fbpx
Wikipedia

Saving Mr. Banks

May 20, 2023

Saving Mr. Banks is a 2013 biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock from a screenplay written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith. Centered on the development of the 1964 film Mary Poppins, the film stars Emma Thompson as author P. L. Travers and Tom Hanks as film producer Walt Disney, with supporting performances by Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson, and B.J. Novak. Deriving its title from the father in Travers's story, Saving Mr. Banks depicts the author's tragic childhood in rural Queensland in 1906 and the two weeks of meetings during 1961 in Los Angeles, during which Disney attempts to obtain the film rights to her novels.[6]

Saving Mr. Banks
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Lee Hancock
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJohn Schwartzman
Edited byMark Livolsi
Music byThomas Newman
Production
companies
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures[2]
Release dates
  • October 20, 2013 (2013-10-20) (BFI London Film Festival)
  • November 29, 2013 (2013-11-29) (United Kingdom)
  • December 13, 2013 (2013-12-13) (United States)
  • January 9, 2014 (2014-01-09) (Australia)
Running time
125 minutes[3]
Countries
  • Australia
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million[4][5]
Box office$117.9 million[5]

Essential Media Entertainment and BBC Films initially developed Saving Mr. Banks as an independent production until 2011, when producer Alison Owen approached Walt Disney Pictures for permission to use copyrighted elements. The film's subject matter piqued Disney's interest, leading the studio to acquire the screenplay and produce the film.[7] Principal photography commenced the following year in September before wrapping in November 2012; the film was shot almost entirely in the Southern California area, primarily at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, where a majority of the film's narrative takes place.[8][9]

Saving Mr. Banks premiered at the London Film Festival on October 20, 2013, and was distributed theatrically by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures that same year in the United Kingdom on November 29 and in North America on December 13. It received positive reviews, with praise for the acting, screenplay, and musical score. Thompson's performance garnered BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics' Choice Award nominations for Best Actress, while composer Thomas Newman earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score. The film was named one of the ten best films of 2013 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, and was also commercially successful, grossing $118 million at the worldwide box office.

Plot

In London 1961, agent Diarmuid Russell urges financially strapped author Pamela "P. L." Travers to travel to Los Angeles and meet with Walt Disney, who has pursued the film rights to her Mary Poppins stories for twenty years after having promised his daughters to produce a film based on the books. Travers has steadfastly resisted Disney's efforts, fearing what he will do to her character. Having written nothing new and her book royalties dried up, she risks losing her house. Russell reminds her that Disney has agreed to two major stipulations (no animation and unprecedented script approval) before she finally agrees to go.

Flashbacks depict Travers' difficult childhood in Allora, Queensland, Australia in 1906, which became the inspiration for much of Mary Poppins. Travers idolized her loving, imaginative father, Travers Robert Goff, but his chronic alcoholism resulted in his repeated dismissals, strained her parents' marriage and caused her distressed mother's attempted suicide. Goff died from tuberculosis when Travers was seven years old. Prior to his death, her mother's stern, practical sister came to live with the family and later served as Travers's main inspiration for the Mary Poppins character.

In Los Angeles, Travers is shocked by the city's nature and the overly-perky inhabitants, personified by her friendly limousine driver, Ralph. At the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, Travers meets the creative team who are developing Mary Poppins for the screen: screenwriter Don DaGradi and songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman. She finds their presumptions and casual manners highly improper, a view that she also holds of the jocular Disney.

Travers' working relationship with Disney and his team is difficult from the outset, with her insistence that Mary Poppins is the enemy of sentiment and whimsy. Disney and his people are puzzled by Travers' disdain for whimsy, given the nature of the Mary Poppins story, as well as Travers' own rich imagination. She particularly objects to how the character George Banks, the children's estranged father, is depicted, insisting that he is neither cold nor cruel. Gradually, the team grasp how deeply personal the Mary Poppins stories are to Travers and how many of the characters were inspired by her past.

The team acknowledges that Travers has valid criticisms and make changes, although she becomes increasingly disengaged as painful childhood memories resurface. Seeking to understand what troubles her, Disney invites Travers to Disneyland, which, along with her developing friendship with Ralph, the creative team's revisions to the George Banks character and the addition of a new song and a different ending, help dissolve Travers' opposition. Her creativity reawakens, and she begins collaborating with the team. Soon afterward however, Travers is enraged to discover an animation sequence has been added without her permission. Travers confronts Disney over this and returns home without signing the agreement.

Disney learns that "P. L. Travers" is a pen name, taken from Travers' father's given name. Her real name is Helen Goff and she is Australian, not English. That gives Disney new insight into Travers, and he follows her to London. Arriving unexpectedly at her home, Disney shares his own less-than-ideal childhood but stresses the healing value of his art. He urges Travers not to let deeply-rooted past disappointments dictate the present. That night, after Disney has left, Travers finally relents and grants the film rights to Disney.

Three years later, in 1964, Travers has begun writing another Mary Poppins story, while Mary Poppins is to have its world premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Disney has not invited Travers, fearing how she might react with the press watching. Prompted by Russell, Travers shows up unannounced at Disney's office; he reluctantly issues her an invitation. Initially, she watches Mary Poppins with a lack of enthusiasm, particularly with the animated penguins. She gradually warms to the rest of the film, however, becoming deeply moved by the depiction of George Banks' personal crisis and redemption.

Cast

Credits adapted from The New York Times.[10]

Production

Development

In 2002, Australian producer Ian Collie produced a documentary film on P. L. Travers titled The Shadow of "Mary Poppins". During the documentary's production, Collie noticed that there was "an obvious biopic there" and convinced Essential Media and Entertainment to develop a feature film with Sue Smith writing the screenplay.[11] The project attracted the attention of BBC Films, which decided to finance the project, and Ruby Films' Alison Owen, who subsequently hired Kelly Marcel to co-write the screenplay with Smith.[12] Marcel's drafts removed a subplot involving Travers and her son, and divided the story into a two-part narrative: the creative conflict between Travers and Walt Disney, and her dealings with her childhood issues, describing it as "a story about the pain of a little girl who suffered, and the grown woman who allowed herself to let go".[13] Marcel's version, however, featured certain intellectual property rights of music and imagery which would be impossible to use without permission from The Walt Disney Company. "There was always that elephant in the room, which is Disney," Collie recalled. "We knew Walt Disney was a key character in the film and we wanted to use quite a bit of the music. We knew we'd eventually have to show Disney." In early 2010, Robert B. Sherman provided Owen with an advance copy of a salient chapter from his then upcoming book release, Moose: Chapters From My Life. The chapter entitled, "'Tween Pavement and Stars" contained characterizations and anecdotes which proved seminal to Marcel's script rewrite, in particular, the anecdote about there not being the color red in London.[14][15] In July 2011, while attending the Ischia Film Festival, Owen met with Corky Hale, who offered to present the screenplay to Richard M. Sherman.[16] Sherman read the screenplay and gave the producers his support.[16] Later that year, Marcel and Smith's screenplay was listed in Franklin Leonard's The Black List, voted by producers as one of the best screenplays that were not in production.[17]

In November 2011, Walt Disney Pictures' president of production, Sean Bailey, was informed by executive Tendo Nagenda of Marcel's existing script.[4][18] Realizing that the screenplay included a depiction of the studio's namesake, Bailey conferred with Disney CEO Bob Iger[19] and Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn, the latter of whom referred to the film as a "brand deposit,"[20] a term adopted from Steve Jobs.[21] Together, the executives discussed the studio's potential choices; purchase the script and shut the project down, put the film in turnaround, or co-produce the film themselves. With executive approval, Disney acquired the screenplay in February 2012 and joined the production with Owen, Collie and Philip Steuer as producers, and Christine Langan, Troy Lum, Andrew Mason, and Paul Trijbits serving as executive producers.[7] John Lee Hancock was hired to direct the film later that same month.[22]

Iger subsequently contacted Tom Hanks to consider playing the role of Walt Disney, which would become the first-ever focal depiction of Disney in a mainstream film.[4] Hanks accepted the role and made several visits to the Walt Disney Family Museum and interviewed some of Disney's former employees and family relatives, including his daughter Diane Disney Miller.[23][24] The film was subsequently dedicated to Disney Miller, who died shortly before it was released.[25] In April 2012, Emma Thompson entered final negotiations to star as P. L. Travers, after the studio was unable to secure Meryl Streep for the part.[26] Thompson said that the role was the most difficult one that she has played, describing Travers as "a woman of quite eye-watering complexity and contradiction."[27] "She wrote a very good essay on sadness, because she was, in fact, a very sad woman. She'd had a very rough childhood, the alcoholism of her father being part of it and the attempted suicide of her mother being another part of it. I think that she spent her whole life in a state of fundamental inconsolability and hence got a lot done."[28] Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, B. J. Novak, and Ruth Wilson were cast in July 2012.[29][30][31][32]

"I thought the script was a fair portrayal of Walt as a mogul but also as an artist and a human being. But I still had concerns that it could be whittled away. I don't think this script could have been developed within the walls of Disney—it had to be developed outside ... I'm not going to say there weren't discussions, but the movie we ended up with is the one that was on the page."

—John Lee Hancock on his initial thoughts of Disney's involvement[16]

With Disney's backing, the production team was given access to 36 hours of Travers' audio recordings of herself, the Shermans, and co-writer Don DaGradi that were produced during the development of Mary Poppins,[33] in addition to letters written between Disney and Travers from the 1940s through the 1960s.[11][16] Richard M. Sherman also worked on the film as a music supervisor and shared his side of his experiences working with Travers on Mary Poppins.[33] Initially, Hancock had reservations about Disney's involvement with the film, believing that the studio would edit the screenplay in their co-founder's favor.[34] However, Marcel admitted that the studio "specifically didn't want to come in and sanitize it or change Walt in any way."[11] Hancock elaborated, "I was still worried that they might want to chip away at Walt a little bit ... I thought the portrayal of Walt was fair and human so I came in and they said, 'No, we like it.' But still, every step of the way, I had my fist balled up behind my back ready to fight in case it happened, but it didn't."[35] Although the filmmakers did not receive any creative interference from Disney regarding Walt Disney's depiction, the studio did request that they omit any onscreen inhalation of cigarettes[36] (a decision that Hanks himself disagreed with) due to the company's policy of not directly depicting smoking in films released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner, and to avoid receiving an R-rating from the Motion Picture Association.[37][38] Instead, Disney is shown extinguishing a lit cigarette in one scene, stating that nobody can see him smoking due to the effect it would have on his image. Additionally, his notorious smoker's cough is heard off-screen several times throughout the film.[37]

Filming

 
The former Animation Building on the Walt Disney Studios lot, which served as a primary filming location for the film.

