Saving Mr. Banks and the role of banks in its narrative

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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140373/?ref_=rvi_tt

A film that I recently saw was Disney’s Saving Mr. Banks, directed by John Lee Hancock and starring Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks. Originally, I thought the film was simply going to be about the making of the Disney classic Mary Poppins. However, by the end of Saving Mr. Banks it is clear to the audience that there was more behind both films than a simply children’s story. The film really stuck with me and I think that warrants an analysis of it on the blog for this class! Plus I’m a huge Emma Thompson fan.

Saving Mr. Banks tells the story of how Walt Disney (played by Tom Hanks) got the rights to produce Mary Poppins, which originally was a British book series written by P.J. Travers (played by Emma Thompson). It took Disney twenty years to get the rights from Travers, who only agreed because she needed the money. However, she insists on being part of the screen writing process before she hands him over the rights. Through flashbacks to Travers’ childhood, we learn that she did not have an easy childhood. Her father had a hard time holding down his jobs as bank manager because of his alcoholism, which he tried his best to hide from his children. It’s made clear to the audience that Mary Poppins is in fact based on Travers’ aunt, who comes to help her family.

One major theme that I notice while watching Saving Mr. Banks, and also realized is a central theme in Mary Poppins as well, is the role of the bank. Banks are generally seen in society as being large corporations that screw people over. Travers’ father works for a bank and there are flashbacks throughout the movie that show him at the bank and at company gatherings. In both of these instances, he humiliates himself because he is drunk and in turn breaks promises to his family. In Mary Poppins, Travers made the family the Banks family. Mary Poppins comes to rescue them because they are a disconnected family, especially in regards to the father figure Mr. Banks. During the film, Mr. Banks consistently chooses work over his family, in particular, not mending his children’s kites when they are broken. By the end of the film, he denounces his job at the bank, fixes the kites, and sings “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.”

I think without central themes like this, that tie into both stories, Saving Mr. Banks would not have been as effective. By showing the audience the real struggles that went into both the book and movie versions of Mary Poppins, it allows us to find a whole new meaning in a classic kids movie. I had previously disregarded Mary Poppins as just that. Thanks to Saving Mr. Banks, I now have a new appreciation for the real life struggles of these people.

18 thoughts on “Saving Mr. Banks and the role of banks in its narrative”

  1. Thanks Caitlin – I haven’t seen this movie, but your analysis of the movie’s central themes makes a persuasive case. Plus, it’s a movie about making a movie, so I’m definitely on board.

    Ordinarily, I would make an observation about your main point about the “bank” theme and then ask a follow-up question . .. but I haven’t seen the movie, and even my memory of Mary Poppins is pretty dim, so I don’t feel qualified to comment about the film itself. Instead, I want to ask a tangential question: What are your thoughts on Tom Hanks?

    There was a period in the 90s where he seemed to be, like, the consensus pick for “Greatest American Actor.” He’s still very successful actor, but I feel like his prestige and acclaim as an actor has fallen off a bit. I wonder what you (or anyone else who saw this movie) thought about his performance in Saving Mr. Banks. Did he make you believe that he was Walt Disney? How would you characterize his acting style?

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  2. Like you, I had previously just regarded “Mary Poppins” as some sort of classic kid’s movie before watching “Saving Mr. Banks” myself. It was rather interesting to be able to see what Walt Disney and especially P.J. Travers, the creator of “Mary Poppins,” went through during the development and birthing of this film. As you said, to be able to see the connections between Marry Poppins and P.J. Travers’ past opens up the possibility of a new meaning behind this children’s film and what it is supposed to signify. I too am in agreement with your statement that without those central themes, which tie together both Marry Poppins and P.J. Travers’ past, this film would not have been as successful.

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  3. I never really considered this a movie that I would watch, but after reading your analysis, I definitely need to check it out. I like how you talked about the central themes at a deeper level and didn’t just paraphrase the movie. It brings the reader in and made me a lot more interested.

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  15. Please let me know In Saving Mr. Banks, how do the flashbacks about P.L. Travers’ father’s struggles at the bank connect to the film’s portrayal of Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins? Thanks for sharing, I also read your content carefully it was perfect. Keep shining and inspiring us all! Also check this today egg rates website, which provides daily egg rates in India.

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