Movies From My Childhood: The Sound of Music (1965)

'The hills are alive with the sound of music.'

Where do I even start with one of the most iconic musicals in all of cinema? Certainly among the most popular too? The Sound of Music directed by Robert Wise based on the Broadway musical of the same name with music and lyrics by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The movie version stars Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. It's the story of a young Austrian woman who leaves the convent to become the governess to the children of a retired naval officer. I was about ten years old when I first saw The Sound of Music and I can't remember a time when I was awed by a movie as much as I was this one, it also gave me a sense of what kind of person I want in my life. What I enjoyed the most about this movie is how it isn't just another love story, it's about a young woman who is in search of her place in the world and finding love along the way despite the looming possibility of global conflict and it's effects. In this post I will go in depth with not just with Maria's story but also Captain von Trapp's role as an icon of good masculinity, their romance and the overall place of the movie in cinema history. 

Julie Andrews as Maria

We are first introduced to Maria singing in the Austrian hills when she realizes that she's late for the afternoon prayer and the nuns in the abbey treat us with an entertaining number about what they think of the young novitiate herself. By this time in the movie we know that she's is considered a sort of a black sheep around the area, an oddball if you will but she also shows her vulnerabilities to the Mother Abbess who is in charge of all the nuns in the abbey, and with this she is given the chance to find her place in the world through a position as the governess of  seven children just outside of Salzburg. Maria faces this new task head-on but she runs into a brick wall with Captain Von Trapp, the widower and her new employer. Strict, overbearing, and exact, Captain Von Trapp is also as baffled at Maria as much as she is with him but as the old saying goes 'opposites attract' they are drawn to each other in more ways than one. There's plenty of opportunities for the Captain to take hold of the situation but it's Maria's choices that are given center-stage and this is what makes the movie for me, it's not even done in the most obvious feminist way that many movies today try to do, it's done more naturally without anything being forced on the audience. Another thing I admired about this movie is how a religious calling is portrayed, it's not for everyone even if you have an amiable relationship with God but Maria is resilient and stays true to His calling, even though she was reluctant at first and by trusting Him with her decisions particularly when she's presented with the choice to either stay at the abbey or face her fears.

Christopher Plummer as Captain Von Trapp

On the other side of the discussion, can we talk about how much of an icon Captain Von Trapp is? As played by the late Christopher Plummer especially because of the qualities he brings to the character that he developed together with screenwriter Ernest Lehman. At first the Captain is stiff, yet he isn't dull. I guess the best way to describe his character is distant because of his relationships, even the Baroness notices this just after Rolfe delivers the letter. Later, we realize that he is a man who had been in mourning the entire time and he covers this up by running his house like one of his ships especially when it comes to the children. Then he meets his match when Maria arrives, who almost throws him off with her methods but to me the greatest thing about the Captain is how human he is, yes the distant relationship with his children is bad but then you begin to understand why he does what he does. Like any parent he believes that what he's doing is for the good of his kids even though he's blinded by his own grief but when it's revealed to him that his methods have been bad for the children and starts hearing them sing, he doesn't rage instead he joins in, later showing affection for them then apologizes and thanks Maria for her help in finding his way back to his family. We are later treated with him singing 'Edelweiss' and surprisingly plays the guitar. I think the character is one of the best examples of what masculinity should be like even though he was distant and aloof at first though this is part of his great character arc; he's strong but he shows vulnerability, he doesn't stand idly by when faced with roadblocks later on in the film instead he is firm in his beliefs and who doesn't love a man who can sing and dance and excel in both of them? 

Maria and the Captain

One of the highlights of the movie is the romance between Maria and the Captain, it doesn't feature a meet cute or anything like that but they're introduced to the other as employer and employee and it's a little tense especially for Maria as she finds out the kind of man the Captain is on her first day on the job. It's not so obvious on the first watch but once you pinpoint certain scenes you notice how their romance is all about physicality which is mainly in longing looks. In the gazebo scene, Maria admits that she fell in love with the Captain when he first blew the whistle and the Captain in return admits that he fell in love with her when she sat on the pine cone, it just isn't out of nowhere. This is helped by the performances by the actors who have great onscreen chemistry that makes their scenes very special. Unfortunately, Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer didn't work with each other again until the early 2000s with On Golden Pond. While the gazebo scene was tender and pleasant I thought the discussion about the wedding was too quick, they didn't really know a thing about the other all that much and this is when the viewer is reminded that this is a *movie* and a musical at that. 

The Von Trapp children

So where does The Sound of Music belong in the history of cinema? It's one of those movies that isn't just a musical but a movie that has retained its merits over the years. Captain Von Trapp's continued outspoken hatred for Hitler's regime as well as Maria's conflict in making a life-changing decision are still very relevant to this day and that's what separates some movie musicals with this one; it remains a treasure to anyone who picks it up and fall in love with the movie. It's a pretty charming movie after all, and while some may call it sugarcoated, it has its moments of balancing out the fantasy and the reality of the Von Trapp's situation. I also loved how each of the adult characters are independent of each other, each of their stories aren't dependent on the other in order to grow and I love that it's almost a metaphor for adulthood though that would be a better discussion for another day. The Sound of Music is about many things and that's what makes it special, a young novitiate in search of her place in the world, a grieving man who's learning to love again, the effects of facism on the family and on the individual (Rolfe) and God's mysterious love. I'm not trying to be preachy about this just because I'm a Catholic Christian but it's weaved throughout the movie without it being overdone or shoving it down the throat of the audience, it's presented more naturally than that. The technical aspects of the movie is remarkable for something that came from the 1960s, the direction, cinematography and the music all lend a hand in telling the story as best as they can and it feels like they went above and beyond just for this. I rank this among my favorite movies of all time and that's saying a lot about how much I enjoyed and learned from this story. It's a movie that I enjoy telling people about and lure them into the idea of watching the movie with me just as I'm about to do with one of my friends and hopefully whoever is reading this and hasn't seen The Sound of Music will pick up the movie, doesn't matter what age you're at since it's for all ages and I'm hoping that you'll enjoy and learn from it just as I have.

4.5/5 stars.