The Sound of Music (1965) User Reviews

The power of music, the joy of music

[o-31546 · 9/10 · 20 June 2017]

The Sound of Music, the sound of freedom.

This classic film is filled with glorious songs and has plenty for hopeless romantics to enjoy. The Sound of Music also effectively works in the tension and foreboding of the time period. Everyone in Austria has to make a choice when the Nazis arrive. Even the nuns in the abbey must make a choice.It's worth discussing with older kids why this was such a tense time and why the Von Trapps made the painful decision to flee the country they loved. It is a movie of catching freedom.

"The Sound of Music" has contributed to the legend which has grown around the true life story of the Trapp family. ------Yidioo

Sometimes saccharine can be a good substitute.

[gbrumburgh · 9/10 · 31 March 2001]

1965's "The Sound of Music" is everything a bad musical should be. Providing more sap than a forest full of Vermont maples, it has coy, silly songs, an inane, innocuous script, and unbelievably sugary characters. So why is it one of my favorite musicals? OK, go ahead. Shoot me at twenty paces. But after all this time, it still remains a guilty pleasure. I find myself going for a tub of rocky road ice cream and Rodgers & Hammerstein's immortal classic whenever the real world gets to be too much. I seem to play it a lot around tax time.

And I'm not alone. Why is it still considered the most popular musical of all time? Well, first of all they spared no expense. The extremely well-produced blockbuster has gorgeous, eye-popping scenery. From the first moment Julie Andrews flails her arms and circles around on that beautiful sunny hillside singing the rousing title song, I know I'm being swept away to another world. I'm not in Kansas anymore...or L.A., anyway. The panoramic Salzburg background complements and never intimidates or takes away from the characters or their story (like the other R & H extravaganza "South Pacific.") That in itself is an incredible feat.

Now about those songs. Almost every one of them is absolute drivel. So what makes them work? Easy. The utter joy and sincerity of the cast who sings the infectious, hummable tunes, which are backed by extremely moving orchestrations and an exceptionally beautiful score. It's hard to resist Maria prancing about, pillow-fighting with a bunch of knee-highs and gushing about her most favorite things. Or the austere Captain Von Trapp (the meticulous Christopher Plummer) turning to butter after hearing his brood sing in perfect harmony for the first time (with no prior lessons even) and joining right in. Or the Mother Superior's soaring number that unknowingly forewarns Maria to head for the hills (I mean, mountains) before the Nazis escort them elsewhere. Or the 16-year-old going on 17 squealing with delight after receiving her first kiss. Or the kids working up a clever little ditty to leave their formal party guests when its time for bed. Or two people declaring their love in a moonlit gazebo. The songs work because they come straight from and aim for the heart, not the head, which is exactly the place the viewer should be coming from when watching this movie. If the songs don't transcend the script (which they didn't prior to the 70s), they certainly transcend the mood.

The script is undeniably trite and probably the film's weakest link. But again, the characters play it straight all the way. Not one actor looks embarrassed. Every scene is done with total enthusiasm and total commitment, and the performers who are telling the story are pitch-perfect and picture perfect.

And as for the characters. Try and think of anybody better than jubilant, crop-haired Julie Andrews as a postulant nun who has gorgeous pipes, can make play clothes out of curtains, can set up and operate marionette shows at the drop of a hat, and is confident enough to convince a man that a failed nun is ideal marriage material. I certainly can't. Thank heavens for her Oscar-winning "Mary Poppins" the year before or we might have gotten Julie LONDON instead! After all, Andrews did lose out on "My Fair Lady" the year before. But now certifiably bankable, she proved she could handle this dream role. Andrews is cutely silly, cutely stubborn, cutely astute, cutely shattered and cutely...well, cute. She gives the most wholesomely appealing musical perf since Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz." To actually make you forget Mary Martin in the Broadway role takes some doing and she does it effortlessly. Christopher Plummer is all seriousness, handsomely patrician, and quite a catch for anybody...much less a nun. I can't think of anyone more suitable for this role either. As for the Seven Little Foys, I mean the Von Trapp children, they are adorable and perfect in their own ways too, whether they are marching or singing, creating their own individual personalities by film's end.

Richard Haydn as Max and Eleanor Parker as the flamboyant, haughty Baroness provide wonderful catty relief. Despite having their musical numbers snatched away from them, they make up for it with droll, sophisticated humor. The elegant, perfectly coiffed Parker is particularly delicious as Maria's chief romantic rival, getting some of the film's best zingers and delivering them with biting understatement. Parker developed a devout cult following after this role. Peggy Wood's Mother Superior is suitably reverent and inspiring.

For those who tear "The Sound of Music" apart for its shameless, sugar-coated manipulations, well, I can respect that. But to attack it for its political and historical inaccuracies is like attacking "Peter Pan" for being a subversive plot that encourages young children to run away from home. It's ludicrous. Despite the fact that it's based on a true story, we're not watching "The Sound of Music" for stark realism. Like a sparkling and lavish Ernst Lubitsch operetta, we want a feel-good movie, with feel-good songs, with a feel-good story, and a feel-good ending. Nothing more. If you want a movie that presents a potent depiction of pre-war Austria or anti-Nazi sentiment, rent "Holocaust" or "Schindler's List." Here, we want to believe that a group of nuns can tear out an automobile carburetor and save the world! Period.

