The initial story was first told in the memoir of Maria Von Trapp, released in 1949. Hollywood wanted to purchase the rights, but only to the title. Maria refused. A German producer bought the rights and released a 1956 film that was a tremendous success, even being followed by a sequel that brought in more huge box office. Paramount Pictures realized this story could sell in Hollywood with more than just its title, so it bought the rights in 1956, only to bail on it a year later. Instead, it went to Broadway, was a massive smash, won a slew of Tony Awards and made 20th Century Fox purchase the rights to try a film version for the third time. This time, the film got made, giving us our featured film for this blog today. Let's head to Austria...
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Maria (Julie Andrews) spins, dances and sings, being the free spirit that she is, in the fields and atop the mountains of Salzburg, Austria. There's just one problem. Maria is studying to become a nun at the Abbey, and the bells are now ringing, so she realizes she's late and makes a run for it. She tries to sneak back in unsuccessfully, as the nuns just happen to be congregated near where she makes her attempted entrance. The Mother Abbess (Peggy Wood) believes Maria would be happier living in the outside world, so the Mother sends Maria to the villa of Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) to be governess to his seven children for the next several months. She's a bit nervous about the assignment but decides to give it a shot. When she arrives at the estate, she's flabbergasted at the sheer size of everything. Upon arriving, she's asked by the butler to wait in the lobby, but curiousity gets the better of her and she checks out one of the cavernous rooms. She's interrupted by the Captain, who asks her to respect the rules of the house and avoid any off-limits rooms. The Captain is strict in his upbringing of his children, blowing a whistle to summon them all to march downstairs and introduce themselves to Maria. Some of the kids are a bit snobbish, having gone through many governesses over a relatively short time. The Captain tries to tell Maria what her whistle cue will be, but she'll have none of it, and also refuses to use a whistle to order around the children. As Maria is being shown her room, she discovers the children have put a frog in her pocket, but she does her best to no-sell it.
That night around the dinner table, Maria sits on a pinecone and starts whooping upon the surprise. Maria leads the table in saying grace, then thanks the children for the "gift" they left her. She continues to be chatty, thanking the children for welcoming her and saying a slew of niceties, which ultimately beings the girls to start crying at how they'd treated her thus far. The Captain isn't amused by any of this. A messenger delivers a telegram for the Captain. He reads it and tells the kids he's off to Vienna in the morning, but will be returning with The Baroness (Eleanor Parker) and "Uncle Max" (Richard Haydn). The oldest child, 16-year-old Leisl (Charmain Carr) excuses herself, then sneaks outside for a brief rendezvous with the messenger, as they have a fling going. His name is Rolfe (Daniel Truhitte).
That night, a thunderstorm rages outside as Maria says her bedside prayers. As she's doing so, Leisl sneaks in through her open window, soaking wet. Maria keeps speaking in prayer but singles out Leisl in the process, indicating she's watching her sneak by now. Leisl begs Maria not to tell her father she was outside. Maria sees no harm in it and gives her a change of clothes. Meanwhile, the youngest child, Gretl (Kym Karath) comes into Maria's room, scared of the storm. She's soon followed by the other three girls, and then even the two boys. Maria chats with all the children and learns they live a rather sheltered life ever since their mom died. They don't even sing at all in the house anymore. Maria says when she's scared or feeling down, she often thinks of her favorite things, and this leads to the song. Everyone is singing and dancing and having a ball...until the Captain comes in. He tells the children to head off to bed, then scolds Maria for having no self-discipline. He also refuses to allow Maria to have fabric purchased so she can make the children new clothes rather than them wearing the military-style uniforms they wear now.
While the Captain is away, Maria makes clothes for the children from old drapes. They also head out for a picnic and learn to sing some new songs. The Captain is on his way back with the Baroness and Max. They see a bunch of children climbing in trees near the estate, but don't realize it's the Von Trapp clan up there. They arrive home to a telegram about the continuing growth of the Nazi Party in Austria. Max isn't worried about them leading, but the Captain is, refusing to respect or salute them, loving only Austria and keeping his Austrian flag outside. The kids and Maria come back all in a boat, singing. When they see the Captain, they all wave and wind up capsizing the boat, so they swim the rest of the way. The Captain--as usual--is not amused. He introduces the children to the Baroness before sending them indoors to change into dry clothes. Max and the Baroness head inside as well. The Captain then asks Maria if those were indeed his children climbing trees earlier, and in clothes that obviously aren't what they usually wear. An argument ensues as Maria feels the children need to live like children and be shown love. The Captain asks Maria to pack her bags and leave, but then he hears singing coming from inside the house. He asks what that is. Maria tells him she thought the children should welcome the Baroness with a song. They sound wonderful, and the Captain goes inside, his breath taken. He even joins in the song. Afterwards, the children and their father all laugh and embrace. The Captain apologizes to Maria and asks her to stay.