Principal photography began in September 2012 in Los Angeles.[39] Although some scenes were originally planned to be shot in Queensland, Australia,[40] all filming, except for two establishing shots in London, took place in the Southern California area, including the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, Disneyland Park in Anaheim, Big Sky Ranch in Simi Valley, the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia, Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights, Ontario International Airport in San Bernardino, Courthouse Square at Universal Studios, and the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.[39][41] The largest set built for the film was the interior of the Walt Disney Studios' Animation Building, which production designer Michael Corenblith referred to as "a character in the story".[42] The exterior of the Beverly Hills Hotel and Disney's personal office were also recreated, with the Langham Huntington in Pasadena acting as an interior double for the Beverly Hills Hotel.[39] To ensure authenticity, Corenblith used photographs and a furniture display from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library as references for Disney's office; the set was also adorned with Disney's personal Academy Awards loaned from a Walt Disney World Resort exhibit.[16][41][43] For the Disneyland sequences, scenes were shot during the early morning with certain areas cordoned off during the park's operation, including the park's entrance courtyard, Main Street U.S.A., Sleeping Beauty Castle, Fantasyland, and the King Arthur Carrousel attraction.[44] Extra roles were filled by Disneyland Resort cast members.[45] In order for the park to be portrayed accurately in the story's time period, Corenblith had the Main Street storefronts redressed to reflect their 1961 appearance; post-1961 attractions were kept obstructed so they would not show up on camera, although Pinocchio's Daring Journey which didn't open until 1983, 22 years after which the film's time is set can be spotted vaguely and blurred out in the background during the sequence on King Arthur's Carousel.[39][46] To recreate the original film's premiere at the Chinese Theatre, set designers closed Hollywood Boulevard and recreated the street and theater to resemble their 1964 appearances.[43] After scheduled filming in Australia had been scrapped, cinematographer John Schwartzman compared the landscape of Queensland with that of rural Southern California, and realized that both had similar traits in natural lighting.[42]

"I was immediately dry-mouthed by the prospect. It's just the hardest work that is to be done. There's a billion hours of video, of Walt performing as Walt Disney, being a great guy. But I found enough actual footage of him in interviews when he'd really like to be done with the subject ... When I could find him showing any legitimate kind of consternation, that was worth its weight in gold."

—Tom Hanks in regards to portraying Disney.[47]

Emma Thompson prepared for her role by studying Travers' books and letters, as well as Travers' own recordings conducted during the development of Mary Poppins, and also styled her natural hair after Travers', due to the actress's disdain for wigs.[48] To accurately convey Walt Disney's midwestern dialect, Tom Hanks listened to archival recordings of Disney and practiced the voice while reading newspapers.[49] Hanks also grew his own mustache for the role, which underwent heavy scrutiny, with the filmmakers going so far as to match the dimensions of Hanks' mustache to that of Disney's.[50] Jason Schwartzman and B. J. Novak worked closely with Richard M. Sherman during pre-production and filming. Sherman described the actors as "perfect talents" for their roles as himself and his brother, Robert.[51] Costume designer Daniel Orlandi had Thompson wear authentic jewelry borrowed from the Walt Disney Family Museum,[52] and ensured that Hanks' wardrobe included the Smoke Tree Ranch emblem from the Palm Springs property embroidered on his neckties, which Disney always wore.[53] The design department also had to recreate several of the costumed Disney characters as they appeared in the 1960s.[54] Filming lasted nine weeks and was completed on November 22, 2012.[39][55] Walt Disney Animation Studios reproduced animation of Tinker Bell for the scene that recreates an opening segment from an episode of Walt Disney Presents.[39]

Music

Main article: Saving Mr. Banks (soundtrack)

Thomas Newman composed the film's original score.[56] In regards to incorporating his own musical style to the film's period setting, Newman stated that "there was room for a real tune-based score here that could reflect the basic joy in that kind of writing that the Sherman Brothers brought to Mary Poppins.[57] Newman, however, refrained from creating an "adaptation score" of the Shermans' music from the original film.[57][58] Newman's process of scoring the film included playing themes to filmed scenes, so that he could "listen to what the music does to an image",[59] and not wanting to "clutter the proceedings with music."[60] The flashback sequences to Travers' childhood provided the most work for Newman.[61] He explains that, "You had to turn on a dime to make the transition back to the 'present,' when Travers and the Sherman brothers are working on the script for Mary Poppins. And that was fun, but also musically challenging." For the score's instrumentation, Newman primarily employed a string orchestra with some woodwinds and brass, as well as including piano and hammered instruments that were "appropriate to the time period", such as dulcimers.[61] The film's score was recorded at the Newman Scoring Stage in Los Angeles, while the cast recorded several of the Shermans' songs at Capitol Studios for use as playback during the film's diegetic music scenes, including "Chim Chim Cher-ee", "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", "A Spoonful of Sugar", "Fidelity Fiduciary Bank", "Feed the Birds", and "Let's Go Fly a Kite".[41] Walt Disney Records released two editions of the soundtrack on December 10, 2013: a single-disc and a two-disc digipak deluxe edition, containing original demo recordings by the Shermans and selected songs from Mary Poppins.[62]

Historical accuracy

See also: Mary Poppins (film) § Production

Saving Mr. Banks depicts several events that differ from recorded accounts.[63] The premise of the script, that Walt Disney had to convince P. L. Travers to hand over the film rights, including the scene in which he finally persuades her, is fictionalized. Disney had already secured the film rights (subject to Travers' approval of the script) when she arrived to consult with the Disney staff.[63][64][65] In fact, Disney left Burbank to vacation in Palm Springs a few days into Travers' visit and was not present at the studio when several of the film's scenes depicting him to be present actually took place.[33] As such, many of the dialogue scenes between Travers and Disney are adapted from letters, telegrams, and telephone correspondence between the two.[33] Although Travers was assigned a limousine driver,[33] the character of Ralph is fictionalized and intended to be an amalgamation of the studio's drivers.[66] In real life, Disney story editor Bill Dover was assigned as Travers' guide and companion during her time in Los Angeles.[33]

The film also depicts Travers coming to amicable terms with Disney, implying her approval of his changes to the story.[67] In reality, she never approved of softening the harsher aspects of Mary Poppins' character, remained ambivalent about the music, and never came around to the use of animation.[68][69] Disney overruled her objections to portions of the final film, citing contract stipulations that he had final cut privilege. Travers had initially not been invited to the film's premiere until she embarrassed a Disney executive into extending her an invitation, which is depicted in the film as coaxing Disney himself. After the premiere, she reportedly approached Disney and told him that the animated sequences had to be removed. Disney dismissed her request, saying, "Pamela, the ship has sailed."[70]

Although the film portrays Travers as being emotionally moved during the premiere of Mary Poppins,[70] overlaid with images of her childhood, which is implied to be attributed to her feelings about her father, co-screenwriter Kelly Marcel and several critics note that in real life, Travers' show of emotion was actually a result of anger and frustration over the final product.[33][70][71] Reportedly, Travers felt that in the end, the film betrayed the artistic integrity of her work and story's characters.[72] Resentful over what she considered poor treatment at the hands of Walt Disney, Travers vowed never to permit Disney to adapt her other novels for any purpose.[73] Travers' last will bans all American adaptation of her works to any form of media.[33] According to the Chicago Tribune, Disney was "indulging in a little revisionist history with an upbeat spin," adding, "the truth was always complicated" and that Travers subsequently viewed the film multiple times.[74]

English writer Brian Sibley found Travers still gun-shy from her experiences with Disney when he was hired in the 1980s to write a possible Mary Poppins sequel. Sibley reported that Travers told him, "I could only agree if I could do it on my own terms. I'd have to work with someone I trust." Regardless, while watching the original film together, the first time Travers had seen it since the premiere, she became excited at times and thought certain aspects were excellent, while others were unappealing.[75] The sequel never went to production and when approached to do a stage adaptation in the 1990s, she acquiesced only on the condition that British writers and no one from the film production were to be directly involved with the musical's development.[76]

The film also depicts Travers' Aunt Ellie (her mother's sister), who comes to help the family when her father becomes terminally ill, as Travers' model for Mary Poppins, with the actress even using several of Poppins' catchphrases from the film. In fact, Travers identified her great-aunt Helen Morehead (her mother's aunt), as the model for Poppins.[77][78] In the film it shows her typing up her next story for a book in 1964 titled: "Mary Poppins in the Kitchen" the book was actually published later in 1975.

Release

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures released a trailer for the film on July 10, 2013.[79] Saving Mr. Banks held its world premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square as the closing gala of the London Film Festival on October 20, 2013.[80][81][82] On November 7, 2013, Disney held the film's U.S. premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre during the opening night of the 2013 AFI Film Festival,[83][84] the same location where Mary Poppins premiered.[85] The original film was also screened for its 50th anniversary.[86]

Saving Mr. Banks also served as the Gala Presentation at the 2013 Napa Valley Film Festival on November 13,[87] and was screened at the AARP Film Festival in Los Angeles on November 17,[19] as Disney heavily campaigned Saving Mr. Banks for Academy Awards consideration.[19] On December 9, 2013, the film was given an exclusive corporate premiere in the Main Theater of the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank.[88] The film was released theatrically in the United States on December 13, 2013, and in general theatrical release on December 20.[89]

Saving Mr. Banks grossed $83.3 million in North America and $34.6 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $117.9 million, against a budget of $35 million.[5] The film grossed $9.3 million in its opening weekend in the United States, finishing 5th at the box office behind The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ($31.5 million), Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues ($26.2 million), Frozen ($19.6 million), and American Hustle ($19.1 million).[90]

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released Saving Mr. Banks on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download on March 18, 2014.[91] The film debuted at No. 2 in Blu-ray and DVD sales in the United States according to Nielsen's sales chart.[92] The home media release included three deleted scenes that were cut from the film.[93]

Reception

Critical response

 
Emma Thompson received acclaim for her portrayal of P. L. Travers

Saving Mr. Banks received positive reviews from film critics, with major praise directed to the acting; particularly Thompson, Hanks, and Farrell's performances.[19] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 79% based on 260 reviews, with an average rating of 7.00/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Aggressively likable and sentimental to a fault, Saving Mr. Banks pays tribute to the Disney legacy with excellent performances and sweet, high-spirited charm."[94] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[95] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[96][97]

Leslie Felprin of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film as an "affecting if somewhat soft-soaped comedy drama, elevated by excellent performances." The Reporter wrote that "Emma Thompson takes charge of the central role of P. L. Travers with an authority that makes you wonder how anybody else could ever have been considered."[98] Scott Foundas of Variety wrote that the film "has all the makings of an irresistible backstage tale, and it's been brought to the screen with a surplus of old-fashioned Disney showmanship ...", and that Tom Hanks's portrayal captured Walt Disney's "folksy charisma and canny powers of persuasion — at once father, confessor and the shrewdest of businessmen." Overall, he praised the film as "very rich in its sense of creative people and their spirit of self-reinvention."[99]

The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday rated the film three out of four stars, writing: "Saving Mr. Banks doesn't always straddle its stories and time periods with the utmost grace. But the film — which John Lee Hancock directed from a script by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith — more than makes up for its occasionally unwieldy structure in telling a fascinating and ultimately deeply affecting story, along the way giving viewers tantalizing glimpses of the beloved 1964 movie musical, in both its creation and final form."[100] The New York Times' A. O. Scott gave a positive review, declaring the film as "an embellished, tidied-up but nonetheless reasonably authentic glimpse of the Disney entertainment machine at work."[101]