I suppose the reality-based MTV generation cannot truly respect or relate to the relative innocence and pure escapism like "The Sound of Music." If this movie was made today I'm afraid the Von Trapp children would not be dangling out of trees for fear of drive-by shooters. It's a tough new world today, sad to say. The 50s and 60s are looking better all the time.

Anyway, for what it's worth, "The Sound of Music" is indeed schmaltz, but its QUALITY schmaltz at its very, very best.

The best ever musical about an Austrian folk singing nun

[Pedro_H · 8/10 · 13 May 2003]

A spirited nun leaves her convent and becomes a governess in pre-war Austria. Here she teaches the six children about love, life and music against the growing threat of Nazism.

Your fingers hesitate on the keyboard before making comment on a film that is more a phenomena than a stretch of celluloid. This wasn't just a smash hit in the normal western markets - it also went huge everywhere and has stayed huge. The whole Indian film industry is descended from the template set down here.

While this was a well regarded stage musical, this wasn't seen as a natural box office smash (a musical based on the life of a nun!) and was probably thrown to Robert Wise (more an action - than a music - man) because he was known for being able to operate well on a budget (all those B pics!)

It was just as well, production was hellish: They had forgotten (didn't know?) how moody the European weather could be (even in Summer) and the genuine Austrian period folk songs didn't shine (new ones were quickly written); and beyond that many of the children had no real film acting experience.

The success of the film is nothing but a bag of paradoxes, the must striking being that is was old fashioned even when it was released. Beat based pop music was dominating the sales charts and the sixties were beginning to swing. Hem lines were going up hair lines were going down and James Bond had already introduced casual sex and violence to the screen.

This may have been made in 1965 - but it could easily have been made 20 years earlier and is the (off-screen) product of people that probably were coming to the end of their best creative period. Oscar and Hammerstein had already penned most of their famous musicals and must have been amazed that they struck their largest gold reserve so late in the day.

As Noel Coward once observed, the one thing that critics overlook is that the public are looking for simple minded entertainment, not messages or meaning. And this is both simple minded and entertaining (if you can live with heavy schmaltz). There are certainly no messages, unless you need to be told that love and music are good and Nazi take-overs are bad!

The songs don't so much act as light relief, but provide the film with a life support machine. As drama the whole thing can't get out of second gear - even the Nazi threat doesn't raise the drama level beyond village theatre. I also guess we are supposed to know what these people really represent from other sources?

Julie Andrews performance is massively underrated. Here is someone that has to sing, dance and act with children (sometimes all at the same time!) and yet makes it look easy, natural and spontaneous. When has, say, Robert De Niro ever done anything as technically difficult as this?

In many ways SOM is bullet proof (can you imagine Mel Brooks/Jerry Zucker doing a spoof?) family entertainment. A plot everyone can follow, charming children, excellent score, pretty scenery, perfect lead and a happy ending - if not for the rest of war torn Europe!

As a footnote. Twentieth Century Fox lost all the profits they made on this film on musical follow ups that included Hello Dolly, Star and Dr Dolittle - which makes clear that the whole thing was, indeed, just a giant happy accident and musicals were not what the audience secretly wanted all along.

We are alive with The Sound Of Music

[duffjerroldorg · 10/10 · 12 April 2017]

Let me confess I'm not a Catholic, I don't have children, I can't stand schmaltz and yet I love The Sound Of Music. I've tried to explain this to myself, let alone to others, without ever finding a satisfactory answer. Yesterday I sat to see it again with a group of kids who hadn't seen it before. They all loved it even the ones who loved Transporters. I asked them afterwards why did they loved it so much and a 12 year old boy's reply was: "It makes you feel alive" Wow, I thought, Wow! Of course, that's what I felt too and a 12 year old found the perfect words to express my feelings. Julie Andrews is a the center of this little miracle. She is Sister Maria and her wishes, thoughts and fears are recognizable automatically, because they are, in many ways, my same wishes, thoughts and fears. Perfect. Thank you.

Pure cinematic magic, won Best Picture of the Year and rightfully so!

[jacobs-greenwood · 10/10 · 11 December 2016]

Capitalizing on two "hot" properties of the early sixties, director Robert Wise and the infinitely talented Julie Andrews, this film delivers some pure cinematic magic like none before it nor since, especially the sequences which feature the songs "Do Re Mi" (#88 on AFI's 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time) through the streets of Salzburg and "The Lonely Goatherd", performed with puppets.

These, among others, helped it capture the Best Picture Oscar that year over David Lean's Doctor Zhivago (1965), Stanley Kramer's Ship of Fools (1965), A Thousand Clowns (1965), and Darling (1965), which (like Doctor Zhivago (1965), also) features Julie Christie, in her Oscar winning Best Actress performance. Wise, who would later receive the Irving G. Thalberg Award from the Academy, picked up his second Best Director Oscar for this film; Andrews her second consecutive Best Actress nomination (she'd won for her film debut in Mary Poppins (1964)).

