I don’t often delve into the depths of ‘classic Hollywood’ cinema, much to the dismay of my partner who loves all the old timey musicals with their simple storylines and extravagant musical numbers. Not to sound ageist, but it’s mostly because I can’t get on with how dated they are. The storylines are often complex enough to be written on a post-it note, the characters have all the depth of a rain puddle, the cinematography is usually very static, they have the pace of an arthritic pensioner, and the sound quality is not the greatest. To many this is great, and I won’t deny that I can understand the appeal to these quaint remnants of a bygone era, but personally I struggle to sit through them without needing to be tied down first.
As such, it should come as no surprise that I have gone twenty-five years of my life without seeing The Sound of Music in its entirety. I know what the story is about, I have seen many of the musical numbers (it’s impossible not to), and all I ever hear people go on about is how horrendously long the thing is. So, I’ve kept a minimum safe distance from the film for as long as I could; but just like prey running from its hunter, it was inevitable that The Sound of Music would eventually catch me.
Austria 1938, the sun is setting on peaceful and happy days with the power of the Third Reich growing in Germany and rumblings of their power spilling over into Austria. Free spirited nun Maria (Julie Andrews) causes more nuisance than she is worth in the eyes of many of the sisters at the Nonnberg Abbey, but she is given the opportunity to put her training to good use and become a governess to the seven children of Captain Georg von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). The children, Liesel, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl, are a mischievous bunch who despite the Captain’s strict military style regime frequently act out to catch his attention and hopefully affection.
With the Captain away in Vienna, Maria bonds with the children, allowing them to enjoy childhood in a way they have never experienced before by playing and singing songs. The children come to love Maria as a mother. But when the Captain returns with Baroness Elsa Schraeder (Eleanor Parker) with plans to marry her, things become complicated when he finds himself falling in love with Maria and her artistic, maternal ways.
The von Trapp family, having shown a prowess for singing and dancing as an ensemble, are chosen by talent scout and producer Max Detweiler (Richard Haydn) to perform at the Salzburg Festival; but with the Nazi regime beginning to show its presence in Austria, the Captain and Maria decide it is best for the children that they flee Austria before it is too late.
As such, it should come as no surprise that I have gone twenty-five years of my life without seeing The Sound of Music in its entirety. I know what the story is about, I have seen many of the musical numbers (it’s impossible not to), and all I ever hear people go on about is how horrendously long the thing is. So, I’ve kept a minimum safe distance from the film for as long as I could; but just like prey running from its hunter, it was inevitable that The Sound of Music would eventually catch me.
Austria 1938, the sun is setting on peaceful and happy days with the power of the Third Reich growing in Germany and rumblings of their power spilling over into Austria. Free spirited nun Maria (Julie Andrews) causes more nuisance than she is worth in the eyes of many of the sisters at the Nonnberg Abbey, but she is given the opportunity to put her training to good use and become a governess to the seven children of Captain Georg von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). The children, Liesel, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl, are a mischievous bunch who despite the Captain’s strict military style regime frequently act out to catch his attention and hopefully affection.
With the Captain away in Vienna, Maria bonds with the children, allowing them to enjoy childhood in a way they have never experienced before by playing and singing songs. The children come to love Maria as a mother. But when the Captain returns with Baroness Elsa Schraeder (Eleanor Parker) with plans to marry her, things become complicated when he finds himself falling in love with Maria and her artistic, maternal ways.
The von Trapp family, having shown a prowess for singing and dancing as an ensemble, are chosen by talent scout and producer Max Detweiler (Richard Haydn) to perform at the Salzburg Festival; but with the Nazi regime beginning to show its presence in Austria, the Captain and Maria decide it is best for the children that they flee Austria before it is too late.
I went into The Sound of Music with a great deal of apprehension. Firstly, it’s an old film, the style of which I know I don’t get along with. Secondly, with a runtime just shy of three hours, it was going to be a long and difficult journey to the finish line if I indeed didn’t like it; and thirdly, with the legacy surrounding the film as one of the greatest movie musicals ever made, it had lofty expectations to live up to, ones I was sure it was going to fall short of. But surprisingly, I quite enjoyed it.
The story of the von Trapp family and Maria bringing them together in ways they have never experienced before was heart-warming and engaging. The way the songs are utilised to teach them lessons, or develop the children as characters, was a wise choice and one that truly allowed me to understand how each child felt about their situation. The characters of Maria and the Captain were well fleshed out and acted as good oppositions for each other for the first half of the film, and then as equally great partners. Andrews & Plummer brought a great deal of emotion to the characters, and I feel that really helped me connect with them, unlike most performances from this era of Hollywood where I tend to find performances either over-dramatic or emotionless.
