|
|
 |
The Movie:
 Given the
chance, there are probably a lot of people that would love to
stay young forever. Ever since J.M. Barrie first created the
character of Peter Pan, that is precisely what people have been
doing. For numerous years, they've been escaping from the rigors
of adulthood and daily life, by stepping into the shoes of a boy
who never grows up, on stage and on screen. One of the most
cherished of all literary characters, Peter Pan reminds us all
exactly what its like to live in a world of innocence and fun. He
tells us to forget our worries and fly off to a place where
anything is possible. Barrie's creation, however, didn't just
come out of nowhere. He had some major inspiration in the form of
a widow and her four adventurous boys. At least that's what Finding
Neverland tells us.
Nominated for seven Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, Finding
Neverland takes the viewer through the entire creation of
"Peter Pan," from Barrie's latest failed play through
the production of his most celebrated work. The film attempts to
paint an intimate portrait of the artist as an innocent adult
writer with the heart and soul of a child. And if not for the
astonishing work of Johnny Depp, it probably would have failed
miserably. Though I'm not convinced that his work in Finding
Neverland is the actor's best of his career, Depp certainly
does earn his Best Actor nod. He has the presence and subtlety to
play Barrie as someone who looks awkward, yet totally at ease in
his own skin. Barrie comes across as someone who truly loves the
Davies family. He delights in the company of the children, and
while the playwright's detractors see an inappropriate connection
with the boys, Depp plays it so straight that you could hardly
even imagine such a possibility.
 Director Marc
Forster chooses not to comment either way, and rightfully so, but
rather opts to focus on the creation of the play itself. His
inventive camera and storytelling techniques provide a gateway
into the creative mind of Barrie. This is precisely where Finding
Neverland flourishes. Forster intersperses scenes of live
action with flights of fancy, and shows us nearly seamless leaps
from Barrie in reality to Barrie in his own fantasy world. It
makes not only for a visually beautiful and stunning film - the
fantasy sequence alone are worth the price of admission - but it
also allows the viewer to truly imagine what it must have been
like for the playwright. Forster sets up these scenes (and that
easy slippage into the fantastic) so well that it seems like only
a mind like Barrie's could have created something like
"Peter Pan." The scenes, while clearly imagined and
fantastical, seem completely believable. You can't help but think
that Barrie must truly have thought in the same creative way as
his character in Finding Neverland.
That's not to say that Finding Neverland is a perfect
film. While I agree that the film is deeply moving and powerful,
I'm not so sure that it really earns that Best Picture
nomination. It tells a fascinating tale of an incredibly
intriguing man, but that doesn't detract from the fact that
Forster makes a few mistakes. The first, being that the film is
simply so melodramatic at times. Yes, it's a heart wrenching film
that's purpose is to make you reach for the box of tissues, but
there are times when it gets so sugary-sweet that I thought I
might get a cavity. While these instances may be few and far
between, they are still enough to make you wonder how closely
Forster rooted his story in reality. The other misstep comes from
the development of a few secondary characters. Although I do
agree that Julie Christie and Radha Mitchell do some of their
finest work in this film, their characters seemed one-note
at times. Both characters undergo somewhat dramatic changes, near
the end of the film, that come nearly out of nowhere. They are
portrayed as so evil throughout most of the film - there's really
not a good thing to say about either character for the first
two-thirds - that their about-faces at the conclusion seem almost
implausible.
 Nevertheless,
I'm clearly nitpicking here. Finding Neverland is a very
moving story told in an inventive and very moving way by Director
Marc Forster. The fantasy sequences alone are not only visually
breathtaking, but also help to further development Barrie's
character. They are not only the most fun and interesting part of
the film, but they also play an important role in the story. And
if you're looking for quality performances, Finding Neverland
is absolutely full of them. There's not much more to say about
Johnny Depp that hasn't already been said. He's the best actor of
his generation. Hands down. But the performances, in this film,
of Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Radha Mitchell, and even the
four young boys who play the young Davies children, are second to
none. If you're a fan of "Peter Pan" and are coming to
this film as a fact-based autobiography of J.M. Barrie, you may
end up being disappointed. This film is more about what inspires
us and how we use that inspiration to power our creativity than
it is about "the true story of J.M. Barrie." If you
are, however, looking for a sweet film that will tug at your
heartstrings a bit, then Finding Neverland will
certainly do the trick.
