When I was growing up, I remember The Sound of Music turning up on television every so often.  For whatever reason, I never watched it.  When I was in the eighth grade, the high school did the stage version for the musical that year.  In choir, we learned many of the songs and watched the movie.  That started my love of the movie and I have seen it many times since then.

A young woman named Maria is planning to become a nun and living in the abbey.  She is liked, though the Mother Abbess and some of the other nuns wonder if she will truly be able to be a nun.  The Mother Abbess decides that Maria needs to spend some time away from the abbey to help her make sure that becoming a nun is truly right for her.  Maria is sent to be the governess of the seven Von Trapp children.  Captain Georg Von Trapp is a former military man and widower who runs his household with military precision.  The seven children have chased off numerous governesses, so Maria has her work cut out for her.  All of this happens while the beginning of World War II draws nearer.

The Sound of Music is based on the true story of the Von Trapp family.  Maria Von Trapp wrote The Story of the Trapp Family Singers which is the basis for the stage musical by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein.  Two movies about the family were made in Austria.  I've never seen the stage version, though I've read that some songs were left out of the movie.  The plot for the musical and movie have been fictionalized somewhat, at times to add more drama.  From what I have read, the family wasn't happy with how stern Georg is portrayed when Maria first arrives.  Also, the way the family leaves Austria is changed for the movie.

One of the negatives to The Sound of Music for some people will be the long running time.  I don't have a problem with the length, though it could be too long for some viewers, especially for children.  If the movie is watched on DVD, people can easily split it up and watch it in a few sittings if that works better for them.  When the movie turns up on television, it is even longer because of the addition of commercials.  The last time I watched it on television was years ago and I was very irked that what I consider to be a rather important scene was cut out, yet the total running time was longer because of the commercials.  I haven't watched it on television for ages because i don't like watching it chopped up like that.

The plot for The Sound of Music really isn't that complex even though a lot of things are going on.  The majority of the movie is focused on Maria and how she helps the children.  For the most part, the movie has a lighthearted tone.  More serious things are briefly touched on throughout the movie.  The lead up to World War II and the Nazi occupation of Austria is handled in a way that makes a decent introduction to those events to younger viewers while not making the entire movie be about them.  A few scenes are slightly overly dramatic, but it really works overall for the movie.

Since The Sound of Music is a musical, there are many songs throughout it.  Various characters break out into song and start dancing at the drop of a hat.  That does seem a bit odd at times with some musicals.  For this one, I think it flows better because it is established right from the beginning that Maria has a love of music and singing.  When she leaves the abbey, she takes a guitar with her and she teaches the children some songs.  The music is beautiful and works wonderfully well for the movie, helping to advance the story.  Even though it had been several years since I last saw the movie, I still remembered the words to almost every song.  The movie also features some beautiful scenery, like in the opening shot when Maria sings the title song.  I have no idea what was filmed in Austria and what was filmed elsewhere, but it all looks good to me.

Maria and the members of the Von Trapp family make up the main characters of The Sound of Music, with Maria receiving a bit more attention than the others.  She is young and full of life and probably not really suited to the life of a nun.  She is unsure of herself when she leaves to be a governess, but she gains confidence as she slowly wins over first the children and then Captain Von Trapp.  She is a very likable character.  Julie Andrews is wonderful in the movie and she sings beautifully.

Captain Von Trapp is a decorated former member of the military who loves his country.  He has dealt with the death of his wife by shutting himself off from others, including his children.  He is very stern and wants things done a certain way.  There is nothing wrong with teaching children to be polite and not act like terrors, but he goes a bit overboard, expecting them to behave perfectly at all times.  Christopher Plummer does really well with the part.  I've read things about the filming of the movie that say he actually hated the filming and the movie, even calling it The Sound of Mucus.  Thankfully his distaste didn't come through in his performance.

The children are in a lot of the movie, but they aren't really developed.  Liesl is the oldest at sixteen and trying to be more mature at times.  She stands out the most to me.  Charmian Carr is all right in the part, though nothing special.  The six other children are around almost as much as Liesl, but I don't think as much is shared about them.  A few nuns are in a couple of scenes.  The Baroness is a woman that Captain Von Trapp is seeing who comes for a visit.  She doesn't seem that nice.  Richard Haydn turns up in some scenes as Max, a friend of the family.  Rolfe is a young man who delivers telegrams that Liesl likes.  He seems nice enough at first, but he turns out to be a jerk.

Main Cast

Julie Andrews - Maria
Charmian Carr - Liesl
Angela Cartwright - Brigitta
Duane Chase - Kurt
Nicholas Hammond - Friedrich
Richard Haydn - Max
Kym Karath - Gretl
Heather Menzies - Louisa
Eleanor Parker - The Baroness
Christopher Plummer - Captain Von Trapp
Daniel Truhitte - Rolfe
Debbie Turner - Marta

Robert Wise - Director

DVD Information

I received my copy of The Sound of Music on DVD a few years ago as a gift.  The only extras on it are a commentary with the director and a DVD-ROM link to web sites and events connected to the movie.  Since I got my copy, at least one more DVD version has been released that contains several extras.  

The Sound of Music is a wonderful movie that has held up well and still deserves to be seen.  Fans of Julie Andrews or of musicals should give it a chance.

This review is part of CaptainD's Good Movie EpiGuide3 Write Off.

Movie Musical Reviews
Aladdin ~ Beauty and the Beast ~ Chicago ~ Dreamgirls ~ Enchanted ~ Grease ~ Hairspray ~ The Little Mermaid ~ Mamma Mia! ~ Moulin Rouge ~ The Nightmare Before Christmas ~ The Rocky Horror Picture Show ~ Phantom of the Opera (2004) ~ Popeye ~ The Producers (2005) ~ Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ~ Tim Burton's Corpse Bride ~

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD