Sound of Music, The

July 22, 2004 B. John 220 Views

The Sound of Music (1965)

A woman leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to a Naval officer widower.

Directed by
Robert Wise

Genres
Biography, Drama, Family, Musical

Cast
Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Anna Lee, Portia Nelson, Ben Wright, Daniel Truhitte, Norma Varden, Marni Nixon, Gilchrist Stuart, Evadne Baker, Doris Lloyd, Charmian Carr, Nicholas Hammond

VHS

“The Happiest sound in all the world”? Quite possibly and easily the most famous musical film in Hollywood history. Most of us grown-ups still love it but at the same time we’re also tired of seeing it over and over again (maybe that’s why it’s not rerun on NBC every single year anymore). Julie Andrews takes her MARY POPPINS success and adds even more to it with her delightful rendition of the role that Mary Martin originated on the Broadway stage in 1959 and ran even farther with it than Martin ever could. As for the rest of the cast, it is just as talented: Christopher Plummer in the role he will be forever remembered for (even though he hated the part) is an achingly true Cap. Von Trapp with those “hidden talents” making subtle appearances throughout the film until blatantly bursting out into the open in the film’s closing scenes; Richard Haydn makes for a comical and yet sincere “Uncle” Max, Peggy Wood is a starchy yet compassionate Reverand Mother and Charmian Carr as Liesl stands out as our perrenial favorite of the seven children. The locales are breathtaking as well (esp. the opening scenes which is probably the most beautiful aerial shot in all of film history and the cunning floral designs of the public Austrian gardens during the DO-RE-MI sequence). So let’s all keep watching this most cherished of all musical films each year and never forget it’s universal sentiment: to ‘climb ev’ry mountain, ford ev’ry stream, follow ev’ry rainbow till you find your dream’.

I think I like this film because this one of my first memories of a big family outing. I was only five and six, and we (gasp) drove all the way from Shelby to Charlotte to see this film in a huge theater. We sat in the balcony (a first for me), and the movie even had an intermission. As a special treat, we had dinner at Burger King (I got to choose that night). This was before there was one on every corner, and Charlotte had the closest one.

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