Written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse (and Maria von Trapp's novel), Ernest Lehman's screenplay tells the story of the Austrian von Trapp family who, after their first public performance as a singing group, fled when Hitler annexed their country (the Anschluss) in March, 1938. The real von Trapp family had performed all over Europe because Maria, with the help of a local priest (fashioned as Max Detweiler, played by Richard Haydn, in the film), had turned the family's hobby into a profession when an Austrian bank crash caused Georg to lose his fortune.

Though this musical is almost three hours in length, the plot interspersed with magnificent Rodgers & Hammerstein songs (helping the film to win the Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment) keep it from feeling overlong.

In fact, it's the kind of film, like The Wizard of Oz (1939), that one can watch every year and never tire of it. The title song is #10 on AFI's 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time; "My Favorite Things" is #64. And no one can forget (how do you solve a problem like) "Maria", sung in part by Marni Nixon (known for dubbing Deborah Kerr, Natalie Wood, and Audrey Hepburn in The King and I (1956), West Side Story (1961), and My Fair Lady (1964), respectively) in one of her only on-screen appearances as Sister Sophia ... or "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", "Edelweiss" and "So Long, Farewell", especially little Kym Karath's "goodbye" in the reprise, as the seven year old Gretl. Each of these tunes, and their just right lyrics, move the story along such that one never has cause to look at one's watch to wonder "when will it end?". The film's Sound and Editing, as evidenced in the aforementioned "Do Re Mi" and "The Lonely Goatherd" numbers, also won Academy Awards.

Christopher Plummer (whose singing voice was dubbed by Bill Lee) is terrific as the stern aristocrat widower who marries his governess after she, and his children, had helped the Captain to rediscover song, love, and what it means to be a father. The cast of kids is marvelous, the most recognizable of which is Angela Cartwright as Brigitta, who would go on to star in the TV series Lost in Space that same year. Nicholas Hammond, Friedrich, also had a television career which included playing roles in several series, most notably as Spiderman. Heather Menzies's (Louisa) TV career was shorter. Charmian Carr gives a strong performance as the eldest child Liesl who's "Sixteen going on Seventeen". Peggy Wood's head Mother Abbess (whose singing voice was dubbed by Margery McKay) earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. Her best line "Him?!", after which she immediately excuses Sister Margaretta (Anna Lee), when Maria is telling her why she's returned to the abbey.

I also especially like the "dueling" Sisters, Margaretta and Berthe (Portia Nelson) who, despite their disparate feelings towards Maria's suitability as a nun, work together to foil the Nazis in the end. Ben Wright plays a credible Herr Zeller. The recognizable Norma Varden is Frau Schmidt, the von Trapp's housekeeper. And to have the great Eleanor Parker in a supporting role as the Baroness, who presumably doesn't sing or perform (she that forgot her harmonica), such ironic and fortunate casting! Also, Maria von Trapp herself appears briefly, uncredited, during the "I Have Confidence" number.

The film's Color Art Direction-Set Decoration, Cinematography, Costume Design also received Oscar nominations. Plus, besides being added to the National Film Registry in 2001, the film is #55 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movies list and #27 on AFI's 100 Greatest Love Stories list. #41 on AFI's 100 Most Inspiring Movies list. #4 on AFI's 25 Greatest Movie Musicals list.

One of the best family movie night film's ever made, make it an annual tradition in yours!

I couldn't fault a thing! A Masterpiece

[littlemanzone · 10/10 · 17 December 2015]

I've grown up with every Female generation in my Family Singing these Songs, so it's surprising I've only just got round to watching this now. I had no idea this Movie was so Dark! Starting with the Joyful opening which slowly progresses to an unpredictable Sinister Storyline.

This is Top Cinema at it's best!! The Costumes, The Settings, The Actors, The catchy Song writing all get Top Marks from me. I even found myself so engrossed and feeling anxious with sudden urges to shout at the Screen, especially near the End.

I couldn't fault a thing! It's such a shame that modern Film makers seen to have lost the ability to write such Masterpieces anymore. A Brilliant Movie!!!

Just a classic that will never get old

[brett-76260 · 10/10 · 28 April 2018]

Song and dance is definitely not my thing. However I've seen this movie dozens and dozens of times overs the years. It never gets old... if you have never seen it it's well worth your time. They just don't make them like this anymore. Rent it or buy it, a true classic that is perfect from start to finish...

The Sound of Music rules because it has everything.

