One of my favorite things to do is watch film adaptations of my favorite stories, and then compare them and analyze them and reflect on what the differences mean.
The more film adaptations that are available, the better it is.
Classic stories, like Little Women and Peter Pan have so many versions available that the story seems to become more slipstream, because so many people have seen at least one movie version but most of those people have not read the original text.
But I'm not necessarily talking text here, I'm talking about the films contribute something new for viewers to consider.
A couple days ago, we watched the new movie Wendy. I have seen every film and TV version of Peter Pan I could find. Last year we went to a screening of Hook, and I cleaned up during the trivia competition.
We watched it as a family, and I warned my son that this Peter Pan was probably going to look a lot different than the other Peter Pan movie he has seen.
This movie takes a lot of chances, and in some ways it really trusts the viewer. The movie isn't called Peter Pan, or Pan, or even Hook, it's just a girl's name, but it trusts us to associate the girl's name with the famous story.
And it doesn't take place in Edwardian England, it takes place in Louisiana; if it's not 'present day' then it would probably be dated at least in the 80's or 90's. But, we are trusted to follow along, without any explanation for it. (In the movie Hook, the American setting is explained by way of Peter Pan being adopted by American parents).
Wendy lives with her mother and her brothers in the back of a tiny diner, where the whole family works. She longs for an escape, not from her mother necessarily who seems very loving, but just from the drudgery and monotony.
****some spoilers ahead*****
One day she sees a boy go out to the railroad tracks, and disappear. We are not given much of an explanation, but in the next scene, there is a flyer showing the boy's face with the text Lost Boy above it, including one of those age progression images that sadly accompany pictures of missing children. That's our introduction to the Lost Boys, and the only reference to that term.
In Barrie's story, Peter Pan comes to the nursery window, and lures Wendy away with stories of fairies and mermaids. But this Wendy sees a mysterious boy on top of a train, and runs after him, effectively claiming the story as her own.
This story doesn't have any fairies or mermaids, it doesn't even really have flying. (Which spares us the need for CGI or ropes that will look dated within a few years). The only supernatural resident is called Mother, some kind of being that lives underwater and seems to communicate with children telepathically. Mother is the heart of Neverland.
What it does have is a much more diverse cast. Peter Pan has little dreadlocks and an accent, and is played by an Antiguan boy.
Wendy isn't flitting about in nightgown, she's wearing an oversized t-shirt that says Prison Rodeo on it. I actually appreciated how this Wendy is a tomboy, and there is no romance at all with Peter Pan. She's not looking for love, she just wants adventure.
The movie also explains the origins of Captain Hook and the pirates in a new way. The pirates are not the classic type that sail under a black flag, in fact, they were once Lost Boys. However, when Lost Boys start to feel sad, it gives way to despair, and they inevitable begin to age. Wendy even tries to help them at one point, trying to engage them in imaginary games (much like the imaginary dinner scene in Hook) in the deserted diner where they all gather. They will not order invisible food and pretend to eat it. They won't dance. They won't even smile.
The skeleton of Barrie's story is here: Wendy and brothers (even if they have different names), Peter Pan, a colony of children that do not age, pirates. . .even the epilogue involving Wendy's daughter is there. But this movie rejects the fantastical whimsy and grounds the story (literally, because like I mentioned, there is no flying).
I already have several favorite versions of the Peter Pan story, so I don't think this version will become part of the regular viewing party but I appreciate it for its originality.
Taking chances with classic stories doesn't always work; the 2015 movie Pan was a steampunk re-imagining which featured Nirvana-singing pirates, and the story seemed to fall apart. This movie takes chances too, but they are not as contrived. Everything feels more natural; even the soundtrack. There were no songs or lyrics, it mostly sounded like a Sounds of Nature CD with windchimes.
I just found out that Disney is planning a new live-action Peter an Wendy movie, so I guess I won't have to wait too long before I get to watch another new version.
