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The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
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Extras:
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Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
88
Studio and Year: Disney - 2013
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 125 minutes
Genre: Drama
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Starring: Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Bradley Whitford, Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Music by: Thomas Newman
Written by: Kelly Marcel & Sue Smith
Region Code: A,B,C
Blu-ray Disc release Date: March 18, 2014
"Where her book ended, their story began"
Film Synopsis:
Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson bring to life the untold true story about the origins of one of the most treasured Disney classics of all time. John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) directs this acclaimed film, which reveals the surprising backstory behind the making of Mary Poppins. Determined to fulfill a promise to his daughters, Walt Disney (Hanks) tries for twenty years to obtain the rights to author P.L. Travers’ (Thompson) beloved book. Armed with his iconic creative vision, Walt pulls out all the stops, but the uncompromising Travers won’t budge. Only when he reaches into his own complicated childhood does Walt discover the truth about the ghosts that haunt Travers, and together, the set Mary Poppins free.
My Take:
When Walt Disney's daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers' "Mary Poppins," he made them a promise-one that he didn't realize would take 20 years to keep. In his quest to obtain the rights, Walt comes up against a curmudgeonly, uncompromising writer who has absolutely no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get mauled by the Hollywood machine. But, as the books stop selling and money grows short, Travers reluctantly agrees to go to Los Angeles to hear Disney's plans for the adaptation. For those two short weeks in 1961, Walt Disney pulls out all the stops. Armed with imaginative storyboards and chirpy songs from the talented Sherman brothers, Walt launches an all-out onslaught on P.L. Travers, but the prickly author doesn't budge.
He soon begins to watch helplessly as Travers becomes increasingly immovable and the rights begin to move further away from his grasp. It is only when he reaches into his own childhood that Walt discovers the truth about the ghosts that haunt her, and together they set Mary Poppins free to ultimately make one of the most endearing films in cinematic history. Inspired by true events, "Saving Mr. Banks" is the extraordinary, untold story of how Disney's classic "Mary Poppins" made it to the screen-and the testy relationship that the legendary Walt Disney had with author P.L. Travers that almost derailed it.
As a long time fan of Mary Poppins (the film) I was very interested to see what this story was about and how it would be translated to film. I found the concept to be novel and thoroughly enjoyed its implementation. What we see here is author P.L. Travers inspiration for Mary Poppins as seen through a series of flashbacks that hearken back to her childhood. The narrative shifts back and forth in an unveiling fashion the reveals details not only about who inspired her but why it is so important to her that the essence of the story/character be preserved. Along the way we get to see lots of background on how the project came to fruition as well as those involved in the process. Additionally there is an emotive and heartwarming thematic undertone found on both sides of the story that truly enriches the proceedings.
The depiction of the relationship between fussbudget P.L. Travers and the staff at Disney, especially Ralph the employee assigned to chauffer her, is charmingly engaging. Emma Thompson is at her best as the wryly brusque Travers while solid supporting turns by Hanks, Colin Farrell and Paul Giamatti credibly underscore their respective portrayals. Saving Mr. Banks is a tributary exploration with a sentimentality that reaches you without feeling unnecessarily overt. I found it to be funny, moving and authentic in its recreation. All in all it’s an entertaining and delightful film that strikes all the right chords.
Parental Guide:
The rating is for thematic elements, including some unsettling images.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
Audio: 86
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Video: 90
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Saving Mr. Banks comes to Blu-ray Disc from Disney featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 30 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 4.5 Mbps.
This high definition video presentation from Disney is consistent with most newer release films coming to Blu-ray and looks great. Colors are bright, with vivid primaries, and deep saturation which makes them visually pleasing. Contrast and brightness are nicely balanced which adds punch to colors and brightly lit scenes while keeping darker elements dynamic and gradational. Complexions appear tonally rich with a sun splashed emphasis that doesn’t appear overtly unnatural. Images are crisp with stable sharpness and appreciable definition that renders plenty of subtle texture within the objects and people onscreen.
The lossless audio presentation is quite good and delivers the source elements with high level detail and punchy dynamics. Dialogue is appropriately prioritized and is reproduced with excellent tonal variation and clarity through the center channel. The surrounds are active at times and used for venue replicating atmosphere and musical ambience. The mix isn’t active by design but proves engaging nonetheless while complimenting the source material quite nicely.
Bonus Features:
Final Thoughts:
Saving Mr. Banks reveals the surprising backstory behind the making of “Mary Poppins” and is a charming, funny and moving film that makes for excellent family entertainment. It comes to Blu-ray Disc from Disney featuring sparkling high definition video and crystal clear lossless surround sound mated with a mediocre supplemental package that is highlights by a retrospective documentary. I thoroughly enjoyed Saving Mr. Banks and highly recommend it to Disney fans.