[VonTrapp · 9 August 1999]

While many people agree that the Sound of Music is one of the best films of all time, some are at a loss to adequately explain why; they buckle under and admit that there are parts that are syrupy, etc. Well, I'll tell you why it's the best movie ever (and I DON'T agree that it's too syrupy). It simply has everything one could want in a movie. First of all, it has a REAL romance - one where you can watch the characters slowly fall in love. It's not like today's movies where two characters meet and the next scene is them waking up together. Secondly, it has humor. Not syrupy or corny humor, but very wry, dry tongue-in-cheek humor. For evidence, look at the quotes. Baronness Schraeder is especially well-done in this regard. Her comments simply drip with ice. "Good bye, Maria. I'm sure you'll make a fine nun." You want to smack her. Thirdly, it's got adventure. The Nazis are the ultimate villains in any movie - WWII was as clear a case of good vs. evil as you can find, making it great fodder for films - and so it's great to see Maria, the Captain and the kids outwit them. Fourthly, it's got great music. Fifthy, it's got great scenery. And the plot and dialogue are astounding. I find new things to admire each time I watch. Finally, is there a greater scene in any movie than the nuns revealing the stolen Nazi car parts??? "The Sound of Music" does not just succeed because it cheers people up with syrup or song. It succeeds because it is a wonderfully-constructed, wonderfully-written, wonderfully-acted, brilliant movie. For me, no other movie can compare. Not to be obsessed with it or anything. :)

Very joyful but not cheesy so it works

[saraccan · 7/10 · 25 March 2018]

Personally I'm not so crazy about musicals but this one I actually enjoyed. I thought that all the singing and dancing stuff is really carefully placed so it never took me out from the story, instead it did the opposite.

It's about a troublemaker nun who becomes a governess for seven children and accidentally falls in love with their super rich widowed father.

Fantastic family friendly musical classic

[davispittman · 10/10 · 26 October 2017]

The Sound of Music (1965) is an all time classic family musical that has always been one of my favorites. Ever since I was child, I would watch this movie and just love every minute of it. This movie really was destined for greatness from the beginning, anyone at all could have seen that. Between the A list cast, great performances, top notch singing, and the enchanting story.... there's no wonder people still love it to death. Julie Andrews stars as Maria, who is a nun, but not a very good one, and she gets sent to be a governess to the Von Trapp family. The Von Trapp family is a very well to do family in Austria. The father is a former captain and the mother died some time ago. Christopher Plummer plays captain Von Trapp, and he does a great job. Every member of the cast does a great job with their performances, both singing and non. The singing alone in this film is just astounding, every single musical number is just as good, if not better than the previous one. If you do not care for musicals, then I wouldn't really suggest this movie to you. It really is a lot of singing, but it is great singing by talented artists, which is really why it will forever have a place in classic great cinema. 10/10 for The Sound of Music. Enchanting story with lovely entertaining music.

Classic musical.

[DB-55 · 7/10 · 30 September 1999]

A movie made in a time when directors like Robert Wise who knew how to craft a musical were still around. Suffers terribly when viewed on a small screen since the brilliant cinematography is such an integral factor of the movie. Get the newer THX widescreen video version and you will see a glimpse of what the film would be like on a big screen. The movie still holds up well to nineties standards but may be a little sugary for hardened modern moviegoers, used to a diet of violence and profanity. Wise manages to make Julie Andrews look both virginal and alluring at the same time, which is essential for the plot to work. It is hard to imagine the movie with any other actress than Andrews playing Maria's part. Some may criticize Roger and Hammerstein as not being in the same league as other noted movie composers, but here the combination of composers/director/actors all comes together in a way seldom matched.

The Sights & Sounds of The Sound Of Music

[happipuppi13 · 10/10 · 6 August 2015]

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

A few days ago I was thinking,"What Best Picutre winner should I choose for a review?" Many to choose from of course.

The answer came to me when I chose to & replayed this wonderful film since it had been a few years since seeing it.

I recall on The Oprah Winfrey Show ,she had Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and all 7 of the, now grown, child actors who played the Von Trapp children. It was the first time they'd all been together in one place since 1965 and it was a very touching reunion.

Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, The Sound Of Music was on TV every year and when you're a kid, it usually is the first "Best Picture" Oscar winner that you ever see in your life, without even knowing it.

When you see it the first time, the moment you see Andrews in the hills and that sweeping camera shot, you know it's going to be something great.

Like many kids, it was only natural I'd like songs like "Do-Re-Mi", "My Favorite Things", "So Long, Farewell" and "The Lonely Goatherd" (or "The Yodeling Song" as some call it) and more. I liked "Edelweiss" and "Climb Every Mountain" but not until when I was older. It was on every year in our house.

Julie Andrews' singing voice is no longer of this caliber but it's great that we have her in this and "Mary Poppins" and other movies, where we can marvel at her vocal abilities back then.

Plummer turns in a somewhat serious but enjoyable performance. Going from stern and inflexible, then back to the father the children knew when their mother was alive, fair and loving and (of course) singing.

Every kid has their own memorable moments as well The family's togetherness and fun is disrupted by the infiltration of the wretched Nazi party. They know they have to escape their own country now or live under the rule of a cruel & heartless dictatorship.

That leads to the most exciting part of the movie. The clever departure after the concert, chase through the city and eventual escape over the mountains.

The Sound Of Music, as we know, was a phenomenal success when it was released in March of 1965. It deservedly won for Best Picture and it's other categories.

