| The boundless imagination of the man behind Peter
Pan and the poignancy of his journey combine in
this emotional tale inspired by events in the life of
Scottish author James Mathew Barrie. Finding Neverland
takes a fictional look at the creation of Peter
Pan, the classic of childrens literature
that speaks directly to the child in all of us. Finding
Neverland traverses both fantasy and everyday reality,
melding the difficulties and heartbreak of adult life
with the spellbinding allure and childlike innocence
of the boy who never grows up.
It all begins as successful Scottish playwright J.M.
Barrie watches his latest play open to a ho-hum reaction
among the polite society of Edwardian England. A literary
genius of his times but bored by the same old themes,
Barrie is clearly in need of some serious inspiration.
Unexpectedly, he finds it one day during his daily
walk with his St. Bernard Porthos in Londons
Kensington Gardens. There, Barrie encounters the Llewelyn
Davies family: four fatherless boys and their beautiful,
recently widowed mother.
Despite the disapproval of the boys steely
grandmother Emma du Maurier and the resentment of
his own wife, Barrie befriends the family, engaging
the boys in tricks, disguises, games and sheer mischief,
creating play-worlds of castles and kings, cowboys
and Indians, pirates and castaways. He transforms
hillsides into galleon ships, sticks into mighty swords,
kites into enchanted fairies and the Llewelyn Davies
boys into The Lost Boys of Neverland.
From the sheer thrills and adventurousness of childhood
will come Barries most daring and renowned masterwork,
Peter Pan. At first, his theatrical company
is skeptical. While his loyal producer Charles Frohman
worries hell lose his shirt on this childrens
fantasy, Barrie begins rehearsals only to shock his
actors with such unprecedented requests as asking
them to fly across the stage, talk to fairies made
out of light and don dog and crocodile costumes.
Then, just as Barrie is ready to introduce the world
to Peter Pan, a tragic twist of fate will
make the writer and those he loves most understand
just what it means to really believe.
|