Everyone's living together harmoniously, and soon the children and Maria put on an elaborate marionette song-and-dance show for the Captain, Max and the Baroness. Max wants to enter the children into the Salzburg Festival, but the Captain flatly refuses to have his children singing in public. The Captain does, however, get prodded to sing himself by the children, so he does so, singing "Edelweiss" as he loves his country. The Captain organizes a formal party at the villa. Maria decides to stay on the terrace with the children, and as they're watching couples do a waltz inside, Maria decides to teach Kurt (Duane Chase) how to do the dance. The Captain sees this from inside and goes to the terrace to cut in. He and Maria dance and it ends with a close near-embrace. Both seem to feel sparks. Maria nervously backs away. She then takes the children inside and announces that the children wish to say goodnight to everyone. The children all perform "So Long, Farewell", and afterwards Max insists to the Captain that Maria should join the party. He isn't sure at first but eventually gives the OK. Maria goes upstairs to dress into something more formal. The Baroness goes to help her, but in actuality she gets into Maria's ear, saying there's definitely obvious mutual interest between Maria and the Captain. Maria thinks that's ridiculous. The Baroness says he absolutely has interest in Maria, but in time he'll get over it. Maria thinks she should pack up and leave as this is not what she had come to the villa for. Maria does, in fact, pack up and leave. The Baroness heads back downstairs and downs some champagne since she's now in a celebratory mood. And the Captain gets into a heated argument with Zeller (Ben Wright). Zeller seems not only OK with the Nazis taking over Austria, but he even welcomes it. He chides the Captain for being an ostrich with his head buried in the Austrian flag.
Several days pass. The Baroness is doing her best to play with the children outside, but she isn't very good at it. The children aren't into it too much either. Max asks the Baroness how it will feel to be the mother to seven children. Her answer is to send them to boarding school. Max suggests the children sing a rehearsal for the festival (which the Captain has still not given the OK to), and the kids sing halfheartedly. The Captain comes out and the children ask him why Maria just left without saying goodbye. The Captain replies that she did say goodbye as she left a note which said she missed life at the Abbey. The children wonder who the next governess will be. The Captain tells them there will be no next governess because they'll have a new mother instead in the Baroness. The children don't really react to this, but eventually they slog over one by one and give the Baroness a peck on the cheek before walking into the fields.
The children all decide to visit the Abbey and talk to Maria to find out what happened. When they arrive, the nuns tell them that Maria has stayed in seclusion since returning and isn't ready to talk to anybody yet. The Mother Abbess decides it is time that Maria comes out of her funk, so she has Maria come to see her. Maria tells the Mother she was frightened, so she left the villa. She didn't go there to fall in love. That's not what God intended. The Mother states that love is holy too, and Maria needs to live the life she's meant to live. The Mother convinces Maria to return to the villa.
The kids return home. Their father asks where they are. They say they were picking berries, but they can't show him proof since they ate them all. He says they must be full then, so we'll just skip dinner. He then goes inside, smirking as he knows where they were. The kids go into the field and try to sing to feel better. It isn't working until the voice of Maria chimes in and joins in the song. Everyone has a happy reunion and the singing gets much more upbeat. However, Maria's less upbeat upon learning that the Captain and the Baroness are getting hitched. The Captain sees Maria is back as well and calls everyone in for dinner. He asks Maria why she left. Maria says it isn't relevant anymore, and she'll stay there just until arrangements can be made for the next governess to take her place.
That night, Maria is strolling around the terrace. The Captain is watching her from the balcony. The Baroness joins him and talks a lot about the future, trying to distract him, but she can tell he is pining for Maria. The Captain eventually admits so, and the Baroness agrees that they should call off their engagement. She tells him he should go after the woman who will never be a nun. The Captain soon joins Maria outside. They talk and he says the engagement is off. Eventually they admit they love each other, and they dance and smooch.
Maria and the Captain get married at the Abbey. While they're off on their honeymoon, Zeller questions Max as to why the Von Trapp villa is the only building still not flying the Nazi flag. Rolfe also delivers a telegram. Leisl is happy to see him but Rolfe is all business, saying her father should read this telegram and follow its instructions if he knows what's good for him. When the Captain returns from his honeymoon, he immediately tears up the Nazi flag that has been hung outside. Max apologizes, saying he was strongarmed into that. He also reminds the Captain that the Salzburg Festival still is on for tonight despite the Nazis having taken over Salzburg, and the kids should sing "for Austria" as he fears if the kids don't sing, it would be a slight to the Nazi party. The Captain doesn't care. He then reads his telegram, which orders him to the Naval HQ of Bremerhaven in Germany to fight in the German Navy. The Captain tells Maria of this and decides they all must leave Austria for non-Nazi-occupied Switzerland tonight. The family all tries to sneak out, rolling the car out quietly, but once they're outside the villa gates, spotlights turn on. Zeller and a group of German soldiers are waiting for them. Zeller questions where they're all going. The Captain says they're all heading to the festival since the children are singing. Zeller will escort them all there, and afterwards will escort the Captain to Bremerhaven.