That success came about because it's simply a movie that the whole family and even those without families can enjoy. Which is why it's still so highly acclaimed even now .

Lastly, because the people behind the scenes, as well as Andrews & Plummer themselves, made sure the film had an equal balance of fun and that of the serious as well. A job and movie, well done

Sounds like ten stars, for all time. (END)

The film, while not without its discrepancies, is a delight for all to enjoy.

[jlmeyers-1 · 7/10 · 27 November 2006]

The Sound of Music has been, and probably always will be, one of my favorite films. While the historical discrepancies throughout the film are noticeable, and it does not correctly portray aspects of Austria during the time - that cannot be held accountable in the movie, because that is in fact what it is. A fictional movie based off of a Broadway musical. One cannot help but love the amiable and family-oriented film. Julie Andrews has a wonderful voice, and portrays the role of Maria as the optimistic nun who become nanny and then mother to the Von Trapp family well. Plummer, is not particularly my favorite character but he also portrays the captain in a decent manner.

Wise is a experienced director and his experience is seen through the popularity and wonderful clips and action of the film. The songs of the movie are playful and fun to sing along with, and easily get stuck in your head. Overall I like the film and would definitely consider it well deserving of all is Awards and nominations.

Syrup!

[yenlo · 5/10 · 7 September 2000]

A good film but beware it's loaded with a very heavy dose of syrup. The characters are plastic and somewhat on the non-believable side. The scenery is perhaps the best part of the film. Based on a true story it wavers much from the actual true tale of the Von Trapp family. Yet to be a musical it would have to.

In My Personal Top-Ten of All Time

[dweck · 8 December 1998]

Has Julie Andrews ever appeared on film more beautifully than in this film? Has she ever sung with such richness and gusto as is captured here? As a big fan of hers, I can watch this musical over and over and just sigh.

Wise and his cinematographer have photographed Andrews in a manner that no other director has--even her husband. Watch the scene where Maria watches the Captain sing Edelweiss with the kids. Wise turns her into a gauzy angel. It is a fantastic moment among hundreds that this movie contains.

I am firmly in a camp that says Julie Andrews was completely, utterly, and regrettably robbed when the 1965 Oscars were handed out. She embodied Maria Von Trapp, wholly and with every fiber of her being (just watch the scene in which she races the boys in a segment of "Do-Re-Mi"; she runs at the camera with utter abandon here, no holding back. Or consider the shot at the end of this song, where she places her hand atop her head--it's as if even SHE can't believe she's hitting that note).

The Julie Christie performance that beat Andrews is now all but forgotton. "The Sound of Music," however, lives on and on.

"The Sound of Music" is a bit bittersweet for me, given that audiences tastes would soon turn away from big-budget musicals in general and Julie Andrews specifically. But what a legacy it (and she) have left!

Beautiful. Best musical film ever.

[The_Shawshank_Inception · 10/10 · 25 March 2017]

Not many films can achieve the flat out beauty that you see in The Sound of Music. The mesmerizing European landscapes and Julie Andrews' voice, not to mention the cute performances by the children, especially in their goodbye song, make this film not only the best musical of all time, but one of the best films of all time.

Yes, I did say best musical. Singin in the rain is sewer water compared to this. Not that Singin is a bad musical, but not as good. The Wizard of Oz is learning how to make fire, The Sound of music is inventing the Flying car.

This film is timeless, beautiful, inspiring, and uplifting, but I would advise that anyone who watches this would be mature enough, for anyone under the age of 15 will brush this movie aside, saying it is lame so as to maintain their level of coolness. I saw this happen when I asked my little sisters to watch it with me. They rolled their eyes and said the movie was terrible and boring. If only they understood. You have to have an open mind, and forget everything every little kid has said negative about this film. I never wanted to watch this, but some fellow high school seniors RECOMMENDED it to me. Obviously they had open minds, and they didn't care if they looked cool or not. Please watch this movie. It will make you happy, and it is so beautiful, you will almost cry. I had never really liked musicals, and perhaps I still do not overly enjoy them, but this film in all its beauty cut right through that barrier and took me with it to heaven, which is where it should belong, not on this horrible place where people condemn a musical film for being almost three hours.

To simply conclude, you will never see a more heart-stopping beautiful movie in your life.

Earns every Oscar

[jmbwithcats · 10/10 · 1 January 2016]

The Sound of Music (1965)

For all the liberties made to historical accuracy, I think it goes without saying, a movie is being made, and without certain poetic license, the bird of genius cannot fly, so leeway must be given... and in so doing here, a truly important and beautiful result is made.

Captain Von Trapp's (Christopher Plummer) stone intensity as a disciplinarian who has forgotten how to love, who has lost his inner music after the death of his wife, is softened and freed through the inspiring lightness of Maria's (Julie Andrews) enchanting entrance into he and his seven children's life as the house's new Governess...

While the leads balance each other, the sweetness of the music is equally balanced by the sobriety of the situation in which they find themselves, during the Nazi occupation of Austria.