Mark Kermode writing for The Observer awarded the film four out of five stars, lauding Thompson's performance as "impeccable", elaborating that "Thompson dances her way through Travers' conflicting emotions, giving us a fully rounded portrait of a person who is hard to like but impossible not to love."[102] Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune felt similarly, writing: "Thompson's the show. Each withering put-down, every jaundiced utterance, lands with a little ping." In regard to the screenplay, he wrote that "screenwriters Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith treat everyone gently and with the utmost respect."[103] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone also gave the film three out of four stars and equally commended the performances of the cast.[104]

Alonso Duralde of TheWrap described the film as a "whimsical, moving and occasionally insightful tale ... director John Lee Hancock luxuriates in the period detail of early-'60s Disney-ana".[105] Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "B+" grade, explaining that "the trick here is how perfectly Thompson and Hanks portray the gradual thaw in their characters' frosty alliance, empathizing with each other's equally miserable upbringings in a beautiful three-hankie scene late in the film."[106] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film "does not strictly hew to the historical record where the eventual resolution of this conflict is concerned," but admitted that it "is easy to accept this fictionalizing as part of the price to be paid for Thompson's engaging performance."[107]

David Gritten of The Daily Telegraph described the confrontational interaction between Thompson and Hanks as "terrific", singling out Thompson's "bravura performance", and calling the film itself "smart, witty entertainment".[108] Kate Muir of The Times spoke highly of Thompson and Hanks's performances.[109] Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal, however, considered Colin Farrell to be the film's "standout performance".[110] IndieWire's Ashley Clark wrote that the film "is witty, well-crafted and well-performed mainstream entertainment which, perhaps unavoidably, cleaves to a well-worn Disney template stating that all problems—however psychologically deep-rooted—can be overcome."[111] Another staff writer labeled Thompson's performance as her best since Sense and Sensibility, and stated that "she makes the Australian-born British transplant a curmudgeonly delight."[112] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian enjoyed Hanks' role as Disney, suggesting that, despite its brevity, the film would have been largely "bland" without it.[113]

The film did receive some criticism. Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent gave the film a mixed review, writing: "On the one hand, Saving Mr. Banks (which was developed by BBC Films and has a British producer) is a probing, insightful character study with a very dark undertow. On the other, it is a cheery, upbeat marketing exercise in which the Disney organization is re-promoting one of its most popular film characters."[114] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle concluded that if the film "were 100 percent false and yet felt true, that would be fine. But this has the self-conscious whiff, if not of mendacity, then of public relations."[115] Lou Lumenick of the New York Post criticized the accuracy of the film's events, concluding that "Saving Mr. Banks is ultimately much less about magic than making the sale, in more ways than one."[116] American history lecturer John Wills praised the film's attention to detail, such as the inclusion of Travers' original recordings, but doubted that the interpersonal relations between Travers and Disney were as amicable as portrayed in the film.[117] Landon Palmer of Film School Rejects also described several moments where the film had a "shrewd consumption of [the company's] own criticisms", only to later negate them and Disney-fy Travers as a character.[72]

Accolades

Main article: List of accolades received by Saving Mr. Banks

Saving Mr. Banks was nominated for several awards and earned accolades from various organizations, critics' groups and circles, particularly in recognition of Emma Thompson’s performance. The film received five nominations at the 67th British Academy Film Awards, including Best British Film, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer, Best Film Music, and Best Costume Design.[118]

The film received a Best Original Score nomination at the 86th Academy Awards, where, despite not earning a nomination, the film was widely considered by pundits to be a front-runner nominee for Best Picture and Best Actress.[119][120][121][122][123] The film also received single nominations at the 71st Golden Globe Awards and 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards, where Thompson was nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, respectively.[124][125] Additionally, Thompson won both the Empire Award for Best Actress and the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress for her performance, while the film itself was selected by the National Board of Review as one of the year's top 10 films.[126][127] Saving Mr. Banks was named by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2013.[128]