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Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS4910 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6 Meter from Spectracal )
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV8801 11.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-103D Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (With Darbee video processing)
Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
88
Studio and Year: Disney - 2013
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 125 minutes
Genre: Drama
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Starring: Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Bradley Whitford, Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Music by: Thomas Newman
Written by: Kelly Marcel & Sue Smith
Region Code: A,B,C
Blu-ray Disc release Date: March 18, 2014
"Where her book ended, their story began"
Film Synopsis:
Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson bring to life the untold true story about the origins of one of the most treasured Disney classics of all time. John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) directs this acclaimed film, which reveals the surprising backstory behind the making of Mary Poppins. Determined to fulfill a promise to his daughters, Walt Disney (Hanks) tries for twenty years to obtain the rights to author P.L. Travers’ (Thompson) beloved book. Armed with his iconic creative vision, Walt pulls out all the stops, but the uncompromising Travers won’t budge. Only when he reaches into his own complicated childhood does Walt discover the truth about the ghosts that haunt Travers, and together, the set Mary Poppins free.
My Take:
When Walt Disney's daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers' "Mary Poppins," he made them a promise-one that he didn't realize would take 20 years to keep. In his quest to obtain the rights, Walt comes up against a curmudgeonly, uncompromising writer who has absolutely no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get mauled by the Hollywood machine. But, as the books stop selling and money grows short, Travers reluctantly agrees to go to Los Angeles to hear Disney's plans for the adaptation. For those two short weeks in 1961, Walt Disney pulls out all the stops. Armed with imaginative storyboards and chirpy songs from the talented Sherman brothers, Walt launches an all-out onslaught on P.L. Travers, but the prickly author doesn't budge.
He soon begins to watch helplessly as Travers becomes increasingly immovable and the rights begin to move further away from his grasp. It is only when he reaches into his own childhood that Walt discovers the truth about the ghosts that haunt her, and together they set Mary Poppins free to ultimately make one of the most endearing films in cinematic history. Inspired by true events, "Saving Mr. Banks" is the extraordinary, untold story of how Disney's classic "Mary Poppins" made it to the screen-and the testy relationship that the legendary Walt Disney had with author P.L. Travers that almost derailed it.
As a long time fan of Mary Poppins (the film) I was very interested to see what this story was about and how it would be translated to film. I found the concept to be novel and thoroughly enjoyed its implementation. What we see here is author P.L. Travers inspiration for Mary Poppins as seen through a series of flashbacks that hearken back to her childhood. The narrative shifts back and forth in an unveiling fashion the reveals details not only about who inspired her but why it is so important to her that the essence of the story/character be preserved. Along the way we get to see lots of background on how the project came to fruition as well as those involved in the process. Additionally there is an emotive and heartwarming thematic undertone found on both sides of the story that truly enriches the proceedings.
The depiction of the relationship between fussbudget P.L. Travers and the staff at Disney, especially Ralph the employee assigned to chauffer her, is charmingly engaging. Emma Thompson is at her best as the wryly brusque Travers while solid supporting turns by Hanks, Colin Farrell and Paul Giamatti credibly underscore their respective portrayals. Saving Mr. Banks is a tributary exploration with a sentimentality that reaches you without feeling unnecessarily overt. I found it to be funny, moving and authentic in its recreation. All in all it’s an entertaining and delightful film that strikes all the right chords.
Parental Guide:
The rating is for thematic elements, including some unsettling images.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
Audio: 86
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency effects:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
- *Low frequency extension (non-rated element): NA
Video: 90
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black level/Shadow detail:
- Color reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
Saving Mr. Banks comes to Blu-ray Disc from Disney featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 30 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 4.5 Mbps.
This high definition video presentation from Disney is consistent with most newer release films coming to Blu-ray and looks great. Colors are bright, with vivid primaries, and deep saturation which makes them visually pleasing. Contrast and brightness are nicely balanced which adds punch to colors and brightly lit scenes while keeping darker elements dynamic and gradational. Complexions appear tonally rich with a sun splashed emphasis that doesn’t appear overtly unnatural. Images are crisp with stable sharpness and appreciable definition that renders plenty of subtle texture within the objects and people onscreen.
The lossless audio presentation is quite good and delivers the source elements with high level detail and punchy dynamics. Dialogue is appropriately prioritized and is reproduced with excellent tonal variation and clarity through the center channel. The surrounds are active at times and used for venue replicating atmosphere and musical ambience. The mix isn’t active by design but proves engaging nonetheless while complimenting the source material quite nicely.
Bonus Features:
- (HD) 3 deleted scenes
- (HD) The Walt Disney Studios: From Poppins to present – 14 minute documentary
- (HD) “Let’s go fly a kite” – 2 minute short feature
- Digital Copy
Final Thoughts:
Saving Mr. Banks reveals the surprising backstory behind the making of “Mary Poppins” and is a charming, funny and moving film that makes for excellent family entertainment. It comes to Blu-ray Disc from Disney featuring sparkling high definition video and crystal clear lossless surround sound mated with a mediocre supplemental package that is highlights by a retrospective documentary. I thoroughly enjoyed Saving Mr. Banks and highly recommend it to Disney fans.
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS4910 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6 Meter from Spectracal )
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV8801 11.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-103D Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (With Darbee video processing)
Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