What intrigues me is that in the song "16 Going on 17" the young boy Rolf who appears to be in love with Leisl warns her of being seduced by men, but in the end it is he who is seduced, by the Nazis... and it is so often the case in life that while teaching others we grow cocky and forget that we too are still students, and capable of falling prey to our own folly...

We also must understand though, even as the Von Trapp family escapes over the Alps to Freedom (the truth is they fled by train during the day to Italy), that those who helped them may not get off so lightly even though it is unshown in the film... the nuns who would obviously be recognized as having helped them by removing the car's carburetor, the man at the festival would likely be found complicit in helping them escape, and I mention them because it is impossible not to think of those who gave their lives to help so many escape the Nazis tyranny, and now it is our turn to help new refugees escape tyranny... the more that things change, the more they stay the same...

I am an emotional person, and connecting emotionally with characters does help enjoyment, but also confirms bias and dilutes objectivity for sure... but ultimately, I believe The Sound of Music earns all five of its Oscars.

The Amazon film ends with a one-hour behind the scenes look into the film and the Von Trapp family hosted by Julie Andrews. A perfect way to end the film.

And like Maria, like Julie Andrews, my life is truly eased through singing my music, so perhaps as a singer, as a Jew, I relate quite intimately with the story.

And it is true as is sung in the movie, and I leave you with that idea now...

"My heart will be blessed with the sound of music. And I'll sing once more."

No home should be without a copy of this timeless classic!

[Abi C · 10/10 · 13 November 1999]

This has to be the greatest musical of all time. An amazing musical score and stunning choreography, no home should be without a copy of this timeless classic.

This musical is known by everybody and is suitable for all ages. A Happy family film with no sex, violence or bad language. The young actors playing the roles of the von Trapp children are amazing and Andrews gives a performance to be remembered for a lifetime as Maria, a young Nun who becomes a cheerful governess.

This is definately a family movie to be watched together on a Sunday Afternoon!!

Would you even want to solve a problem like Maria? She's wonderful!

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 10/10 · 23 February 2005]

Sound of Music is one of the best musicals of all time displaying one of the greatest voices to ever be heard on the silver screen: Julie Andrews. What a wonderful movie that not only I grew up with but still treasure to this day. Sound of Music has everything you could ask for: romance, humor, singing, dancing and a wonderful cast that put their heart and soul into this film. All the songs are recognizable, although I admit that still hearing "Few Favorite Things" is strange during Christmas time. But moving on, Sound of Music is a classic film that is still incredible to watch and I always enjoy slipping into my DVD player to this day.

Maria, a young nun in an Austrian convent who regularly misses her morning prayers because she enjoys going to the hills to sing the title song. Deciding that Maria needs to learn something about the real world before she can take her vows, the Mother Superior sends her off to be governess for the children of the widowed Captain Von Trapp. Arriving at the Trapp home, Maria discovers that her new boss is cold and aloof, and his seven children virtual automatons-at least, whenever the Captain is around. Otherwise, the kids are holy terrors, as evidenced by the fact that Maria is the latest in a long line of governesses. But Maria soon ingratiates herself with the children, especially oldest daughter Liesl, who is in love with teenaged messenger boy Rolf. As Maria herself begins to fall in love with the Captain, she rushes back to the Abbey so as not to complicate his impending marriage to a glamorous baroness. But the children insist that Maria return, the Baroness steps out of the picture, and Maria and the Captain confirm their love in the song "Something Good." Unhappily, they return home from their honeymoon shortly after the Nazis march into Austria. Already, swastikas have been hung on the Von Trapp ancestral home, and Liesl's boyfriend Rolf has been indoctrinated in the "glories" of the Third Reich. The biggest blow occurs when Von Trapp is called back to active duty in the service of the Fuhrer. The Captain wants nothing to do with Nazism, and he begins making plans to take himself and his family out of Austria.

Julie Andrews had come off fresh from Mary Poppins, which her character wasn't that far from being the nanny caring for children with a stuffy father. But the thing that made this film so special is that you honestly feel the love between Maria and Von Trapp, what a wonderful love story they had. The film is a bit long, but back in the day they had intermissions and oh, boy do I miss that. Come on, Lord of the Rings could have used one of those lol. Back onto Sound of Music, my favorite song is probably "Confidence in Me", such life to it due to Julie's beautiful voice and her dancing along the sidewalk could make anyone want to do the same thing. I love The Sound of Music, my boyfriend who hates musicals and said this was the crown of the worst, I asked him to watch it with me to see if he would give it another chance, I glanced over to see him singing a little to the songs! He finally admitted that the songs are very catchy, so see? You can find any little positive thing to say about this film, The Sound of Music brings you to life and you can't help but fall in love with this spectacular musical.

10/10

Strong on songs and location and charm; weak on passion!

[Paddy-49 · 7/10 · 3 December 2004]

That 'The Sound of Music' (SOM) is a greatly changed version of the true story of the Trapp Family Singers doesn't really matter much. It does not claim to be an accurate documentary – what it is is one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's (R&H) finest musicals and like most of their work it has more to it than just the songs. From Oklahoma onwards R&H created a series of musical plays all of which had semi-hidden dark undercurrents. So whilst SOM is at times rather over sweet there is enough substance to the story to make it rather more than a good couple of hours of jolly escapism. Robert Wise's film version moves at a cracking pace until the rather long drawn out denouement after the Salzburg concert. The Nazis search for the family in the Abbey just goes on and on!