References

  1. ^ Adams, Mark. "Review: Saving Mr. Banks". Screendaily.com. Screen International. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Saving Mr. Banks". American Film Institute. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  3. ^ "SAVING MR. BANKS (PG)". Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. British Board of Film Classification. September 18, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c Barnes, Brooks (October 16, 2013). "Forget the Spoonful of Sugar: It's Uncle Walt, Uncensored". The New York Times. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c "Saving Mr. Banks (2013)". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  6. ^ "BBC Films unveils upcoming slate at Cannes". BBC. BBC Films. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  7. ^ a b Fleming, Mike (February 8, 2012). "Disney Acquiring Black List Script 'Saving Mr. Banks,' On Making 'Mary Poppins'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  8. ^ Cunningham, Todd (December 19, 2013). "'American Hustle' and 'Saving Mr. Banks' Face Mainstream Box-Office Exams This Weekend". TheWrap. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  9. ^ Gettell, Oliver (December 18, 2013). "'Saving Mr. Banks' director: 'Such an advantage' shooting in L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  10. ^ . Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2016. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  11. ^ a b c Shaw, Lucas (December 17, 2013). "How 'Saving Mr. Banks' Overcame Disney's Resistance to a Movie About Disney". TheWrap. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  12. ^ Pond, Steve (December 17, 2013). "Director John Lee Hancock on 'Saving Mr. Banks': We Went for the Truth, Not the Facts". TheWrap. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  13. ^ Marcel, Kelly (December 23, 2013). "'Saving Mr. Banks' screenwriter finds purpose in the tale". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  14. ^ Sciretta, Peter (December 13, 2013). "Interview: Kelly Marcel On Writing 'Saving Mr. Banks'". /Film. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  15. ^ Sherman, Robert B. "Tween Pavement and Stars" ("No Red In London") in Moose: Chapters From My Life, AuthorHouse Publishing, Bloomington, IN, p. 372-375.
  16. ^ a b c d e Kilday, Gregg (December 16, 2013). "Bringing Walt Disney (and Mary Poppins) Back to Life: The Making of 'Saving Mr. Banks'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  17. ^ Child, Ben (April 11, 2012). "Tom Hanks to play Walt Disney in Saving Mr Banks". The Guardian. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  18. ^ Kit, Borys (October 16, 2014). "'Cinderella' and 'Saving Mr. Banks' Executive Tendo Nagenda Promoted at Disney". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  19. ^ a b c d Lewis, Hilary (October 28, 2013). "AARP Film Festival to Include 'August: Osage County,' 'Saving Mr. Banks' and 'Labor Day'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  20. ^ Hammond, Pete (April 17, 2013). "CinemaCon: Disney's Vegas Act Includes Johnny Depp And 'Lone Ranger' Footage". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  21. ^ Chmielewski, Dawn C. (October 6, 2011). "Steve Jobs brought his magic to Disney". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  22. ^ Fleming, Mike (February 27, 2012). "John Lee Hancock In Talks For Making Of Mary Poppins Pic 'Saving Mr. Banks'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  23. ^ Riefe, Jordan (October 18, 2012). "Tom Hanks on Becoming Walt Disney for 'Saving Mr. Banks'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  24. ^ Kaufman, Amy (November 8, 2013). "AFI Fest 2013: Tom Hanks back in spotlight for 'Saving Mr. Banks'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  25. ^ Jay Weston (December 9, 2013). "Tom Hanks IS Walt Disney in "Saving Mr. Banks"!". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  26. ^ Fleming, Mike (April 9, 2012). "Tom Hanks Now Getting Serious For 'Saving Mr. Banks'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  27. ^ Rothman, Lily (July 10, 2013). "Exclusive First Look: Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson in Saving Mr. Banks". Time. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  28. ^ Lewis, Hilary (November 16, 2013). "'Saving Mr. Banks' Star Emma Thompson Shares P. L. Travers Insights, Favorite Films". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  29. ^ Kit, Borys (June 15, 2012). "Colin Farrell in Talks for 'Saving Mr. Banks'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  30. ^ Graser, Marc (July 25, 2012). "Trio loan talents to 'Saving Mr. Banks'". Variety. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  31. ^ Sneider, Jeff (July 12, 2015). "Bradley Whitford in talks for 'Mr. Banks'". Variety. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  32. ^ Kit, Borys (July 31, 2012). "B.J. Novak Joins Disney's 'Saving Mr. Banks' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h Goldsmith, Jeff (December 24, 2013). "Saving Mr. Banks Q&A" (Podcast). Unlikely Films, Inc. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  34. ^ Barker, Andrew (December 20, 2013). "Variety Creative Impact Award in Directing: John Lee Hancock". Variety. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  35. ^ Khatchatourian, Maane (December 10, 2013). "Tom Hanks: P. L. Travers Would Hate 'Saving Mr. Banks'". Variety. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  36. ^ Buerger, Megan (December 12, 2013). "Why 'Saving Mr. Banks' Didn't Save Walt Disney From Smoking". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  37. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela (November 16, 2013). "Disney's Smoking Ban Means No Puffing for Walt Disney in 'Saving Mr. Banks'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  38. ^ Sacks, Ethan (December 8, 2013). "Tom Hanks goes toe-to-toe with Emma Thompson in 'Saving Mr. Banks'". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  39. ^ a b c d e f "Saving Mr. Banks: Press Kit" (PDF). The Walt Disney Studios. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  40. ^ "Production Begins on Saving Mr. Banks". Collider. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  41. ^ a b c "Saving Mr. Banks: Production Fun Facts" (PDF). The Walt Disney Studios. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  42. ^ a b Gray, Tim (December 9, 2013). "Directors on Their Teams: John Lee Hancock on 'Saving Mr. Banks'". Variety. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  43. ^ a b Verrier, Richard (December 18, 2013). "For 'Mr. Banks,' Simi Valley works as Australian outback". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  44. ^ Tully, Sarah (November 7, 2012). "Tom Hanks as Walt Disney closes parts of Disneyland". Orange County Register. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  45. ^ Tully, Sarah (October 24, 2012). "Tom Hanks' movie to film at Disneyland". Orange County Register. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  46. ^ Rich, Katey (December 11, 2013). "Exclusive Video: How The Saving Mr. Banks Team Re-Created 1960s Disneyland". Vanity Fair. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  47. ^ Rochlin, Margy (January 3, 2014). "Not Quite All Spoonfuls of Sugar". The New York Times. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  48. ^ Setoodeh, Ramin (November 19, 2013). "How 'Saving Mr. Banks' Saved Emma Thompson". Variety. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  49. ^ Mandell, Andrea (November 8, 2013). "Tom Hanks read newspapers in Walt Disney's voice". USA Today. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  50. ^ Keegan, Rebecca (January 2, 2014). "Leaps of faith and appetites for work attract Tom Hanks". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  51. ^ King, Susan (November 1, 2013). "Sherman brothers of 'Saving Mr. Banks' get in tune with a real one". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  52. ^ Kinosian, Janet (December 5, 2013). "'Saving Mr. Banks' costume designer Daniel Orlandi digs deep". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  53. ^ Ross, L.A. (December 20, 2013). "TheWrap Screening Series: Recreating Disney's World for 'Saving Mr. Banks'". TheWrap. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  54. ^ Miller, Julie (December 19, 2013). "From Sketch to Still: Recreating Vintage Disney for Saving Mr. Banks". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  55. ^ Lussier, Germaine (October 15, 2012). "Marvel and Disney Release Info: 'Ant-Man' Gets Official Release Date, 'Iron Man 3' and 'Thor: The Dark World' Will Be 3D". /Film. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  56. ^ "Thomas Newman Scoring 'Saving Mr. Banks'". Film Music Reporter. April 25, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  57. ^ a b Schweiger, Daniel (December 3, 2013). "Interview with Thomas Newman". Film Music Magazine. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  58. ^ Fahy, Patrick (December 5, 2013). "Thomas Newman: a composer's life in Hollywood". British Film Institute. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  59. ^ Kilday, Gregg (February 28, 2014). "Oscars: John Williams, Jill Scott Spotlight Song and Score Nominees at Academy's First-Ever Concert". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
  60. ^ Fusilli, Jim (February 25, 2014). "Will His 12th Oscar Nomination Be Thomas Newman's Charm?". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  61. ^ a b "Oscars: From 'Philomena' To 'Saving Mr. Banks', Composers Show Creativity And Agility With This Year's Scores". Deadline Hollywood. January 5, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  62. ^ "Walt Disney Records Presents Saving Mr. Banks Original Motion Picture Score Soundtrack And Saving Mr. Banks 2-Disc Deluxe Edition Soundtrack Features Previously Unreleased Song Demos By The Sherman Brothers Both Available On December 10" (Press release). Walt Disney Records. November 26, 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  63. ^ a b Zeitchik, Steven (January 3, 2014). "Does 'Saving Mr. Banks' contain a hidden agenda?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  64. ^ Sabina Ibarra (December 12, 2013). . Screen Crave.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  65. ^ Kubersky, Seth (January 7, 2014). "Fact-checking Saving Mr. Banks with Disney historian Jim Korkis". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  66. ^ Corliss, Richard (December 12, 2013). "Saving Mr. Banks: When Movies Lie and Make You Cry". Time. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  67. ^ Keegan, Rebecca (December 28, 2013). "Is 'Saving Mr. Banks' too hard on 'Mary Poppins' creator?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  68. ^ Mandell, Andrea (December 10, 2013). "Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson duel in 'Saving Mr. Banks'". USA Today. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  69. ^ Newman, Melinda (November 7, 2013). "'Poppins' Author a Pill No Spoonful of Sugar Could Sweeten". Variety. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  70. ^ a b c Lyons, Margaret (December 26, 2013). "Saving Mr. Banks Left Out an Awful Lot About P. L. Travers". New York. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  71. ^ Caitlin Flanagan (December 19, 2005). "Becoming Mary Poppins". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  72. ^ a b Landon Palmer (December 24, 2013). . Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  73. ^ Nance, Kevin (December 20, 2013). "Valerie Lawson talks 'Mary Poppins, She Wrote' and P. L Travers". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  74. ^ Jones, Chris (December 20, 2013). "With 'Mary Poppins,' there's more to know under the umbrella". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 22, 2014. In fact, Travers went to see "Mary Poppins" plenty of times after that premiere, so maybe there is some truth to the screenplay. The only person who could verify that died in 1996.
  75. ^ Vincent Dowd (October 20, 2013). "Mary Poppins: Brian Sibley's sequel that never was". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  76. ^ Gettell, Oliver (December 19, 2013). "'Saving Mr. Banks' cast on Walt Disney and P. L. Travers' clashes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  77. ^ Shae McDonald (December 18, 2013). "PL Travers biographer Valerie Lawson says the real Mary Poppins lived in Woollahra". Wentworth Courier. The Daily Telegraph. Event occurs at 12:30PM.
  78. ^ Kevin Nance (December 20, 2013). "'Mary Poppins, She Wrote' author discusses P. L Travers, 'Saving Mr. Banks'". Chicago Tribune. p. 2. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  79. ^ Abramovitch, Seth (July 11, 2013). "'Saving Mr. Banks' Trailer: Tom Hanks as Walt Disney in 'Mary Poppins' Biopic". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  80. ^ Kemp, Stuart (October 20, 2013). "Tom Hanks Starrer 'Saving Mr. Banks' Closes BFI London Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  81. ^ Barraclough, Leo (August 8, 2013). "'Saving Mr. Banks' to Close London Film Fest". Variety. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  82. ^ Szalai, Georg (August 8, 2013). "Disney's 'Saving Mr. Banks' to Close BFI London Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  83. ^ Hammond, Pete (September 4, 2013). "AFI Fest Selects Disney's 'Saving Mr Banks', Bennett Miller's 'Foxcatcher' For Opening Slots". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  84. ^ Kilday, Gregg (September 4, 2013). "Tom Hanks' 'Saving Mr. Banks' to Open AFI Fest". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  85. ^ Borys Kit; Scott Feinberg (November 9, 2013). "'Saving Mr. Banks' Adds to Momentum at Sing-Along with 'Mary Poppins' Legend". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  86. ^ Pond, Steve (October 22, 2013). "AFI Fest Adds Oscar Foreign Contenders, Eli Roth, 'Mary Poppins'". TheWrap. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  87. ^ McClintock, Pamela (September 19, 2013). "'August: Osage County', 'Saving Mr. Banks' Heading to Napa Valley Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  88. ^ Hammond, Pete (December 10, 2013). "Julie Andrews And Dick Van Dyke Light Up 'Saving Mr. Banks' Premiere As Disney Goes All Interactive With 'Mary Poppins' (Exclusive)". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  89. ^ Schillaci, Sophie; Pamela McClintock (June 13, 2013). "Disney Dates Musical 'Into the Woods' Opposite 'Annie' in December 2014". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  90. ^ "Weekend Box Office: December 20-22, 2013". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  91. ^ Murray, Noel (March 15, 2014). "New releases: Disney's Oscar-winning heartwarmer 'Frozen'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  92. ^ Arnold, Thomas K. (March 26, 2014). "'Frozen' Easily Tops Home Video Sales Charts". Variety. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  93. ^ Labrecque, Jeff (June 13, 2013). "'Saving Mr. Banks': See the deleted scene that explains everything". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  94. ^ "Saving Mr. Banks (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  95. ^ "Saving Mr. Banks Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  96. ^ Lindsey Bahr, Updated (December 22, 2013). "'Hobbit' scorches 'Anchorman 2' at weekend box office". Entertainment Weekly. Saving Mr. Banks (CinemaScore: A),
  97. ^ "Home - Cinemascore". Cinemascore. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  98. ^ Felperin, Leslie (October 20, 2013). "Saving Mr. Banks: London Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  99. ^ Foundas, Scott (October 20, 2013). "Film Review: 'Saving Mr. Banks'". Variety. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  100. ^ Hornaday, Ann (December 12, 2013). "'Saving Mr. Banks' review: The affecting story of how 'Mary Poppins' reached the screen". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  101. ^ Scott, A.O. (December 12, 2013). "An Unbeliever in Disney World". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  102. ^ Kermode, Mark (November 30, 2013). "Saving Mr Banks – review". The Observer. The Guardian. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  103. ^ Phillips, Michael (December 12, 2013). "Review: 'Saving Mr. Banks'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  104. ^ Travers, Peter (December 12, 2013). "Saving Mr. Banks: Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  105. ^ Duralde, Alonso (November 6, 2013). "'Saving Mr. Banks' Review: Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks Are Spit-Spot-On in This Hollywood Valentine". TheWrap. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  106. ^ Nashawaty, Chris (December 11, 2013). "Movie Review: Saving Mr. Banks". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  107. ^ Turan, Kenneth (December 12, 2013). "Review: Emma Thompson is a ripsnorter in 'Saving Mr. Banks'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  108. ^ Gritten, David (October 20, 2013). . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  109. ^ Muir, Kate (October 21, 2013). "Saving Mr Banks, London Film Festival". The Times. London. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  110. ^ Morgenstern, Joe (December 12, 2013). . The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  111. ^ Clark, Ashley (October 20, 2013). "Review: 'Saving Mr. Banks,' With Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks, Puts an Enjoyable Spin On the 'Mary Poppins' Saga Without Romanticizing Disney". Indie Wire. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  112. ^ Mueller, Matt (November 8, 2013). "Review: Thompson Triumphs in 'Saving Mr. Banks,' which Adds Spoonful of Sugar to Backstage 'Mary Poppins' Tale (TRAILER)". Thompson on Hollywood. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  113. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (October 20, 2013). "Saving Mr Banks: London film festival – first look review". The Guardian. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  114. ^ Macnab, Geoffrey (November 28, 2013). "Saving Mr Banks: Film review — a sugar coated, disingenuous marketing exercise for Disney". The Independent. London. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  115. ^ LaSalle, Mick (December 12, 2013). "'Saving Mr. Banks' review: Some will love it". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  116. ^ Lumenick, Lou (December 10, 2013). "'Saving Mr. Banks' more like 'Selling Mary Poppins'". New York Post. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  117. ^ "Historian at the Movies: Saving Mr. Banks reviewed". History Extra Magazine. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  118. ^ Barraclough, Leo (January 7, 2014). "Battle for BAFTAs: 'Gravity,' '12 Years,' 'Hustle,' 'Phillips' in Kudos Fight". Variety. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  119. ^ Feinberg, Scott (November 8, 2013). "AFI Fest: 'Saving Mr. Banks' Aims to Become Third Consecutive Movie About Hollywood to Win Top Oscar". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  120. ^ Hammond, Pete (November 8, 2013). "AFI Fest: A "Practically Perfect" U.S. Premiere For Disney's 'Saving Mr. Banks' Steps Up Oscar Talk". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  121. ^ Tim, Gray (November 8, 2013). "Cheers, Tears and Awards Buzz for the 3-Hankie 'Banks'". Variety. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  122. ^ Whipp, Glenn (December 5, 2013). "'Saving Mr. Banks' and 'Nebraska' are safe bets for Oscar nods". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  123. ^ Duboff, Josh (January 16, 2014). "2014 Oscar Nominations: Who Was Snubbed?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  124. ^ "Golden Globe Awards Nominations: '12 Years A Slave' & 'American Hustle' Lead Pack". Deadline Hollywood. December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  125. ^ "Nominations Announced for the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®". December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  126. ^ "Jameson Empire Awards 2014: The Winners". Empire. March 31, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  127. ^ Lewis, Hilary (December 4, 2013). "'Her' Named Best Film by National Board of Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  128. ^ Hammond, Pete (December 9, 2013). "AFI Awards 2013: Top 10 Films List Is Good News For Major Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 21, 2015.

External links

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Saving Mr. Banks.