The DVD
Video:
 Finding
Neverland is presented in an anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer that
varies in quality throughout the film. When this transfer is
good, it is really good, but unfortunately does not stay
consistently so for the entirety of the film. Most of the time,
detail is incredibly sharp, blacks are deep, flesh tones are
accurate, and colors are vibrant and bright. There are times,
however, when this transfer shows signs of graininess, a bit of
murkiness, some slight shimmering, and even a bit of softness in
places. A few instances of dirt and spots on the print show up,
though they are barely negligible. Edge enhancement is also
present, but not very significant, and luckily there are no signs
of pixelation or other digital artifacts. The fantasy sequences
are where this transfer really shines. Colors come across
beautifully and shadows and lighting are expertly displayed. This
transfer, nonetheless, does a rather fine job of showing off the
film's beautiful cinematography. If it could only have been a bit
more consistent, this transfer could have been a spectacular
visual presentation.
Sound:
The audio on this disc is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 format
that faces the same issue as the film's transfer. When this track
is good, it is great, but it has trouble maintaining
that high quality throughout the entire film. Dialogue is clear,
crisp, and always discernable. Spatial separation across the
front channels is excellent. And Jan A.P. Kaczmarek's Academy
Award®-winning score is both incredibly enveloping and
intricate. The surround channels not only help to push this score
throughout the film, but also become surprisingly active during a
few key scenes. The fantasy sequences, in particular, really give
this track a chance to show its muscle with some very nice
surround effects and even a little bit of powerful low-end. The
inconsistency, however, that keeps this track from being even
better comes from a fair amount of level fluctuation. The biggest
discrepancy comes in the center channel as dialogue changes
levels more than a few times. It never becomes such a problem
that speech is inaudible, or even hard to hear, but it is
certainly a noticeable difference. Just as is the case with the
visuals, if not for the slight inconsistencies in this track, it
could have made for an excellent audio presentation.
Extras:
While the amount of extra material packed into this disc is
impressive, the actual features are not quite as enriching and
insightful as I would have hoped.
 The first, and
best, extra feature is an audio commentary with Director
Marc Forster, Producer Richard Gladstein, and Writer David Magee.
The trio seems to get along swimmingly as they tell about many
aspects of the production. They tell a few interesting anecdotes
from shooting, explain how certain scenes were created, and of
course bestow lavish praise on the talented cast. They also talk
about how closely the film is based on Allan Knee's play
"The Man Who Knew Peter Pan." While it would have been
great to hear more about how closely the film is based on the
true story of J.M. Barrie, the three participants are very chatty
and charismatic, making for a very entertaining and insightful
commentary.
Also included on this disc is a 15-minute behind-the-scenes
featurette called "The Magic of Finding
Neverland," which has the
potential to be a great look inside the making of the film, but
really comes across as more of your typical EPK fluff. There are
interviews with most of the principles, clips from the film, and
some behind-the-scenes shots, but mostly this is more of a
promotional featurette rather than something that really adds
anything to the film itself.
The next two features suffer from the same EPK-style shallowness.
"Creating Neverland" is a very short
look at how the fantasy sequences were created for the film. It
probably has the most interesting behind-the-scenes visuals of
all the extra features, but its brief runtime doesn't allow for
much depth. "On the Red Carpet,"
however, is almost a complete waste of time. The short featurette
simply shows the cast and crew arriving at the film's foreign
premiere. There are a few brief interviews with some of the stars
(and, for some strange reason, Hillary Clinton), but this is
mostly just a chance to watch the filmmakers and actors pose for
the camera.
We also have three deleted scenes (with optional
commentary by Forster, Producer Richard Gladstein, and Writer
David Magee) that run almost three minutes long. Though brief,
these excised scenes are interesting to watch with or without
Forster telling us why they didn't end up in the final version of
the film.
There are also just over 5-minutes of outtakes
included on this disc. Most outtakes reels end up being not all
that funny or full of in-jokes, but these clips have a few truly
comical moments in them. There are flubs from most of the cast,
including the hilarious plan Depp and Forster conceived to
lighten the mood during the tense dinner sequence. Despite its
frivolity, this is one of the more enjoyable features on the
disc.
Finally, we have three trailers for Dear
Frankie, National Treasure, and Miramax's 25th
Anniversary.
Final Thoughts:
There have been so many stage and screen versions of "Peter
Pan" over the years that the character has become indelibly
ingrained in our cultural milieu. We'd all love to be
Peter Pan and fly off to a land where nothing matters except
having fun and being young. The impression we get from Finding
Neverland is that playwright J.M. Barrie lived in his own
personal Neverland for much of his life, and in it he found
creativity, inspiration, and companionship. These are the
qualities that come across so beautifully, and powerfully, in
Marc Forster's film, and they are precisely the reason it's a
film worth watching more than once. With a very nice audio-visual
presentation and an insightful commentary track, the only thing
that keeps this disc from being highly recommended is the lack of
depth in most of the extra features. The quality of the film
itself, however, is reason enough for this disc to be a worthy
addition to your collection. |
|
Buy: