Peter Pan films

"First star to the right and straight on 'till morning"

Maybe because Hollywood is captivated by the idea of never growing up but possibly because Barrie's story simply allows those who have to stop the clock for a space, there seems to be a steady rehashing of the Peter Pan myth in modern cinema. This seems particularly appropriate to me since the story began as a play and grew from there and thus must at least in some ways be exempt from the purist's everpresent need for 'accuracy to the book.' Each of the films I want to discuss in this post have captivated me in a different way yet with certain common elements imagined in a way that, at least to me, has felt fresh each time.

 
I feel that I must frame this blog within the history of my Pan experiences: I was first introduced to (although not quite yet captivated by) the Peter Pan story as many folks my age, to the musical Disney version of the story. As catchy as "You Can Fly" or "Following the Leader" may have been I felt that the campy goofiness of Hook seemed to downplay something more potentially sinister in his character than The Mouse felt it could portray. Though I have to admit I may have clapped a bit during Mary Martin's performance of the character I still wasn't hooked (pun intended).

I can probably say that my experience of Peter Pan lore was somewhat backward since the first experience to really fascinate me was Speielberg's otherwise panned film Hook. Now here was a Captain with all the folly of hubris but the sinister visage of a true 'bad guy.' Sure there were many overproduced and campy moments in the film; maybe the fact that it was the only recent movie my sisters and I had on VHS and our subsequent repeat viewings allowed us to overlook these things. But as I watch the film now (which I still do on occasion) I find new things that tickle my fancy especially the care that Spielberg took in imagining a post-Pan Neverland. The dreamlike island had all the remnants of the stories of the Darling children but modified and mutated by the power vacuum left by Neverland's muse. For me this presentation mystified the tales that came before despite my more passing awareness of them. This made it particularly exciting when I finally obtained and read Barrie's original story in high school.

It was around that time that, like a Harry Potter fan with a more refined aesthetic (yes I went there, and will again!) I jumped for joy upon discovering the release of a new full length feature film of Peter Pan. My experience of this film was less intriguing and more of a simple satisfaction at seeing the original story (albiet with some slight but, for me, forgiveable alterations) on the big screen. My reaction to this film was more in line with that of a satisfied fanboy than a developing literary critic. It was a few years later that this inquiry would be satisfied in film form.

I first saw Finding Neverland while on a weekend trip to Cardiff Wales during a semester abroad in England in 2004 and I have to admit that I did not leave the theatre with dry eyes. Again, I had to accept the liberties taken with the story; in the previous films changes had been made to Barrie's novel to bring it to the screen and here changes had been made to Barrie's own biography in order to dramatize it for the film's viewers. A professor of mine at the time balked at these changes which I thought odd since an accurate perception of Barrie's biography or that of his lady friend, Sylvia Lewellyn Davies does little more than ruin our experience of the film which, though it contained historical elements, cannot be seen as an attempt to portray them with accuracy. A film is still a work of fiction and since none of us know J.M. Barrie (may he rest in peace) how he is portrayed in the film must be met with the usual suspension of disbelief which we accept when we attend the theatre or the cinema. Only then can we leave that experience with the sense of wonder that makes us doubt if it had really been a dream.

This brings me to my most significant reaction to these three films in particular. I would have to go back and check (which I won't do for lack of time) but if I remember correctly neither the Disney nor the Mary Martin versions of Peter Pan emphasized that sense of doubt with which I believe Barrie intended his story to carry. There is something about the concept of Neverland; possibly its existence in a semi-dream world or the sense of awakening we seem to get upon returning from it, that allows the story to capture our imaginations. If I want to take a step back and look at the film as a product of Hollywood or the book as a bunch of paper I will no doubt realize, rather sadly, that these things cannot happen. But that is the point, isn't it? When we read about Peter Pan or watch him alight on a bedroom window we choose to believe that the page or the window has become a portal into another world where dreams take form and shoot cannonballs at us and we whirl around them with the help of a little fairy dust. Each of these films contains such a blurring of lines between those two worlds that everyday life forces us to draw a firm line between. This is a sense that I hope all subsequent Pan films can maintain, especially the upcoming Peter Pan in Scarlet, based on Geraldine McCoughrean's official sequel to Barrie's story (which you can read about when I get to 'M' haha)
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Finding Neverland. Dir. Marc Forster. Perfs. Johny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, and Dustin Hoffman. Miramax, 2004.
Hook. Dir. Stephen Spielberg. Perfs. Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, and Bob Hoskins. Amblin, 1991.
Peter Pan. Dir. P.J. Hogan. Universal, 2003.