May 20, 2023
saving, banks, 2013, biographical, drama, film, directed, john, hancock, from, screenplay, written, kelly, marcel, smith, centered, development, 1964, film, mary, poppins, film, stars, emma, thompson, author, travers, hanks, film, producer, walt, disney, with,. Saving Mr Banks is a 2013 biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock from a screenplay written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith Centered on the development of the 1964 film Mary Poppins the film stars Emma Thompson as author P L Travers and Tom Hanks as film producer Walt Disney with supporting performances by Paul Giamatti Jason Schwartzman Bradley Whitford Colin Farrell Ruth Wilson and B J Novak Deriving its title from the father in Travers s story Saving Mr Banks depicts the author s tragic childhood in rural Queensland in 1906 and the two weeks of meetings during 1961 in Los Angeles during which Disney attempts to obtain the film rights to her novels 6 Saving Mr BanksTheatrical release posterDirected byJohn Lee HancockWritten byKelly MarcelSue SmithProduced byAlison OwenIan ColliePhilip SteuerStarringEmma Thompson Tom Hanks Paul Giamatti Jason Schwartzman Bradley Whitford Colin FarrellCinematographyJohn SchwartzmanEdited byMark LivolsiMusic byThomas NewmanProductioncompaniesWalt Disney Pictures 1 Ruby Films 2 Essential Media and Entertainment 2 BBC Films 2 Hopscotch Features 2 Distributed byWalt Disney StudiosMotion Pictures 2 Release datesOctober 20 2013 2013 10 20 BFI London Film Festival November 29 2013 2013 11 29 United Kingdom December 13 2013 2013 12 13 United States January 9 2014 2014 01 09 Australia Running time125 minutes 3 CountriesAustraliaUnited KingdomUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget 35 million 4 5 Box office 117 9 million 5 Essential Media Entertainment and BBC Films initially developed Saving Mr Banks as an independent production until 2011 when producer Alison Owen approached Walt Disney Pictures for permission to use copyrighted elements The film s subject matter piqued Disney s interest leading the studio to acquire the screenplay and produce the film 7 Principal photography commenced the following year in September before wrapping in November 2012 the film was shot almost entirely in the Southern California area primarily at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank where a majority of the film s narrative takes place 8 9 Saving Mr Banks premiered at the London Film Festival on October 20 2013 and was distributed theatrically by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures that same year in the United Kingdom on November 29 and in North America on December 13 It received positive reviews with praise for the acting screenplay and musical score Thompson s performance garnered BAFTA Award Golden Globe Award Screen Actors Guild Award and Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Actress while composer Thomas Newman earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score The film was named one of the ten best films of 2013 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute and was also commercially successful grossing 118 million at the worldwide box office Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3 1 Development 3 2 Filming 3 3 Music 4 Historical accuracy 5 Release 6 Reception 6 1 Critical response 6 2 Accolades 7 References 8 External linksPlot EditIn London 1961 agent Diarmuid Russell urges financially strapped author Pamela P L Travers to travel to Los Angeles and meet with Walt Disney who has pursued the film rights to her Mary Poppins stories for twenty years after having promised his daughters to produce a film based on the books Travers has steadfastly resisted Disney s efforts fearing what he will do to her character Having written nothing new and her book royalties dried up she risks losing her house Russell reminds her that Disney has agreed to two major stipulations no animation and unprecedented script approval before she finally agrees to go Flashbacks depict Travers difficult childhood in Allora Queensland Australia in 1906 which became the inspiration for much of Mary Poppins Travers idolized her loving imaginative father Travers Robert Goff but his chronic alcoholism resulted in his repeated dismissals strained her parents marriage and caused her distressed mother s attempted suicide Goff died from tuberculosis when Travers was seven years old Prior to his death her mother s stern practical sister came to live with the family and later served as Travers s main inspiration for the Mary Poppins character In Los Angeles Travers is shocked by the city s nature and the overly perky inhabitants personified by her friendly limousine driver Ralph At the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank Travers meets the creative team who are developing Mary Poppins for the screen screenwriter Don DaGradi and songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman She finds their presumptions and casual manners highly improper a view that she also holds of the jocular Disney Travers working relationship with Disney and his team is difficult from the outset with her insistence that Mary Poppins is the enemy of sentiment and whimsy Disney and his people are puzzled by Travers disdain for whimsy given the nature of the Mary Poppins story as well as Travers own rich imagination She particularly objects to how the character George Banks the children s estranged father is depicted insisting that he is neither cold nor cruel Gradually the team grasp how deeply personal the Mary Poppins stories are to Travers and how many of the characters were inspired by her past The team acknowledges that Travers has valid criticisms and make changes although she becomes increasingly disengaged as painful childhood memories resurface Seeking to understand what troubles her Disney invites Travers to Disneyland which along with her developing friendship with Ralph the creative team s revisions to the George Banks character and the addition of a new song and a different ending help dissolve Travers opposition Her creativity reawakens and she begins collaborating with the team Soon afterward however Travers is enraged to discover an animation sequence has been added without her permission Travers confronts Disney over this and returns home without signing the agreement Disney learns that P L Travers is a pen name taken from Travers father s given name Her real name is Helen Goff and she is Australian not English That gives Disney new insight into Travers and he follows her to London Arriving unexpectedly at her home Disney shares his own less than ideal childhood but stresses the healing value of his art He urges Travers not to let deeply rooted past disappointments dictate the present That night after Disney has left Travers finally relents and grants the film rights to Disney Three years later in 1964 Travers has begun writing another Mary Poppins story while Mary Poppins is to have its world premiere at Grauman s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood Disney has not invited Travers fearing how she might react with the press watching Prompted by Russell Travers shows up unannounced at Disney s office he reluctantly issues her an invitation Initially she watches Mary Poppins with a lack of enthusiasm particularly with the animated penguins She gradually warms to the rest of the film however becoming deeply moved by the depiction of George Banks personal crisis and redemption Cast EditEmma Thompson as Pamela P L Travers birth name Helen Goff author of Mary Poppins Annie Rose Buckley as seven year old Helen also referred to as Ginty Tom Hanks as Walt Disney Colin Farrell as Travers Robert Goff Helen s father on whom the Mr Banks character is based Ruth Wilson as Margaret Goff Helen s mother Paul Giamatti as Ralph Travers chauffeur Bradley Whitford as Don DaGradi co writer of the screenplay for Mary Poppins Jason Schwartzman as Richard M Sherman composer and lyricist B J Novak as Robert B Sherman composer and lyricist who co wrote the film s songs with his brother Richard Kathy Baker as Tommie Disney s executive assistant Melanie Paxson as Dolly Disney s secretary Rachel Griffiths as Helen Ellie Morehead Helen s hard hearted maternal aunt who serves as the model for Mary Poppins Ronan Vibert as Diarmuid Russell Travers publisher Kristopher Kyer as Dick Van Dyke uncredited Victoria Summer as Julie Andrews uncredited Credits adapted from The New York Times 10 Production EditDevelopment Edit In 2002 Australian producer Ian Collie produced a documentary film on P L Travers titled The Shadow of Mary Poppins During the documentary s production Collie noticed that there was an obvious biopic there and convinced Essential Media and Entertainment to develop a feature film with Sue Smith writing the screenplay 11 The project attracted the attention of BBC Films which decided to finance the project and Ruby Films Alison Owen who subsequently hired Kelly Marcel to co write the screenplay with Smith 12 Marcel s drafts removed a subplot involving Travers and her son and divided the story into a two part narrative the creative conflict between Travers and Walt Disney and her dealings with her childhood issues describing it as a story about the pain of a little girl who suffered and the grown woman who allowed herself to let go 13 Marcel s version however featured certain intellectual property rights of music and imagery which would be impossible to use without permission from The Walt Disney Company There was always that elephant in the room which is Disney Collie recalled We knew Walt Disney was a key character in the film and we wanted to use quite a bit of the music We knew we d eventually have to show Disney In early 2010 Robert B Sherman provided Owen with an advance copy of a salient chapter from his then upcoming book release Moose Chapters From My Life The chapter entitled Tween Pavement and Stars contained characterizations and anecdotes which proved seminal to Marcel s script rewrite in particular the anecdote about there not being the color red in London 14 15 In July 2011 while attending the Ischia Film Festival Owen met with Corky Hale who offered to present the screenplay to Richard M Sherman 16 Sherman read the screenplay and gave the producers his support 16 Later that year Marcel and Smith s screenplay was listed in Franklin Leonard s The Black List voted by producers as one of the best screenplays that were not in production 17 In November 2011 Walt Disney Pictures president of production Sean Bailey was informed by executive Tendo Nagenda of Marcel s existing script 4 18 Realizing that the screenplay included a depiction of the studio s namesake Bailey conferred with Disney CEO Bob Iger 19 and Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn the latter of whom referred to the film as a brand deposit 20 a term adopted from Steve Jobs 21 Together the executives discussed the studio s potential choices purchase the script and shut the project down put the film in turnaround or co produce the film themselves With executive approval Disney acquired the screenplay in February 2012 and joined the production with Owen Collie and Philip Steuer as producers and Christine Langan Troy Lum Andrew Mason and Paul Trijbits serving as executive producers 7 John Lee Hancock was hired to direct the film later that same month 22 Iger subsequently contacted Tom Hanks to consider playing the role of Walt Disney which would become the first ever focal depiction of Disney in a mainstream film 4 Hanks accepted the role and made several visits to the Walt Disney Family Museum and interviewed some of Disney s former employees and family relatives including his daughter Diane Disney Miller 23 24 The film was subsequently dedicated to Disney Miller who died shortly before it was released 25 In April 2012 Emma Thompson entered final negotiations to star as P L Travers after the studio was unable to secure Meryl Streep for the part 26 Thompson said that the role was the most difficult one that she has played describing Travers as a woman of quite eye watering complexity and contradiction 27 She wrote a very good essay on sadness because she was in fact a very sad woman She d had a very rough childhood the alcoholism of her father being part of it and the attempted suicide of her mother being another part of it I think that she spent her whole life in a state of fundamental inconsolability and hence got a lot done 28 Colin Farrell Paul Giamatti Jason Schwartzman Bradley Whitford B J Novak and Ruth Wilson were cast in July 2012 29 30 31 32 I thought the script was a fair portrayal of Walt as a mogul but also as an artist and a human being But I still had concerns that it could be whittled away I don t think this script could have been developed within the walls of Disney it had to be developed outside I m not going to say there weren t discussions but the movie we ended up with is the one that was on the page John Lee Hancock on his initial thoughts of