Saving Mr. Banks and my questions




After the movie was over and we were walking out of the theater, I heard a lady say to her friend,
"There were so many hidden messages in that movie." And can I say some were so hidden I had a
hard time figuring them out...

For example, the mother of the 3 little girls. What was she all about? Maybe I missed it since I was busy
trying to figure out the odd relationship Helen/Pamela had with her Dad. Her Mom seemed to be the
supportive wife and mother. And she usually had the baby in her arms. She was burdened with lots of
work, little money, and a drunk for a husband but does that make her weak (as she was portrayed)??

To me the movie was a little slow at first but it was all worth it for the second half. LOVED the ending.
It was magical and very emotional. I think we could all relate to this movie in some form because of
our past love of Mary Poppins.

I've been also pondering a quote in the movie from Walt Disney: "We restore order with 
imagination."  Imagination is an escape freeing sad children to feel joy…I get that, but order?
What does he mean by order?

As we were leaving the theater, I asked Den what message he got from this movie.
Right off he said, "To forgive. To let go of the past and move forward."

The message I got from it was a little different: "Obstinate and cranky adults probably have a sad 
little child inside of them. We all came from a childhood and some really suffered. If we could 
just think of everyone as children, we would be kinder and gentler."

That was my take away. Did you see this movie?





14 comments:

Scrapally said...

I loved the movie. I didn't think the mom was portrayed as weak, I think she was a struggling wife and mother who had no support and was doing the best she could. I don't remember the "restore order" line, but I loved his take on the storytellers and the move forward theme...I especially loved the songwriters. They were very fun. Did you stay through the credits and hear the recording of the real PL Travers?

Grandma Honey said...

Yes I did stay and listen to the recording. It added quite the authenticity to the movie hearing the real life one, but I did think she sounded a bit nicer on that recording. I loved the song writers too, but my very favorite character in the entire movie was her driver. Apparently he was her favorite too!

So you didn't think the Mom was portrayed as weak? Interesting. Maybe I got that from the scene where she was trying to drown herself but it was her young daughter who had to save her.

Can you tell me why you think that little girl went on to have a horrible childhood? Even after her Dad died she had what seemed to be a loving mother. And even before her Dad died, even though he was a drunk, he seemed to be a nice drunk (not a mean abusive one). I just don't think her bad childhood was painted clear enough, at least not to me.

Chris and Cortney Walker said...

I saw this movie, and for me It was a little close to home. I can totally relate to the little girl. My Biological father is an alcholic the difference is that mine was not as "present" as this father, and about a week before I saw this he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Having said that I think that I agree with Dennis, Its to forgive and move on. I can not say that I am close to my father or even have a real relationship with him but I dont think I want him portrayed badly as the author didnt want her father portrayed this way. As far as the mother I feel like that would be a horrible situtaion to be in. I also think that we can all be weak in moments but we always have someone to wrap their arms around us and help us become strong. I do think the mother must have been very strong but they portrayed some of her weak moments.
Sorry for a little bit of rambling...

Grandma Honey said...

I didn't think of it that way Cortney….that she didn't want her Dad portrayed badly. There was obviously much she left out. Just as Walt Disney even after talking some about his abuse as a child, added that "he was a wonderful man."

I am so sorry about your own father. I'm thankful you have a very close relationship with your Mom.

Susan Anderson said...

We saw and LOVED the movie.

I feel that the trauma for the main character came from loving her father so much and feeling responsible for not being able to save him. Remember how she felt so awful about not getting those pears to her dad before he died that she couldn't even look at pears in a bowl years later? She also had a mother who attempted suicide, which is a lot of baggage for a child to carry. It makes the whole world feel unsafe, I'm sure, like you can't trust the ground beneath your feet.

I felt like the mother tried very hard to cope with a difficult situation but was not always able to keep up the good fight. The suicide attempt displayed a lack of resilience, but she was clearly a loving mother. Having said that, not every loving mother is good at helping her children heal, especially those who have never learned how to heal themselves.

The message I got was about finding a way to accept and hopefully understand your own limitations and the limitations of others, love and forgive them and yourself anyway, and live life to the fullest without letting the past haunt you. We can only heal childhood wounds by loving ourselves and forgiving those who weren't quite what we (often subconsciously) wanted or needed them to be.

JMHO, of course. Again, I loved the movie.

=)

Grandma Honey said...

Sue….you summed it up for me: "...not every loving mother is good at helping her children heal, especially those who have never learned to heal themselves."

So sad how the pain can be passed down from generation to generation. But sometimes (as in my grandmother) a person comes along who is strong enough to turn things around…..and then everyone in the family after her benefits!

Anonymous said...

Loved the movie. I found the story line to be confusing at times.... like a dream. But, I liked your message about cranky adults and the sad child inside. By the way, I especially like Tom Hanks as Disney.
darlene

Grandma Honey said...

Oh YES I loved Tom Hanks in this too. Never thought he looked like Disney but he did in this movie. I agree about the confusion but I loved the going back and forth at the end. Felt so magical!

Lisa said...

I enjoyed the theories on this movie...maybe I'll go see it with my Mom....thanks for sharing. I love how Dennis is so to the point! : ) ...and on cue you have more to say...: ) love it!

Richard said...

Dennis probably didn't see Pollyanna or Moonspinners either...what do you two have in common?

Grandma Honey said...

I didn't see the Moonspinners either Richard, so I think we're okay.

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed this movie and I agree that we are still just children in older bodies. I think that this story was told from Helen's perspective. She obviously adored her father he shared her imagination and creativity. He enjoyed living in a Childs world not dealing with adult responsibilities. The mother was obviously overwhelmed but who wouldn't be in that situation she was totally dependent on him and he was unable to provide for them. I think order is how we make sense of our lives, our brains want all the pieces to fit together

Annette said...

I too loved the movie. I didn't see her mother as weak either but as overwhelmed by what was happening. I loved the aunt who came and perhaps taught how to deal with life. Sometimes we need a stiff upper lip or someone willing to be our stiff upper lip for us to get through life.
Mike and I talked about how people who create characters via writing or other ways and then give them over to other who probably have different vision for that character and how hard that must be. Yes she didn't want her father portrayed in a negative light. Who does? You have perhaps family members who are angry at their parents because they didn't do something for them as a child. But other family members who want to say in-spite of everything my life was great! Forgive and move on! BUT LOVED LOVED the movie. Yep her driver was the best! I wish she had invited him into the premier with her. I will admit I did cry at the end. When she saw all was well. :`-)

Grandma Honey said...

OH I know, I cried at the end too….who could not! Not only was I feeling for her, but with all those Mary Poppins flashbacks at the end, I was also having flashbacks about my own life….how those songs and that movie were part of my childhood too, and even into my early mothering. I use to sing Stay Awake and Feed the Birds to my boys to get them to sleep many nights. It all came rushing back to me as those songs were played. I wish I could go back and see the ending again. It was incredible!

I guess I didn't get the protection of her parents memory at first. Many people I've known seem to have no problem throwing their parents under the bus later as they talk about them…..until maybe they get in their 50s and gain a wider perspective.

Look what happened last night

  Just a little pre-graduating gathering for our DIL Amy.... Not everyday a Mom of 7 and a Grandma of 7, graduates from college. It was not ...