguing.
There was/is of course more to it. I can't draw informed parallels between P.L.Travers and J.K.Rowling, but there seem to be some. For example, tough lives at times for both. After what we saw last night, and being aware of the impact that J.K.Rowling and her books have had, one wonders how different the two women may have been, in their approach towards the production companies making their films. Both, one assumes, were wanting to avoid the over Hollywoodification (yes - such a word exists!!) of the source material and protect its integrity.
As SMB showed, although P.L.Travers clearly drove the Disney team up the wall, without her vociferous determination, the redemption of the father figure towards the end in Mary Poppins would never have happened. It was a powerful moment in the film last night, and I think for both sides - when Disney acknowledged, after all the disagreements, that the author on this point was bang on the mark, and for P.L.Travers to finally loosen up enough, to acknowledge and approve what the team brought to this particular scene. For once both sides were on the same wave-length.
Certainly the cathartic effect that the making of Mary Poppins had on the author, was a surprise. If I'd been more aware of the story of P.L.Travers's early life, this probably wouldn't have had such an impact. Rather it would have been expected, particularly as SMB is very much the story of the making of the film and the experiences that influenced the author. As it was the balance between flashback and 'current' in SMB, was beautifully handled - the one informing the other, rather than taking over. It was quite moving.
As you'd expect the film follows a particular path and needless to say, there's an awful lot more that wasn't included. The link gives some background. P.L.Travers really didn't like Mary Poppins. We on the other hand did enjoy Saving Mr. Banks, and are glad we went.
Next film up is Philomena - must remember to take two boxes of tissues and no eye make-up!
No comments:
Post a Comment