Disney s involvement 16 With Disney s backing the production team was given access to 36 hours of Travers audio recordings of herself the Shermans and co writer Don DaGradi that were produced during the development of Mary Poppins 33 in addition to letters written between Disney and Travers from the 1940s through the 1960s 11 16 Richard M Sherman also worked on the film as a music supervisor and shared his side of his experiences working with Travers on Mary Poppins 33 Initially Hancock had reservations about Disney s involvement with the film believing that the studio would edit the screenplay in their co founder s favor 34 However Marcel admitted that the studio specifically didn t want to come in and sanitize it or change Walt in any way 11 Hancock elaborated I was still worried that they might want to chip away at Walt a little bit I thought the portrayal of Walt was fair and human so I came in and they said No we like it But still every step of the way I had my fist balled up behind my back ready to fight in case it happened but it didn t 35 Although the filmmakers did not receive any creative interference from Disney regarding Walt Disney s depiction the studio did request that they omit any onscreen inhalation of cigarettes 36 a decision that Hanks himself disagreed with due to the company s policy of not directly depicting smoking in films released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner and to avoid receiving an R rating from the Motion Picture Association 37 38 Instead Disney is shown extinguishing a lit cigarette in one scene stating that nobody can see him smoking due to the effect it would have on his image Additionally his notorious smoker s cough is heard off screen several times throughout the film 37 Filming Edit The former Animation Building on the Walt Disney Studios lot which served as a primary filming location for the film Principal photography began in September 2012 in Los Angeles 39 Although some scenes were originally planned to be shot in Queensland Australia 40 all filming except for two establishing shots in London took place in the Southern California area including the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank Disneyland Park in Anaheim Big Sky Ranch in Simi Valley the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights Ontario International Airport in San Bernardino Courthouse Square at Universal Studios and the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood 39 41 The largest set built for the film was the interior of the Walt Disney Studios Animation Building which production designer Michael Corenblith referred to as a character in the story 42 The exterior of the Beverly Hills Hotel and Disney s personal office were also recreated with the Langham Huntington in Pasadena acting as an interior double for the Beverly Hills Hotel 39 To ensure authenticity Corenblith used photographs and a furniture display from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library as references for Disney s office the set was also adorned with Disney s personal Academy Awards loaned from a Walt Disney World Resort exhibit 16 41 43 For the Disneyland sequences scenes were shot during the early morning with certain areas cordoned off during the park s operation including the park s entrance courtyard Main Street U S A Sleeping Beauty Castle Fantasyland and the King Arthur Carrousel attraction 44 Extra roles were filled by Disneyland Resort cast members 45 In order for the park to be portrayed accurately in the story s time period Corenblith had the Main Street storefronts redressed to reflect their 1961 appearance post 1961 attractions were kept obstructed so they would not show up on camera although Pinocchio s Daring Journey which didn t open until 1983 22 years after which the film s time is set can be spotted vaguely and blurred out in the background during the sequence on King Arthur s Carousel 39 46 To recreate the original film s premiere at the Chinese Theatre set designers closed Hollywood Boulevard and recreated the street and theater to resemble their 1964 appearances 43 After scheduled filming in Australia had been scrapped cinematographer John Schwartzman compared the landscape of Queensland with that of rural Southern California and realized that both had similar traits in natural lighting 42 I was immediately dry mouthed by the prospect It s just the hardest work that is to be done There s a billion hours of video of Walt performing as Walt Disney being a great guy But I found enough actual footage of him in interviews when he d really like to be done with the subject When I could find him showing any legitimate kind of consternation that was worth its weight in gold Tom Hanks in regards to portraying Disney 47 Emma Thompson prepared for her role by studying Travers books and letters as well as Travers own recordings conducted during the development of Mary Poppins and also styled her natural hair after Travers due to the actress s disdain for wigs 48 To accurately convey Walt Disney s midwestern dialect Tom Hanks listened to archival recordings of Disney and practiced the voice while reading newspapers 49 Hanks also grew his own mustache for the role which underwent heavy scrutiny with the filmmakers going so far as to match the dimensions of Hanks mustache to that of Disney s 50 Jason Schwartzman and B J Novak worked closely with Richard M Sherman during pre production and filming Sherman described the actors as perfect talents for their roles as himself and his brother Robert 51 Costume designer Daniel Orlandi had Thompson wear authentic jewelry borrowed from the Walt Disney Family Museum 52 and ensured that Hanks wardrobe included the Smoke Tree Ranch emblem from the Palm Springs property embroidered on his neckties which Disney always wore 53 The design department also had to recreate several of the costumed Disney characters as they appeared in the 1960s 54 Filming lasted nine weeks and was completed on November 22 2012 39 55 Walt Disney Animation Studios reproduced animation of Tinker Bell for the scene that recreates an opening segment from an episode of Walt Disney Presents 39 Music Edit Main article Saving Mr Banks soundtrack Thomas Newman composed the film s original score 56 In regards to incorporating his own musical style to the film s period setting Newman stated that there was room for a real tune based score here that could reflect the basic joy in that kind of writing that the Sherman Brothers brought to Mary Poppins 57 Newman however refrained from creating an adaptation score of the Shermans music from the original film 57 58 Newman s process of scoring the film included playing themes to filmed scenes so that he could listen to what the music does to an image 59 and not wanting to clutter the proceedings with music 60 The flashback sequences to Travers childhood provided the most work for Newman 61 He explains that You had to turn on a dime to make the transition back to the present when Travers and the Sherman brothers are working on the script for Mary Poppins And that was fun but also musically challenging For the score s instrumentation Newman primarily employed a string orchestra with some woodwinds and brass as well as including piano and hammered instruments that were appropriate to the time period such as dulcimers 61 The film s score was recorded at the Newman Scoring Stage in Los Angeles while the cast recorded several of the Shermans songs at Capitol Studios for use as playback during the film s diegetic music scenes including Chim Chim Cher ee Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious A Spoonful of Sugar Fidelity Fiduciary Bank Feed the Birds and Let s Go Fly a Kite 41 Walt Disney Records released two editions of the soundtrack on December 10 2013 a single disc and a two disc digipak deluxe edition containing original demo recordings by the Shermans and selected songs from Mary Poppins 62 Historical accuracy EditSee also Mary Poppins film Production Saving Mr Banks depicts several events that differ from recorded accounts 63 The premise of the script that Walt Disney had to convince P L Travers to hand over the film rights including the scene in which he finally persuades her is fictionalized Disney had already secured the film rights subject to Travers approval of the script when she arrived to consult with the Disney staff 63 64 65 In fact Disney left Burbank to vacation in Palm Springs a few days into Travers visit and was not present at the studio when several of the film s scenes depicting him to be present actually took place 33 As such many of the dialogue scenes between Travers and Disney are adapted from letters telegrams and telephone correspondence between the two 33 Although Travers was assigned a limousine driver 33 the character of Ralph is fictionalized and intended to be an amalgamation of the studio s drivers 66 In real life Disney story editor Bill Dover was assigned as Travers guide and companion during her time in Los Angeles 33 The film also depicts Travers coming to amicable terms with Disney implying her approval of his changes to the story 67 In reality she never approved of softening the harsher aspects of Mary Poppins character remained ambivalent about the music and never came around to the use of animation 68 69 Disney overruled her objections to portions of the final film citing contract stipulations that he had final cut privilege Travers had initially not been invited to the film s premiere until she embarrassed a Disney executive into extending her an invitation which is depicted in the film as coaxing Disney himself After the premiere she reportedly approached Disney and told him that the animated sequences had to be removed Disney dismissed her request saying Pamela the ship has sailed 70 Although the film portrays Travers as being emotionally moved during the premiere of Mary Poppins 70 overlaid with images of her childhood which is implied to be attributed to her feelings about her father co screenwriter Kelly Marcel and several critics note that in real life Travers show of emotion was actually a result of anger and frustration over the final product 33 70 71 Reportedly Travers felt that in the end the film betrayed the artistic integrity of her work and story s characters 72 Resentful over what she considered poor treatment at the hands of Walt Disney Travers vowed never to permit Disney to adapt her other novels for any purpose 73 Travers last will bans all American adaptation of her works to any form of media 33 According to the Chicago Tribune Disney was indulging in a little revisionist history with an upbeat spin adding the truth was always complicated and that Travers subsequently viewed the film multiple times 74 English writer Brian Sibley found Travers still gun shy from her experiences with Disney when he was hired in the 1980s to write a possible Mary Poppins sequel Sibley reported that Travers told him I could only agree if I could do it on my own terms I d have to work with someone I trust Regardless while watching the original film together the first time Travers had seen it since the premiere she became excited at times and thought certain aspects were excellent while others were unappealing 75 The sequel never went to production and when approached to do a stage adaptation in the 1990s she acquiesced only on the condition that British writers and no one from the film production were to be directly involved with the musical s development 76 The film also depicts Travers Aunt Ellie her mother s sister who comes to help the family when her father becomes terminally ill as Travers model for Mary Poppins with the actress even using several of Poppins catchphrases from the film In fact Travers identified her great aunt Helen Morehead her mother s aunt as the model for Poppins 77 78 In the film it shows her typing up her next story for a book in 1964 titled Mary Poppins in the Kitchen the book was actually published later in 1975 Release EditWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures released a trailer for the film on July 10 2013 79 Saving Mr Banks held its world premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square as the closing gala of the London Film Festival on October 20 2013 80 81 82 On November 7 2013 Disney held the film s U S premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre during the opening night of the 2013 AFI Film Festival 83 84 the same location where Mary Poppins premiered 85 The original film was also screened for its 50th anniversary 86 Saving Mr Banks also served as the Gala Presentation at the 2013 Napa Valley Film Festival on November 13 87 and was screened at the AARP Film Festival in Los Angeles on November 17 19 as Disney heavily campaigned Saving Mr Banks for Academy Awards consideration 19 On December 9 2013 the film was given an exclusive corporate premiere in the Main Theater of the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank 88 The film was released theatrically in the United States on December 13 2013 and in general theatrical release on December 20 89 Saving Mr Banks grossed 83 3 million in North America and 34 6 million in other countries for a worldwide total of 117 9 million against a budget of 35 million 5 The film grossed 9 3 million in its opening weekend in the United States finishing 5th at the box office behind The Hobbit The Desolation of Smaug 31 5 million Anchorman 2 The Legend Continues 26 2 million Frozen 19 6 million and American Hustle 19 1 million 90 Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released Saving Mr Banks on Blu ray DVD and digital download on March 18 2014 91 The film debuted at No 2 in Blu ray and DVD sales in the United States according to Nielsen s sales chart 92 The home media release included three deleted scenes that were cut from the film 93 Reception EditCritical response Edit Emma Thompson received acclaim for her portrayal of P L Travers Saving Mr Banks received positive reviews from film critics with major praise directed to the acting particularly Thompson Hanks and Farrell s performances 19 On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 79 based on 260 reviews with an average rating of 7 00 10 The site s critical consensus reads Aggressively likable and sentimental to a fault Saving Mr Banks pays tribute to the Disney legacy with excellent performances and sweet high spirited charm 94 Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 65 out of 100 based on 46 critics indicating generally favorable reviews 95 Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of A on an A to F scale 96 97 Leslie Felprin of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film as an affecting if somewhat soft soaped comedy drama elevated by excellent performances The Reporter wrote that Emma Thompson takes charge of the central role of P L Travers with an authority that makes you wonder how anybody else could ever have been considered 98 Scott Foundas of Variety wrote that the film has all the makings of an irresistible backstage tale and it s been brought to the screen with a surplus of old fashioned Disney showmanship and that Tom Hanks s portrayal captured Walt Disney s folksy charisma and canny powers of persuasion at once father confessor and the shrewdest of businessmen Overall he praised the film as very rich in its sense of creative people and their spirit of self reinvention 99 The Washington Post s Ann Hornaday rated the film three out of four stars writing Saving Mr Banks doesn t always straddle its stories and time periods with the utmost grace But the film which John Lee Hancock directed from a script by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith more than makes up for its occasionally unwieldy structure in telling a fascinating and ultimately deeply affecting story along the way giving viewers tantalizing glimpses of the beloved 1964 movie musical in both its creation and final form 100 The New York Times A O Scott gave a positive review declaring the film as an embellished tidied up but nonetheless reasonably authentic glimpse of the Disney entertainment machine at work 101 Mark Kermode writing for The Observer awarded the film four out of five stars lauding Thompson s performance as impeccable elaborating that Thompson dances her way through Travers conflicting emotions giving us a fully rounded portrait of a person who is hard to like but impossible not to love 102 Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune felt similarly writing Thompson s the show Each withering put down every jaundiced utterance lands with a little ping In regard to the screenplay he wrote that screenwriters Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith treat everyone gently and with the utmost respect 103 Peter Travers of Rolling Stone also gave the film three out of four stars and equally commended the performances of the cast 104 Alonso Duralde of TheWrap described the film as a whimsical moving and occasionally insightful tale director John Lee Hancock luxuriates in the period detail of early 60s Disney ana 105 Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B grade explaining that the trick here is how perfectly Thompson and Hanks portray the gradual thaw in their characters frosty alliance empathizing with each other s equally miserable upbringings in a beautiful three hankie scene late in the film 106 Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film does not strictly hew to the historical record where the eventual resolution of this conflict is concerned but admitted that it is easy to accept this fictionalizing as part of the price to be paid for Thompson s engaging performance 107 David Gritten of The Daily Telegraph described the confrontational interaction between Thompson and Hanks as terrific singling out Thompson s bravura performance and calling the film itself smart witty entertainment 108 Kate Muir of The Times spoke highly of Thompson and Hanks s performances 109 Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal however considered Colin Farrell to be the film s standout performance 110 IndieWire s Ashley Clark wrote that the film is witty well crafted and well performed mainstream entertainment which perhaps unavoidably cleaves to a well worn Disney template stating that all problems however psychologically deep rooted can be overcome 111 Another staff writer labeled Thompson s performance as her best since Sense and Sensibility and stated that she makes the Australian born British transplant a curmudgeonly delight 112 Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian enjoyed Hanks role as Disney suggesting that despite its brevity the film would have been largely bland without it 113 The film did receive some criticism Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent gave the film a mixed review writing On the one hand Saving Mr Banks which was developed by BBC Films and has a British producer is a probing insightful character study with a very dark undertow On the other it is a cheery upbeat marketing exercise in which the Disney organization is re promoting one of its most popular film characters 114 Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle concluded that if the film were 100 percent false and yet felt true that would be fine But this has the self conscious whiff if not of mendacity then of public relations 115 Lou Lumenick of the New York Post criticized the accuracy of the film s events concluding that Saving Mr Banks is ultimately much less about magic than making the sale in more ways than one 116 American history lecturer John Wills praised the film s attention to detail such as the inclusion of Travers original recordings but doubted that the interpersonal relations between Travers and Disney were as amicable as portrayed in the film 117 Landon Palmer of Film School Rejects also described several moments where the film had a shrewd consumption of the company s own criticisms only to later negate them and Disney fy Travers as a character 72 Accolades Edit Main article List of accolades received by Saving Mr BanksSaving Mr Banks was nominated for several awards and earned accolades from various organizations critics groups and circles particularly in recognition of Emma Thompson s performance The film received five nominations at the 67th British Academy Film Awards including Best British Film Best Actress in a Leading Role Outstanding Debut by a British Writer Director or Producer Best Film Music and Best Costume Design 118 The film received a Best Original Score nomination at the 86th Academy Awards where despite not earning a nomination the film was widely considered by pundits to be a front runner nominee for Best Picture and Best Actress 119 120 121 122 123 The film also received single nominations at the 71st Golden Globe Awards and 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards where Thompson was nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role respectively 124 125 Additionally Thompson won both the Empire Award for Best Actress and the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress for her performance while the film itself was selected by the National Board of Review as one of the year s top 10 films 126 127 Saving Mr Banks was named by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2013 128 References Edit Adams Mark Review Saving Mr Banks Screendaily com Screen International Retrieved March 6 2022 a b c d e Saving Mr Banks American Film Institute Retrieved March 6 2022 SAVING MR BANKS PG Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures British Board of Film Classification September 18 2013 Retrieved September 30 2013 a b c Barnes Brooks October 16 2013 Forget the Spoonful of Sugar It s Uncle Walt Uncensored The New York Times Retrieved October 21 2013 a b c Saving Mr Banks 2013 Box Office Mojo IMDB Retrieved March 9 2016 BBC Films unveils upcoming slate at Cannes BBC BBC Films Retrieved July 16 2012 a b Fleming Mike February 8 2012 Disney Acquiring Black List Script Saving Mr Banks On Making Mary Poppins Deadline Hollywood Retrieved July 15 2015 Cunningham Todd December 19 2013 American Hustle and Saving Mr Banks Face Mainstream Box Office Exams This Weekend TheWrap Retrieved December 20 2013 Gettell Oliver December 18 2013 Saving Mr Banks director Such an advantage shooting in L A Los Angeles Times Retrieved December 19 2013 Saving Mr Banks 2013 Movies amp TV Dept The New York Times 2016 Archived from the original on March 7 2016 Retrieved August 27 2015 a b c Shaw Lucas December 17 2013 How Saving Mr Banks Overcame Disney s Resistance to a Movie About Disney TheWrap Retrieved December 19 2013 Pond Steve December 17 2013 Director John Lee Hancock on Saving Mr Banks We Went for the Truth Not the Facts TheWrap Retrieved December 19 2013 Marcel Kelly December 23 2013 Saving Mr Banks screenwriter finds purpose in the tale Los Angeles Times Retrieved July 14 2015 Sciretta Peter December 13 2013 Interview Kelly Marcel On Writing Saving Mr Banks Film Retrieved July 14 2015 Sherman Robert B Tween Pavement and Stars No Red In London in Moose Chapters From My Life AuthorHouse Publishing Bloomington IN p 372 375 a b c d e Kilday Gregg December 16 2013 Bringing Walt Disney and Mary Poppins Back to Life The Making of Saving Mr Banks The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved December 19 2013 Child Ben April 11 2012 Tom Hanks to play Walt Disney in Saving Mr Banks The Guardian Retrieved July 11 2012 Kit Borys October 16 2014 Cinderella and Saving Mr Banks Executive Tendo Nagenda Promoted at Disney The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved August 7 2016 a b c d Lewis Hilary October 28 2013 AARP Film Festival to Include August Osage County Saving Mr Banks and Labor Day The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved October 28 2013 Hammond Pete April 17 2013 CinemaCon Disney s Vegas Act Includes Johnny Depp And Lone Ranger Footage Deadline Hollywood Retrieved May 14 2013 Chmielewski Dawn C October 6 2011 Steve Jobs brought his magic to Disney Los Angeles Times Retrieved October 21 2013 Fleming Mike February 27 2012 John Lee Hancock In Talks For Making Of Mary Poppins Pic Saving Mr Banks Deadline Hollywood Retrieved July 15 2015 Riefe Jordan October 18 2012 Tom Hanks on Becoming Walt Disney for Saving Mr Banks The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved October 25 2012 Kaufman Amy November 8 2013 AFI Fest 2013 Tom Hanks back in spotlight for Saving Mr Banks Los Angeles Times Retrieved November 10 2013 Jay Weston December 9 2013 Tom Hanks IS Walt Disney in Saving Mr Banks The Huffington Post Retrieved July 20 2014 Fleming Mike April 9 2012 Tom Hanks Now Getting Serious For Saving Mr Banks Deadline Hollywood Retrieved October 21 2013 Rothman Lily July 10 2013 Exclusive First Look Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson in Saving Mr Banks Time Retrieved October 13 2013 Lewis Hilary November 16 2013 Saving Mr Banks Star Emma Thompson Shares P L Travers Insights Favorite Films The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved November 22 2013 Kit Borys June 15 2012 Colin Farrell in Talks for Saving Mr Banks The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved July 16 2012 Graser Marc July 25 2012 Trio loan talents to Saving Mr Banks Variety Retrieved July 15 2015 Sneider Jeff July 12 2015 Bradley Whitford in talks for Mr Banks Variety Retrieved July 15 2015 Kit Borys July 31 2012 B J Novak Joins Disney s Saving Mr Banks Exclusive The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved October 2 2012 a b c d e f g h Goldsmith Jeff December 24 2013 Saving Mr Banks Q amp A Podcast Unlikely Films Inc Retrieved May 1 2014 Barker Andrew December 20 2013 Variety Creative Impact Award in Directing John Lee Hancock Variety Retrieved July 15 2015 Khatchatourian Maane December 10 2013 Tom Hanks P L Travers Would Hate Saving Mr Banks Variety Retrieved August 24 2015 Buerger Megan December 12 2013 Why Saving Mr Banks Didn t Save Walt Disney From Smoking The Wall Street Journal