The Sound of Music is a romantic and musical movie which was released on March 2, 1965, in the United States. It was the most successful and highest-grossing film of 1965. The movie is based on the real life story of best known concert group Von Trapp Family singers and their mischievous governess in the era of World War II.
The movie, directed and produced by Robert Wise, features Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in the lead roles. The screenplay of the film was written by Ernest Lehman and George Hurdalek. The shooting took place from March to September 1964 in Los Angeles and Salzburg. The Sound of Music marks the last collaboration between lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960) and composer Richard Rodgers (1902-1979).
The Sound of Music is based on an autobiography The Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp. The film is about a young Austrian postulant who is sent to the villa of a retired naval officer and widower to direct his seven children. After introducing love and music to the family, she marries the officer and lives together with the children.
The film was equally popular around the world, breaking previous box office records in 29 countries. The film sold 283 million admissions around the world and generated a gross total of USD 286 million. In 1998, the American Film Institute (AFI) ranked The Sound of Music as the 55th best American film of all time, as well as the 4th best musical film. In 2001, the Library of Congress of the United States chose the film for conservation purposes in the National Film Registry, finding it historically, culturally and aesthetically significant. The movie has won five Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, one Laurel Award and one National Board of Review Award, among others.
Story of ‘The Sound of Music’
Maria (played by Julie Andrews) is a young and free-spirited Austrian who is studying to be a nun at the Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg in 1938. Her enthusiasm and lack of discipline give rise to some concerns. The Mother Abbess sends Maria to the villa of the retired naval officer, Captain Georg von Trapp (played by Christopher Plummer), to be the governess of his seven children, named Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl. After the death of his wife, the Captain has been raising his children alone with strict military discipline.
Although the children behave badly in the beginning, but Maria’s hostility, understanding, kindness and sense of fun soon attract them to her and bring certain necessary joy into all their lives, including the Captain’s. Through music and various outings, Maria gives the children a new taste of a more fulfilling and more joyful life than they have ever known, and they start love her very much. The Captain gets closer to his children, coming to understand the value and beauty of the freedom that Maria gave them.
In his personal life, the captain has an affair with a rich, cultivated and charming Baroness. But, the captain becomes increasingly captivated by Maria, and falls in love with her, and she also feels a growing affection for him. Feared by the differences, Maria returned to the convent where the Mother Abbess convinces her that she must face reality rather than escape. Then Maria decides to come back to the Captain’s home.
On the other hand, the captain, who had surely concluded that he could never have Maria as his wife, told the Baroness that he loves Maria. Baroness admits to having felt it a long time ago and the engagement is called off.
The captain and Maria get married, but a terrible situation awaits them when they return from their honeymoon – the captain received a telegram from the Third Reich to serve in its navy. As a result of the captain’s refusal to serve the Third Reich, The captain and Maria decide to leave Austria and, after having escaped the chase of some Nazi officers, they leave on foot with the children for the mountains of Switzerland.
Soundtracks of ‘The Sound of Music’
- Alleluia
- Climb Ev’ry Mountain
- Do-Re-Mi
- Edelweiss
- How Can Love Survive
- I Have Confidence
- Maria
- Morning Hymn
- My Favorite Things
- Overture
- Prelude
- Preludium (Dixit Dominus)
- Processional
- Sixteen Going on Seventeen
- So Long, Farewell
- Something Good
- The Lonely Goatherd
- The Sound of Music
Cast of the Movie
Christopher Plummer as Captain von Trapp
Julie Andrews as Maria von Trapp
Charmian Carr as Liesl von Trapp
Nicholas Hammond as Friedrich von Trapp
Heather Menzies as Louisa von Trapp
Duane Chase as Kurt von Trapp
Angela Cartwright as Brigitta von Trapp
Debbie Turner as Marta von Trapp
Kym Karath as Gretl von Trapp
Eleanor Parker as Baroness Elsa von Schraeder
Richard Haydn as Max Detweiler
Peggy Wood as the Mother Abbess
Anna Lee as Sister Margaretta
Portia Nelson as Sister Berthe
Ben Wright as Herr Zeller
Daniel Truhitte as Rolfe
Norma Varden as Frau Schmidt, housekeeper
Gil Stuart as Franz, butler
Marni Nixon as Sister Sophia
Evadne Baker as Sister Bernice
Doris Lloyd as Baroness Ebberfeld