The children perform at the festival and are well-received. It's announced that the Captain will be off to Germany after tonight so he's asked to sing as well. He sings "Edelweiss", and the Austrian crowd joins in, as does the rest of the family on stage. Zeller and the Nazi soldiers just scowl. Max goes up to the Captain after the song and says "I think it could work", meaning an escape plan is in place for them all. Max tells the crowd they have a special encore from the family, and the kids with Maria and the Captain all sing "So Long, Farewell". As they leave the stage, no one is the wiser. Afterwards, prizes are given out and when the Von Trapps are announced, it's discovered they've all disappeared. The family escaped to the Abbey and are being hidden there. Soldiers soon storm the Abbey searching, but they can't find the family. Leisl is shocked to see Rolfe is one of the soldiers. Rolfe thought he heard something so he stays behind after the other soldiers leave, and he catches the family there. He pulls a gun on the Captain and allows the others to leave, as they only are there for him. However, the Captain inches closer to Rolfe as he tells him he's just a kid who doesn't know what he's doing. Rolfe can't pull the trigger, and the Captain takes the gun from him. However, Rolfe does blow on his whistle and call to Zeller and the others that he found the Captain. The Captain escapes with the rest of the family into a car. The borders are all closed off so they plan on taking it to the hills and marching into Switzerland that way. The soldiers try to follow the family but their cars won't start since some of the nuns have removed some key parts from under their hoods. The Von Trapp family successfully cross into Switzerland, safe and free.
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The original Rodgers & Hammerstein soundtrack was switched around a bit for the film, with two new songs added, "Something Good" and "I Have Confidence".....Both Andrews and Plummer had reservations about the screenplay being too sticky-sweet, but apparently both were ultimately satisfied with the final script when it came time for shooting.....Director Robert Wise turned it down at first too for the same reason, but when several other directors also said no, the studio pretty much begged Wise to helm the film, and he gave in.....Over 200 children were auditioned for the roles of the seven Von Trapp kids.....Most of the singing was dubbed over by others in the finished product. Andrews appears to have been the only one who was not dubbed over at all.....In reality, the Von Trapp family left Austria by taking a train to Italy. The borders were closed the following day.....The real Maria Von Trapp has a background cameo as a peasant woman during the "I Have Confidence" number.....The soundtrack album remains to this day an all-time best seller, and it has always been available in retail outlets in at least one format at all times.....One of the few films in history to open with the 20th-Century Fox logo, sans music.....Plummer and Andrews got along swimmingly during the making of the picture and remain close friends to this day, but Plummer HATED this movie. He hated it during shooting, he hated the final product, he hates it even today. He's called it "The Sound of
Mucus" and says that the song "Edelweiss" was "schmaltzy". He even admitted to being drunk during the shooting of the music festival scene. This may explain why at this year's Oscars telecast during the 50th Anniversary tribute, he was noticeably absent. Lady Gaga performed a medley of songs from the film and received a well-deserved standing ovation afterwards. Apparently she was not aware of what was to come next as Andrews came out to present an award, and Gaga was said to be completely speechless, which is why the Gaga-Andrews onstage embrace was so prolonged. Gaga gathered herself enough to be able to introduce Andrews formally to the audience. She then went offstage and nearly hyperventilated.
Despite the fact that The Sound of Music is probably one of the most beloved movie musicals of all time, critics are pretty divided on it. This was especially true upon its initial release. Philip Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times described the film as "three hours of visual and vocal brilliance" while Variety proclaimed it "a warmly-pulsating, captivating drama set to the most imaginative use
of [tunes], magnificently mounted and with a brilliant
cast." Then there's Judith Crist of the New York Herald Tribune, who stated the film was "icky sticky" and designed for "the five-to-seven set and their mommies." Hers was one of the kinder negative reviews too. Nonetheless, the movie was the highest-grosser of 1965 and remained in theaters for the rest of the decade. As far as Oscars go, the AMPAS feted the film with 10 nominations. Losses came in the categories of Costume Design--Color (Dorothy Jeakins), Art/Set Decoration--Color (Boris Leven, Walter Scott, Ruby Levitt), Cinematography--Color (Ted McCord), Supporting Actress (Wood) and Lead Actress (Andrews). How this film didn't win Art/Set Direction and Cinematography is beyond me. However, the film won for Score--Adaptation or Treatment (Irwin Kostal; this category was abolished after 1969), Film Editing (William Reynolds), Sound Mixing (James Corcoron and Fred Hynes), Director (Wise) and Best Picture (Wise). That top prize came at the expense of Darling, Doctor Zhivago, Ship of Fools and A Thousand Clowns. I think it's fair to say none of those other nominees had the staying power here 50 years later, so the right film won top honors.
As for my take on the film...well, the songs are great. Very memorable. But wow, that's about all I can say without veering into negativity. I will say the story was fine, as opposed to the likes of My Fair Lady, which I found utterly ridiculous. There aren't many movie musicals that I would say I dislike, but unfortunately I have to put this one on the list. Way too schmaltzy. I found most of the characters pretty one-dimensional and not much more than window dressing, especially as far as the kids go. I lost track of how many songs were repeated during the film how many times. This thing is almost 3 hours long and at least 1 hour could be wiped out if all that repetition would have not taken place. I know I'm in the minority here, but The Sound of Music is not one of my favorite things.
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