what a #itch. why did he try so hard to please her?

#scratchthatitch

I almost saw it as a battle of wills. In some sense, maybe good versus evil =).

I think they tried to show her off as odd and stern and an extremely strong minded woman...but more often than not I would say she just came off as a total b-itch.

My wife and I really enjoyed the film and were pleasantly surprised as we had not even heard about it until tonight. Honestly I too was mostly thinking the same thing. I was somewhat skeptical about the negative portrayal of Travers, but I suppose that audio recording at the end credits did much to convince me that it was fairly accurate afterall.

I don't blame P.L. Travers for wanting to protect her fictional character, just as Disney alluded to feeling intensely defensive of his Mickey Mouse. Also, recall the works of other authors that Disney pretty much made his own, like J.M. Barrie, A.A. Milne, the Brothers Grimm, Carrol Lewis, T.H. White, etc. Few of us can think of Cinderella or Snow White without thinking of Disney's animated version. Since the Mary Poppins story was at least partly autobiographical, Travers obviously had deep personal feelings about how her characters were portrayed. Just playing devil's advocate here, but just imagine how you might feel if the story of your childhood and family were going to be "Disney-fied" by an over-the-top enthusiastic, overwhelmingly familiar American.

Perhaps Disney could have used a better approach if he knew what kind of personality she had. Not the full court hardsell.

Now that being said, I still think that she was inexcusably discourteous and inconsiderate. It's fine to be stubborn, stern, and reserved and to present a professional opinion. But as she repeatedly admonishes others for their presumptuous familiarity, lack of proper formal etiquette, and fussing over her (to ingratiate themselves), she herself goes beyond the bounds of courteous behaviour many times, like delaying the plane with her luggage, throwing fruit from the hotel balcony into the pool, seating herself in Disney's office without being invited to, later barging into his office, etc. It's fine to decline or not eat food provided as hospitality, but why take it out on the service staff? or perhaps not consider that others in the room might want it? or is it necessary to quibble and snap back at someone trying to make friendly small talk? (just don't talk to the driver).

I'm alright with her voicing her artistic opinion about HER fictional character, but if she really treated people like that in real life, well, yes... she seemed like a b!#$&.

It seems clear that the people who post that the PL Travers chapter in this film is a cold b..tchhave have never read the books, (or, I think, really watched the movie.) I don't know about real life, but I thought the PŁT character in the film was so damaged and traumatized that she had built a giant shell around herself for self-protection and constantly distanced herself from the possibility of any more hurt. We were shown how joyful and loving she was as a child, and that all fell apart. But as she said, the book characters were her family, although one that she had been able to save, unlike in real life, and she truly couldn't bear the thought of them devolving back into something ugly -- she had to fight for them, given what they represented to her.

A cold person could never have written those books, and many artists would rather protect their creations than take the cash and allow them to be altered out of recognition.

I'd have to say it was definately TB. Coupled with the alcoholism, his immune system was probably compromised and the disease was able to take ahold of him more easily. This might help explain why no one else in the family contracted it.

If a man made nearly impossible demands in making a movie, he'd be a visionary. A woman making nearly impossible demands is a bitch. Funny how that works out.

Follow the Money. Many of the reasons that the other Mary Poppins books were not Disneyfied are also prevalent in this picture. I read the Mary Poppins books to my daughters over the years and refuse to let them see the movie until after we finished. They appreciated them much more after seeing what Disney did to the one book.