Melancholy? The truth that is covered by the movie wasn't quite as bad. Sylvia Llewellyn Davies actually attended the opening of Peter Pan, accompanied by her husband who was already dead in the movie. There are four boys in the movie, but the Llewelly-Davies actually had 5, with the fifth son born after Peter Pan was performed. But where the melancholy kicks in is after the time covered by the movie is over. The oldest boy, George Llewellyn-Davies died in action in World War I. The middle boy, Michael, was a suicide in college. The youngest boy, Peter, was a suicide as an adult. And the character played by Dustin Hoffman, Charles Frohman, died on the Lusitania.
Two other pieces of trivia. James Barrie invented the name 'Wendy' for Peter Pan. And at the end of the movie, after the people have seen the play, there is one lady who says to the youngest boy "You're Peter Pan". The lady who played that is Laura Duguid, the daughter of Nicholas Llewellyn-Davies, the youngest son who is not featured in the movie.
Wow! Thanks for all the info. How interesting. So two out of the five boys were suicides? Do you know anything else about that?
Interesting info.