SOM is a love story and some may find that the falling in love of the Captain and Maria really does not fire particularly well. I realize that this is a family movie (and one made in 1965) so we cannot expect too much overt passion – but neither Julie Andrews nor Christopher Plummer really convinces as a character suddenly consumed with romantic fervour! Their eventual embrace seems improbable and rather stagy. You certainly don't get the feeling that they are in a rush to rip one another's clothes off! Far sexier is the superb Eleanor Parker who not only looks fantastic as the Baroness but manages to convey a much earthier attraction for the Captain. Similarly Charmain Carr as Lisl ('Sixteen going on Seventeen') is actually very adult and appealing in her feelings for the telegram boy Rolf. Ms Carr was in fact twenty-two going on twenty-three when she performed the role and you fell that she could give some tips to Maria rather than the other way around!

So although SOM is an unconvincing love story that does not seriously diminish its appeal as a movie. Julie Andrews is superb as the children's friend and the release from the straightjacket that she engineers for them is convincing. When she stands up to the Captain early on you feel that this is driven by a very genuine and almost innocent determination to set them free. There is no self-interest at play here - she does it because she thinks that it is right. Ms Andrews made SOM the year after Mary Poppins and frankly she continues the Mary Poppins character into Maria. Hence her performance works as the eccentric governess where it certainly does not as a portrayal of a young woman in love.

You will want to see SOM because of the wonderful music and lyrics, the marvelous scenery in the location shots around Salzburg and the collective performance of the cast. The Oscars got it about right. Best picture, best direction, best editing, best music and best sound. But there were no actors Oscar's (although Julie Andrews and Peggy Wood were nominated) and, in truth, none of the individual performances is particularly worthy of much more than a special mention. No disrespect to Ms Andrews or Mr Plummer but the roles did really call for a bit more than they were able to give if we were to be convinced of the love that was supposed to be developing between them!

My favourite movie of all time!

[Calysta · 10/10 · 12 January 2000]

Watching my Mother dancing and singing to the songs of "The Sound of Music" at the age of five was incredibly disturbing. It was seven years before anyone was able to sit me down in front of the T.V to the musical during the annual telecast in Sydney. Almost to my horror, I was falling in love with the musical. More than two years later, not a single movie has been able to pass it in my favourite movies stakes.

I have made judgemental mistakes with great movies. Greats like "Casablanca", "The African Queen" and "The Wizard of Oz" have originally also been frowned upon.

"The Sound of Music" expanded my horizons on the movie world. I eventually went on to view non-musical classics as a result of this single movie, and now old classic movies have become a genuine passion.

Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote their greatest work in the form of their last musical, despite the fact it was "Carousel" that was their favourite. Although the changes made from the original stage production have now been evident in the arrival of the excellent musical currently playing in Sydney, much have been for the better. Throughout their career, the duo created immortal musicals, but in story, song and film, "The Sound of Music" surpasses "The King and I", "Oklahoma!", "Carousel" and "South Pacific" in all aspects.

We all know the story. We know of at least one of the immortal songs from the musical, "The Sound of Music", "My Favourite Things", "Do-Re-Mi" or "Edelweiss". Julie Andrews was believable and unforgettable as the sweet, outspoken novice nun turned governess, who should have taken out the oscar that year. Christopher Plummer was dashing as the Captain, and the supporting cast was one of the best I have ever seen. Fond memories have been remembered from some of the unforgettable sequences of this film that deservedly made it the best picture of 1965.

Yes, there are sugary elements in the movie that cannot be denied. But this movie has never been reliant upon sex, violence or drugs to make it one of the best things to come out of Hollywood. It can be appreciated truly for what it is, pure art, talent and spirit. It is not a real perception of the world nowadays, but for all the joy it brings, who cares?

It was the last movie I expected to love as a fourteen year old. It was also the first movie I watched in seven years that could manage to make me shed tears, and view it in loving admiration which cannot be equalled.

"Singin' In the Rain" is the only other contender to the title of "The greatest movie ever made". Whatever its flaws, "The Sound of Music" is one of the worlds best loved treasures which keeps bringing generations of viewers to its attention.

Rating: 10/10

Salzburg!

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 2 November 2009]

The only reason for watching again this 1965 musical was the new release of the Blu-Ray DVD. Having seen at a young age the wonderful Broadway production starring Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel, the movie version that followed greatly enhanced a work, that in its own merit, didn't need any improvement. As directed by Robert Wise, right after his triumphant "West Side Story", we were stunned to see how the director had opened up the film by placing the action just where it was supposed to have been taken place, the cinematic and gorgeous Salzburg.