Postponed Postings

To all those dust bunnies who may or may not read this blog (and Grandpa). Thanks for your patience while my Master's program kicks my scholastic butt. Postings will resume next week with my take on the only three Peter Pan-related films that I find worthwhile. Until then, cheers.

Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie

"All children, except one, grow up."

I thankfully did NOT grow up with the Disney or Mary Martin versions of the Peter Pan story. Oddly enough it was Spielberg's Hook that most piqued my interest in 'the boy who wouldn't grow up,' possibly because the film was intended as a sequel and despite what it may have done with the tale a great deal of its effect was to mysticize its source material. Therefore when I first went back to read Barrie's book, though I was reading a story I already knew, it had already been given a life of its own in my imagination.

As you can see I do not simply own one copy of the book, nor have I ever bought one for myself. It seems to have become a kind of joke with my family members (of whom my sisters have a shared experience with the Pan story) to find new versions of the book for me as gifts. As a result I have collected four books (so far). From right to left: a condensed version meant for an even younger audience than usual, a movie promo version which came with the Peter Pan (2003) DVD, my favorite copy, and another nice green copy which contains full color painting prints (in a very lively and realistic style).

All printings above have illustrations but it is the book in the center of this photograph which I consider the diadem in this crown of Pan. The images in this book were created by Trina Schart Hyman who I feel must have been influenced by Arthur Rackham (Rackham did the original illustrations for Barrie's novel and many other contemporary stories, I may write a blog about him sometime). This was the first copy I was given and the one I treasure most. In addition to this book being connected to my first real experience with Barrie's version of the story I have always felt that the pictures it contained perfectly captured the concept of Pan that had always been bouncing around in my head since I was young. The illustrations below are from this book.

Since I am obviously not the one boy that was gifted with the ability to never grow up I have always considered Peter Pan to be my idol. I realize that I must be very clear when making a claim like this and will explain here: Peter Pan is eternally youthful which means, in addition to having the mockng innocence of a child, he also has the carelessness and immaturity. Pan is able to shed all responsibility in favor of perpetual fun; even the dire circumstances in his conflict with Jas. Hook are a game in his mind. I say that Pan is my idol because I accept that I will never be like him. I consider idols to be unattainable desires, not necessarily containing traits to be modeled; attainable traits are exhibited in heroes, which I consider very differently than idols. Grown men with the 'Peter Pan' complex are pretty damn annoying and I hope to be anything but 'damn annoying.'

That does not mean, however, that I am unwilling to indulge my inner child from time to time with a trip to Neverland. Indeed it is the temporary dreamlike quality that has always captured my imagination. Peter Pan was one of the first examples I had of the ambiguity between dreams and reality that make stories of this nature confusing but fascinating. Even though at the end of the novel we are fairly certain that fantastic adventures have occured, we are still left with this little shred of doubt that suggests the possibility that it may have been an adventure conducted under the power of imagination from the artistic promptings of Wendy Darling's storytelling. This is a quality which gladly still makes its way into most film productions of the story which I will discuss next week.
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In order from left to right in above picture:

Barrie, J.M. Peter Pan and Wendy. Adapt. Jane Carruth. Illus. Anne Grahame Johnstone. London, Award Publications Ltd., 1988.


Barrie, J.M. Peter Pan. Images: "Peter Pan" Live Action Motion Picture Copyright 2003, Universal. New York, Harper-Collins, 2003.

Barrie, J.M. Peter Pan. Illus. Trina Schart Hyman. New York, Simon & Schuster, 1980.

Barrie, J.M. Peter Pan. Illus. Greg Hildebrandt. New York, Unicorn Publishing House, 1987.