INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

[FILM ANALYSIS]
Name: Gines, Kheem R.

Section: A60

SAVING MR. BANKS (2013) Saving Mr. Banks is a biographical drama film about the
production of the popular 1964 Walt Disney Studios film Mary Poppins. The film stars Tom
Hanks as filmmaker and mogul Wall Disney himself and Emma Thompson as author P.L Travers.
The film is directed by John Lee Hancock from a screenplay by Kelly Marcel.
Submission will be on 8 August 2016, during class hours.
I.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
a. Describe the lead characters in the movie (beliefs, attitudes and observed
behavior):
i. PL Travers (Mrs. Travers)
PL Travers is a woman who is uncompromising. She wants everything to be particularly
concise and accurate. It was shown in the film how she can be stubborn and irritating
because of her attitude. She is also very serious about things in life. She does not like to
fool around and have a little fun. Because of this she fails at addressing social cues like
small talks. She is also a realist. This can be inferred from her indifference towards
animation. She even called out amusement parks as a money printing machine. One
thing to note about Mrs. Travers is that there is a small hint of soft heartedness in all her
strong independent woman exterior. She was on the verge of crying when the discussion
about the film adaptation went deeper to the core story. This is because the story of Mary
Poppins is HER story. It is fundamental and close to her being. However, she is haunted
by her past. She seemed unable to move on. Oh, and Mrs. Travers fancies teas a lot.
ii. Walt Disney
Walt Disney is portrayed in the movie as a rich businessman and a well known
personality. Coming from a rough childhood, he persevered until he achieved his goals in
life. He is loved by his colleagues and fans mostly children. He is a story teller and
believes that through his films he can bring about imagination and hope from the viewers.
In the film, he can be reserved and persistent. This was evident in the film as some of the
scenes where Mrs. Travers was getting on everyones nerves, Mr. Disney was successful

in containing his annoyance to her and maintaining his patience. He also kept on
persuading Mrs. Travers into signing the contract even after multiple failed attempts.
b. Identify the main plot of the story.
Saving Mr. Bankss main plot of the story revolved around the lead characters PL
Travers and Walt Disney. When Walt Disney had a request from his children of a film
adaptation of Travers books, he kept his word and went on a quest of persuading Mrs.
Travers to sign a contract. After 20 years, Travers then agreed to check out Disneys
proposal mainly because she was broke. The story went on with Travers irksome antics
and multiple flashback of her past life which lend to the uncovering of the truth behind
the Mary Poppins story.
c. What was the conflict in the story?
The conflict in the story was PL Travers versus herself. It was her personal issues how she can
not move on because she can not come to terms with her past life. It was how she was still
haunted by her past especially the death of her father whom she loved so much.
II.

ANALYSIS
a. Based on the psychological theories you have learned in this course, choose one
psychological theory to explain PL Travers behavior. Explain why you choose this
theory.
If I were to explain PL Travers behavior based on what I have seen in the movie, I would
certainly choose the Sigmund Freuds Psychoanalytic theory. This theory fits perfectly
in explaining Travers behavior because it takes into account the early childhood
experiences and unconscious mind of Travers in determining the reason why she acts the
way she does presently. It was clear in the film that Travers past life, specifically her
childhood, had a great impact or influence on how she gets on with her adult life. Even if
she was unaware of it, words like bank can jerk up her emotions and make her see a
flashback.
b. How is this film related to the study of human behavior and mental processes?
The film is related to the study of human behavior and mental processes in a way that it
fulfills the very purpose of why we study psychology. The unraveling of the past or origin
in pursuit of a better understanding of why he or she acts the way he or she does was
clearly manifested in the film.

III.

PERSONAL INSIGHT

a. Choose scene from the movie that struck you the most and explain why.
The singing of the Kite song was certainly the one scene from the movie that struck me
the most. I can unashamedly say that I was on the verge of tears when the characters
joyfully sang and danced the song WITH Mrs. Travers on the spotlight. I did not know
why I cried but that very scene touched my heart. The scene came to me as a one step of
coming to terms with Travers past accepting what had already happened and moving
on with life. It was such a delightful experience to see Mrs. Travers finally getting out of
her cage. I was so happy for her as she can now live her life freely. Another reason why
I chose this scene is because I witnessed how sentimental the song was for Travers. If we
could go back to the first flashback of the film, we can see how Travers father open
reality for her as imaginative yet magical, lively, free and joyful. I somehow related it to
the song, making Travers as the owner of the kite, the wind that drives the kite as her
father, and the kite itself as the perceived reality (first part of the lyrics says lets make a
kite)
b. Name 3 learnings you had from the film. Expound.
The three learnings that I have gained after watching the film was
1. It is important to move forward in life by accepting what had already happened in
the past. It was shown in the movie how Travers lived a dull and difficult life because
she was haunted by her past. It is only by accepting that nothing can be undone and
instead learn from it can one breaks away from the haunted past. Also, worrying about
the past can bring nothing but consequences that hinder one in attaining genuine
happiness and fulfillment. If one lets past life linger then he or she will live his or her life
dragged down by it.
2. Do not judge people indiscriminately or hastily. The film further affirms the popular
saying Dont judge me if you dont know me by showing how unfair it is to judge the
person and his or her action/personality without seeking the reason why. I must admit,
based from her actions I quickly concluded that Mrs. Travers was an insensitive, arrogant,
and annoying woman. The film was a slap on my face as it showed the reasons why
Travers was like that thus leading me to understand her more.
3. See the person as if you were him or her. Again, instead of making indiscriminate
judgments one should pursue a better understanding of that person by getting on his or
her shoes. Only by this can we get a different view on what it is like to live his or her life

and thus learn how difficult it must be. I must commend Mr. Disney because he did not
quit on pursuing PL Travers and not only did he maintained his patience but he made sure
he fully understood the reason why Mrs. Travers was acting the was she does. Mr. Disney
was successful in doing so by attempting to relate his own rough childhood to Travers.
c. If you were the friend of PL Travers, what advice would you give her?
If I were a friend of PL Travers, I would advice her to get out of her bondage and set
herself free. Only by coming to terms with her past can she unlock her freedom to live
her life to the fullest. I would also advice her to let loose and enjoy life sometimes. PL
Travers can most of the time be serious about everything and it prevents her to see the
world in a colorful light.