The music is a point of contention for many. Most love the songs with their upbeat melodies and strong moral lessons. Some of the numbers, such as ‘Maria’ and ‘The Lonely Goatherd’ were ones I found myself thoroughly enjoying, whether it be because of the songs themselves or the good cinematography and dance choreography involved. But others such as ‘I Have Confidence’ and ‘My Favourite Things’ I found to be more irritating than enjoyable. The film also has a habit of repeating its musical numbers quite a bit which got on my nerves, mostly because the reprisals are never as good as the original versions.
The set and costume design are equally very good, with the real highlights being when the film uses outdoor locations. With the Alps looming overhead, some of the shots the film uses are absolutely gorgeous. All the costumes too look fantastic and are very highly detailed. So, when you get scenes like the musical number ‘Do-Re-Mi’ which combines great costume design, a fun song, and fantastic filming locations it makes The Sound of Music a true joy to watch.
The story of the von Trapp family and Maria bringing them together in ways they have never experienced before was heart-warming and engaging. The way the songs are utilised to teach them lessons, or develop the children as characters, was a wise choice and one that truly allowed me to understand how each child felt about their situation. The characters of Maria and the Captain were well fleshed out and acted as good oppositions for each other for the first half of the film, and then as equally great partners. Andrews & Plummer brought a great deal of emotion to the characters, and I feel that really helped me connect with them, unlike most performances from this era of Hollywood where I tend to find performances either over-dramatic or emotionless.
The music is a point of contention for many. Most love the songs with their upbeat melodies and strong moral lessons. Some of the numbers, such as ‘Maria’ and ‘The Lonely Goatherd’ were ones I found myself thoroughly enjoying, whether it be because of the songs themselves or the good cinematography and dance choreography involved. But others such as ‘I Have Confidence’ and ‘My Favourite Things’ I found to be more irritating than enjoyable. The film also has a habit of repeating its musical numbers quite a bit which got on my nerves, mostly because the reprisals are never as good as the original versions.
The set and costume design are equally very good, with the real highlights being when the film uses outdoor locations. With the Alps looming overhead, some of the shots the film uses are absolutely gorgeous. All the costumes too look fantastic and are very highly detailed. So, when you get scenes like the musical number ‘Do-Re-Mi’ which combines great costume design, a fun song, and fantastic filming locations it makes The Sound of Music a true joy to watch.
The film didn’t totally escape my ire though and I do feel as though it is too long. Coming in at two hours and fifty-four minutes, The Sound of Music is a marathon of a film. There’s a fair amount of story to get through, but I do feel as though very often the camera lingers on things for too long, characters actions play out too slowly, and of course there’s those underwhelming and frequent musical reprisals I spoke of earlier that do feel as though they bloat the film and slow the pace to a crawl. The finale for example where the von Trapp’s are hiding in the Abbey feels like it goes on forever because we’re shown so many extended shots of the von Trapps hiding, intercut with extended shots of Nazi officers just looking around the room. This is a sequence that should be high with tension and use short, frequent cuts to heighten the anxiety in the viewer. Instead though you’re left just waiting for several minutes whilst the Nazi’s search a room and then slowly leave with boring camera angles and no background score to increase tension.
It’s also an easy thing to find a problem with, but almost none of the von Trapp children can dance, which considering they have been selected because of their performing talent just irritates me because, especially the younger children, are frequently forgetting the steps, are in the wrong place, or have no awareness of how their body moves, making the dances look sloppy at times.
So, I’ve finally seen The Sound of Music, and I doubt I’ll be in any rush to watch it again. Whilst I definitely enjoyed the experience much more than I thought I would, it hasn’t changed my view of classic Hollywood films. I can see why the film is so beloved and why it was also so successful, the talents of Andrews in particular propelling the film to even greater heights. If you’re a fan of film musicals then The Sound of Music is definitely up your street, and considering I am one of those then I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a good time with it; but buckle up for a long runtime that can at times feel a little bloated.
It’s also an easy thing to find a problem with, but almost none of the von Trapp children can dance, which considering they have been selected because of their performing talent just irritates me because, especially the younger children, are frequently forgetting the steps, are in the wrong place, or have no awareness of how their body moves, making the dances look sloppy at times.
So, I’ve finally seen The Sound of Music, and I doubt I’ll be in any rush to watch it again. Whilst I definitely enjoyed the experience much more than I thought I would, it hasn’t changed my view of classic Hollywood films. I can see why the film is so beloved and why it was also so successful, the talents of Andrews in particular propelling the film to even greater heights. If you’re a fan of film musicals then The Sound of Music is definitely up your street, and considering I am one of those then I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a good time with it; but buckle up for a long runtime that can at times feel a little bloated.