The new version we just saw is as splendid as when the film was originally released, but somehow in second viewing, we started to notice how sadly it has aged. Our first impression was much better than on second viewing because the original seemed larger than life. In fact, our copy of the film, even with the fine restoration cannot compare with the sensation of watching in a wide screen, which we believe was at the old Roxy where it played for quite a long time. Those were the days of exclusive engagements and this film qualified for it big time! Julie Andrews was at one of the highest points of her career, and as Maria her contribution to the overall enjoyment is invaluable. Christopher Plummer was an ideal Capt. Von Trapp. Eleanor Parker's Baroness has enough parts of charm and bitchiness seeing her man stolen by a novice in charge of those brats she would have inherited had she married the Captain.

The real star of this production was Salzburg, that beautiful Austrian city that has kept its charm throughout history and the surrounding countryside is breathtaking. The film owes a lot to its cinematographer Ted McCourd who captured the magnificent locale in such a loving way. The music of Rogers and Hammerstein blends well within the context of the picture. It is a tribute to Robert Wise this film has endured the passing of time.

It just gains more and more fans every year

[gerry-russell-139 · 10/10 · 2 February 2002]

"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. In my opinion, and I don't think I'm alone here, Martin was too old for the part (she was in her mid to late 40s in the stage version and Andrews was 30 when the transition came to film came around--a perfect age). 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'.

A very romanticized telling of a virtuous female's coming of age story...

[tdunlavey-802-525091 · 7/10 · 15 December 2013]

People like this movie because of the ideals it represents. Now a days it's a rarity to see such ideas being put forth in cinematic form. No Way! It was nearly in rare form when it came out.

The Story is about Maria, a faithful believer in God. It starts with her trying to do her best at being a nun and failing. Thus, moving her into the story line of her finding her life. The music and the production are the backdrop to this.

The production has nothing to do with real life Austria except that it's filmed on location there and the scenery is breathtaking. If you're from Europe or are German/Austrian you probably going to find the whole thing to be laughable if not offensively American. But it's a Hollywood film and the story and musical were written in America.

In spite that, the production and direction of movie are very, very Well Done. Robert Wise new what he wanted from this movie and he stylized the whole thing to create a very nice pastel hues atmosphere to go along with the very Idealistic story.

I read one reviewer who said that Andrews deserved an Oscar for her part. Blah! The parts were not that hard to act...the characters aren't dramatic. That being said, the actors in the movie were very fine actors and played their parts very well...Eleanor Parker, Chris plummer. If you watch the movie enough times, and you start paying attention to the faces of each character throughout the movie you realize everyone of them stays in character through out all of their scenes. especially Parker and Andrews. their faces are always reacting to exactly what's being said. It's just actors who know their craft and very good and superb direction.

However, I don't know if anyone could have played the part as iconic-ally as Andrews did. I also don't think this movie would've been as popular had she not been the female actress to play the part. her sweet persona and voice just do the virtuous, honest Maria Von Trapp role so succinctly. She's truly beautiful in this movie.

it's by no means a mind blowing drama. It's a very romantic movie (Happy Ideals being hyperbole-ed). It's the wholesomeness of this movie, the archetype "Mother" figure who comes in and saves the day that people really enjoy. They like the fantasy of it all very much to the point that I believe it gives them hope. Other critics laugh at it or are disgusted by it's over use of saccharin, but the movie's cultural following speaks for itself.

The lyrics of the songs are Great. Climb Every Mountain is a beautiful song..if you really feel the message of that song, it will get you every time. I saw another reviewer complain about how ridiculous the scene between Maria and the Mother Superior was.."could not take anymore". I was like "What?!" that's like the best part of the whole movie. Such a wonderful scene of a nun in modern culture opening up and being vulnerable to a student..Leading by Example. The song is perfect in taking the place of the dialogue. Such a powerful moment in the movie.

The one song in the entirety of the movie I don't like and wish they would have written differently is the "somewhere" song that the Captain and Maria use as a duet. I don't think the lyrics have anything to do with the movie and it's clear they created it to add to the kissing seen for the romance. I don't mind them singing together and enjoy the intimate romance of the moment but the song sucks. It needed different lyrics.

In the end, I believe this movie deserved the best picture Oscar in 64...I do not think the actress needed any nods. their parts weren't that difficult. But putting everything together, it all made for quite a very well done movie. Especially for a musical. One of the most mature and professionally made musicals ever to be produced.

Read the book - the movie is hogwash.

[typonaut-2 · 4/10 · 23 November 2000]

possible spoiler.

I love old musicals, and I love the music in Sound of Music. And there's nothing wrong with the acting. But the movie is basically garbage. Maria Von Trapp wanted to sue the producers but found she had sold away this right. She loved the broadway play, but the movie completely distorted the facts of her life and her autobiography. Her husband was actually a gentle, loving father and husband, for starters. And the ending is a complete Hollywood fiction. The family actually left for America on a steamship with a contract for the family to tour the country giving performances. So much for dad Von Trapp despising singing. Christopher Plummer referred to it as "The Sound of Treacle." It's a great movie for children. But these adults who go gaga over it really should read Maria Von Trapp's autobiographies (in two volumes). The true story is much more interesting, and a much more inspiring testament to faith and fate.