Retrieved December 16 2013 a b McClintock Pamela November 16 2013 Disney s Smoking Ban Means No Puffing for Walt Disney in Saving Mr Banks The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved November 22 2013 Sacks Ethan December 8 2013 Tom Hanks goes toe to toe with Emma Thompson in Saving Mr Banks New York Daily News Retrieved December 9 2013 a b c d e f Saving Mr Banks Press Kit PDF The Walt Disney Studios Retrieved August 21 2015 Production Begins on Saving Mr Banks Collider Retrieved October 11 2012 a b c Saving Mr Banks Production Fun Facts PDF The Walt Disney Studios Retrieved August 21 2015 a b Gray Tim December 9 2013 Directors on Their Teams John Lee Hancock on Saving Mr Banks Variety Retrieved November 21 2014 a b Verrier Richard December 18 2013 For Mr Banks Simi Valley works as Australian outback Los Angeles Times Retrieved December 19 2013 Tully Sarah November 7 2012 Tom Hanks as Walt Disney closes parts of Disneyland Orange County Register Retrieved November 11 2012 Tully Sarah October 24 2012 Tom Hanks movie to film at Disneyland Orange County Register Retrieved October 25 2012 Rich Katey December 11 2013 Exclusive Video How The Saving Mr Banks Team Re Created 1960s Disneyland Vanity Fair Retrieved December 12 2013 Rochlin Margy January 3 2014 Not Quite All Spoonfuls of Sugar The New York Times Retrieved August 24 2015 Setoodeh Ramin November 19 2013 How Saving Mr Banks Saved Emma Thompson Variety Retrieved November 22 2013 Mandell Andrea November 8 2013 Tom Hanks read newspapers in Walt Disney s voice USA Today Retrieved November 13 2013 Keegan Rebecca January 2 2014 Leaps of faith and appetites for work attract Tom Hanks Los Angeles Times Retrieved August 21 2015 King Susan November 1 2013 Sherman brothers of Saving Mr Banks get in tune with a real one Los Angeles Times Retrieved November 2 2013 Kinosian Janet December 5 2013 Saving Mr Banks costume designer Daniel Orlandi digs deep Los Angeles Times Retrieved March 8 2014 Ross L A December 20 2013 TheWrap Screening Series Recreating Disney s World for Saving Mr Banks TheWrap Retrieved March 8 2014 Miller Julie December 19 2013 From Sketch to Still Recreating Vintage Disney for Saving Mr Banks Vanity Fair Retrieved March 8 2014 Lussier Germaine October 15 2012 Marvel and Disney Release Info Ant Man Gets Official Release Date Iron Man 3 and Thor The Dark World Will Be 3D Film Retrieved October 15 2012 Thomas Newman Scoring Saving Mr Banks Film Music Reporter April 25 2013 Retrieved October 21 2013 a b Schweiger Daniel December 3 2013 Interview with Thomas Newman Film Music Magazine Retrieved August 21 2015 Fahy Patrick December 5 2013 Thomas Newman a composer s life in Hollywood British Film Institute Retrieved August 21 2015 Kilday Gregg February 28 2014 Oscars John Williams Jill Scott Spotlight Song and Score Nominees at Academy s First Ever Concert The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved May 27 2014 Fusilli Jim February 25 2014 Will His 12th Oscar Nomination Be Thomas Newman s Charm The Wall Street Journal Retrieved August 21 2015 a b Oscars From Philomena To Saving Mr Banks Composers Show Creativity And Agility With This Year s Scores Deadline Hollywood January 5 2014 Retrieved August 24 2015 Walt Disney Records Presents Saving Mr Banks Original Motion Picture Score Soundtrack And Saving Mr Banks 2 Disc Deluxe Edition Soundtrack Features Previously Unreleased Song Demos By The Sherman Brothers Both Available On December 10 Press release Walt Disney Records November 26 2013 Retrieved March 29 2014 a b Zeitchik Steven January 3 2014 Does Saving Mr Banks contain a hidden agenda Los Angeles Times Retrieved March 7 2014 Sabina Ibarra December 12 2013 Interview Saving Mr Banks Screenwriter Kelly Marcel Screen Crave com Archived from the original on February 8 2014 Retrieved March 10 2014 Kubersky Seth January 7 2014 Fact checking Saving Mr Banks with Disney historian Jim Korkis Orlando Weekly Retrieved August 21 2015 Corliss Richard December 12 2013 Saving Mr Banks When Movies Lie and Make You Cry Time Retrieved May 15 2014 Keegan Rebecca December 28 2013 Is Saving Mr Banks too hard on Mary Poppins creator Los Angeles Times Retrieved March 7 2014 Mandell Andrea December 10 2013 Tom Hanks Emma Thompson duel in Saving Mr Banks USA Today Retrieved March 9 2014 Newman Melinda November 7 2013 Poppins Author a Pill No Spoonful of Sugar Could Sweeten Variety Retrieved November 7 2013 a b c Lyons Margaret December 26 2013 Saving Mr Banks Left Out an Awful Lot About P L Travers New York Retrieved March 7 2014 Caitlin Flanagan December 19 2005 Becoming Mary Poppins The New Yorker Retrieved March 9 2014 a b Landon Palmer December 24 2013 Landon Palmer Saving Mr Disney The Conflicting Arts of Adaptation and Brand Management Film School Rejects Archived from the original on March 10 2014 Retrieved March 9 2014 Nance Kevin December 20 2013 Valerie Lawson talks Mary Poppins She Wrote and P L Travers Chicago Tribune Retrieved April 21 2014 Jones Chris December 20 2013 With Mary Poppins there s more to know under the umbrella Chicago Tribune Retrieved April 22 2014 In fact Travers went to see Mary Poppins plenty of times after that premiere so maybe there is some truth to the screenplay The only person who could verify that died in 1996 Vincent Dowd October 20 2013 Mary Poppins Brian Sibley s sequel that never was BBC News BBC Retrieved April 27 2014 Gettell Oliver December 19 2013 Saving Mr Banks cast on Walt Disney and P L Travers clashes Los Angeles Times Retrieved March 7 2014 Shae McDonald December 18 2013 PL Travers biographer Valerie Lawson says the real Mary Poppins lived in Woollahra Wentworth Courier The Daily Telegraph Event occurs at 12 30PM Kevin Nance December 20 2013 Mary Poppins She Wrote author discusses P L Travers Saving Mr Banks Chicago Tribune p 2 Retrieved January 12 2014 Abramovitch Seth July 11 2013 Saving Mr Banks Trailer Tom Hanks as Walt Disney in Mary Poppins Biopic The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved July 11 2013 Kemp Stuart October 20 2013 Tom Hanks Starrer Saving Mr Banks Closes BFI London Film Festival The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved October 22 2013 Barraclough Leo August 8 2013 Saving Mr Banks to Close London Film Fest Variety Retrieved August 8 2013 Szalai Georg August 8 2013 Disney s Saving Mr Banks to Close BFI London Film Festival The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved August 10 2013 Hammond Pete September 4 2013 AFI Fest Selects Disney s Saving Mr Banks Bennett Miller s Foxcatcher For Opening Slots Deadline Hollywood Retrieved September 4 2013 Kilday Gregg September 4 2013 Tom Hanks Saving Mr Banks to Open AFI Fest The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved September 5 2013 Borys Kit Scott Feinberg November 9 2013 Saving Mr Banks Adds to Momentum at Sing Along with Mary Poppins Legend The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved November 9 2013 Pond Steve October 22 2013 AFI Fest Adds Oscar Foreign Contenders Eli Roth Mary Poppins TheWrap Retrieved October 22 2013 McClintock Pamela September 19 2013 August Osage County Saving Mr Banks Heading to Napa Valley Film Festival The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved September 18 2013 Hammond Pete December 10 2013 Julie Andrews And Dick Van Dyke Light Up Saving Mr Banks Premiere As Disney Goes All Interactive With Mary Poppins Exclusive Deadline Hollywood Retrieved December 10 2013 Schillaci Sophie Pamela McClintock June 13 2013 Disney Dates Musical Into the Woods Opposite Annie in December 2014 The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved September 5 2013 Weekend Box Office December 20 22 2013 Box Office Mojo Retrieved July 15 2015 Murray Noel March 15 2014 New releases Disney s Oscar winning heartwarmer Frozen Los Angeles Times Retrieved March 16 2014 Arnold Thomas K March 26 2014 Frozen Easily Tops Home Video Sales Charts Variety Retrieved March 29 2014 Labrecque Jeff June 13 2013 Saving Mr Banks See the deleted scene that explains everything Entertainment Weekly Retrieved August 21 2015 Saving Mr Banks 2013 Rotten Tomatoes Fandango Media Retrieved October 2 2019 Saving Mr Banks Reviews Metacritic CBS Interactive Retrieved November 21 2013 Lindsey Bahr Updated December 22 2013 Hobbit scorches Anchorman 2 at weekend box office Entertainment Weekly Saving Mr Banks CinemaScore A Home Cinemascore Cinemascore Retrieved December 28 2019 Felperin Leslie October 20 2013 Saving Mr Banks London Review The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved October 21 2013 Foundas Scott October 20 2013 Film Review Saving Mr Banks Variety Retrieved October 21 2013 Hornaday Ann December 12 2013 Saving Mr Banks review The affecting story of how Mary Poppins reached the screen The Washington Post Retrieved December 13 2013 Scott A O December 12 2013 An Unbeliever in Disney World The New York Times Retrieved December 13 2013 Kermode Mark November 30 2013 Saving Mr Banks review The Observer The Guardian Retrieved December 2 2013 Phillips Michael December 12 2013 Review Saving Mr Banks Chicago Tribune Retrieved December 13 2013 Travers Peter December 12 2013 Saving Mr Banks Review Rolling Stone Retrieved December 13 2013 Duralde Alonso November 6 2013 Saving Mr Banks Review Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks Are Spit Spot On in This Hollywood Valentine TheWrap Retrieved November 9 2013 Nashawaty Chris December 11 2013 Movie Review Saving Mr Banks Entertainment Weekly Retrieved December 14 2013 Turan Kenneth December 12 2013 Review Emma Thompson is a ripsnorter in Saving Mr Banks Los Angeles Times Retrieved December 15 2013 Gritten David October 20 2013 Saving Mr Banks first review The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on October 20 2013 Retrieved October 21 2013 Muir Kate October 21 2013 Saving Mr Banks London Film Festival The Times London Retrieved October 21 2013 Morgenstern Joe December 12 2013 Review Saving Mr Banks The Wall Street Journal Archived from the original on December 12 2013 Retrieved December 13 2013 Clark Ashley October 20 2013 Review Saving Mr Banks With Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks Puts an Enjoyable Spin On the Mary Poppins Saga Without Romanticizing Disney Indie Wire Retrieved October 22 2013 Mueller Matt November 8 2013 Review Thompson Triumphs in Saving Mr Banks which Adds Spoonful of Sugar to Backstage Mary Poppins Tale TRAILER Thompson on Hollywood Retrieved November 9 2013 Bradshaw Peter October 20 2013 Saving Mr Banks London film festival first look review The Guardian Retrieved October 21 2013 Macnab Geoffrey November 28 2013 Saving Mr Banks Film review a sugar coated disingenuous marketing exercise for Disney The Independent London Retrieved December 3 2013 LaSalle Mick December 12 2013 Saving Mr Banks review Some will love it San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved August 21 2015 Lumenick Lou December 10 2013 Saving Mr Banks more like Selling Mary Poppins New York Post Retrieved December 13 2013 Historian at the Movies Saving Mr Banks reviewed History Extra Magazine Immediate Media Company Retrieved December 5 2013 Barraclough Leo January 7 2014 Battle for BAFTAs Gravity 12 Years Hustle Phillips in Kudos Fight Variety Retrieved January 8 2014 Feinberg Scott November 8 2013 AFI Fest Saving Mr Banks Aims to Become Third Consecutive Movie About Hollywood to Win Top Oscar The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved November 10 2013 Hammond Pete November 8 2013 AFI Fest A Practically Perfect U S Premiere For Disney s Saving Mr Banks Steps Up Oscar Talk Deadline Hollywood Retrieved November 10 2013 Tim Gray November 8 2013 Cheers Tears and Awards Buzz for the 3 Hankie Banks Variety Retrieved November 11 2013 Whipp Glenn December 5 2013 Saving Mr Banks and Nebraska are safe bets for Oscar nods Los Angeles Times Retrieved December 3 2013 Duboff Josh January 16 2014 2014 Oscar Nominations Who Was Snubbed Vanity Fair Retrieved August 7 2016 Golden Globe Awards Nominations 12 Years A Slave amp American Hustle Lead Pack Deadline Hollywood December 12 2013 Retrieved December 12 2013 Nominations Announced for the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards December 11 2013 Retrieved December 11 2013 Jameson Empire Awards 2014 The Winners Empire March 31 2014 Retrieved March 31 2014 Lewis Hilary December 4 2013 Her Named Best Film by National Board of Review The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved August 21 2015 Hammond Pete December 9 2013 AFI Awards 2013 Top 10 Films List Is Good News For Major Studios Deadline Hollywood Retrieved August 21 2015 External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Saving Mr Banks Disney portal Biography portalOfficial website at Disney com Saving Mr Banks at IMDb Saving Mr Banks at the TCM Movie Database Saving Mr Banks at BBC Online Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Saving Mr Banks amp oldid 1151568259, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.