The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
Director: Robert Wise
Cast: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Charmian Carr, Heather Menzies, Kym Kareth, Angela Cartwright, Duane Chase, Nicholas Hammond, Eleanor Parker, Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Anna Lee, Portia Nelson, Evadne Baker, Marni Nixon, Gilchrist Stuart.
Inspired by the tuneful and heartwarming true story, “The Sound of Music” follows the Von Trapp Family singers, one of the world's best-known concert groups, in the era immediately preceding World War II. A beautiful, young postulant, named Maria (Julie Andrews), is asked by the Reverend Mother of the abbey to put aside her ambition of becoming a nun in an Austrian convent, to become a governess to the seven rambunctious children of Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). In the wake of their mother’s tragic death, the von Trapp children have been raised by an endless string of governesses, but their father’s stringent discipline and the absence of their mother have left the children feeling lonely and resentful. Although they are initially suspicious of her, Maria soon wins the hearts of the von Trapp family as she fills their lives with something they have not felt in a very long time: joy.
Mountains play a symbolic role in defining Maria’s path from being a hopeful in the Abbey, to becoming the mother and matriarch of the Von Trapp family.
When Maria is confessing her misbehavior to the Reverend Mother, she tells the wise nun that the mountains are what led Maria to the Abbey. When the older nun chastises Maria that she could have been lost on the mountain, Maria tells the Reverand Mother that she was raised on the mountain and so, she would always know her way home from it. She tells the Reverand Mother that when she was walking down the mountain as a child, Maria was drawn to the nuns singing in the Abbey garden, on their way to vespers, but while half of Maria’s heart yearns to join them and commit her life to God, her vivacious spirit longs for the adventure and freedom she finds in the mountains. The irony comes when Maria is given the chance to have her long-coveted liberty, by leaving the Abbey, and becoming a governess to Captain Von Trapp’s seven children, rather than embracing her liberty, Maria is scared, and yearns for the security of her life in the abbey. Her confidence is restored when she learns that Captain Von Trapp is bringing home the Baroness to be his wife and a mother to the children. Maria believes that this is God’s purpose for her being there…to prepare the children for having a new mother in their lives, instead of a revolving door of nannies. The irony is that Maria, herself, is preparing to become the mother and the matriarch of the Von Trapp family and not the Baroness…and her motherlove for the children is born almost immediately. She comforts the children during the thunderstorm and sings them a song to cheer them up and chase their fears away. She makes the children some play clothes so they can be unique individuals, rather than regimented drones. When the Captain is away, Maria abandons his harsh rules and discipline and takes the children to her beloved mountains. There, she teaches the children to sing and to play and to have fun…and by doing this, she restores the children’s joy and individuality. In contrast, when Baroness Elsa attempts to form a mother-bond with the children, their play looks more painful, rather than fun, their singing is laced with sadness, and the bond between the children and their soon-to-be mother lacks the maternal warmth and love that the children had with Maria. When Maria returns to the Abbey after she realizes that she has fallen in love with the Captain, the Reverend Mother sings the song “Climb Every Mountain” to encourage Maria to follow her heart back to the family, rather than staying locked in seclusion. In the end, Maria and her new family find solace in the mountains when they are hiding from their enemy.
Joy is a powerful theme in this film, and nowhere is joy more perfectly illustrated, than in the characters of Maria and the Von Trapp family and how joy brings them together and makes them a family.
There are two very different worlds woven into the film. The opulent splendor of the von Trapp household, while it gives the impression of warmth and happiness, is a cold, empty shell compared to the vibrant and joyful and vivacious character that is Maria. Frau Schmidt tells Maria that since the children’s mother died, their father has banished music and laughter from his home forever, because he could not bear such painful reminders of his beloved wife. He adopts an austere and regimented style of parenting, forcing his children to behave more like soldiers with their identical uniforms and whistled commands. When the family meets Maria, her vivacious spirit soon pierces the lonely darkness that they have been lost in since the death of their mother, and they very quickly grow to love her. Although the children’s father, Captain von Trapp, is a man whose life is bound by a stringent code of discipline and rules, when he hears his children singing, his frozen heart begins to soften and he, too, allows Maria into his world. When the Captain returns home, with the Baroness, he is outraged to at the state of his children, in their drenched play clothes, but his heart softens when he hears them singing to the Baroness…and after listening to their song, he joins them in singing. Maria’s beautiful gift allowed music to be restored to the Von Trapp home and it allowed a small bit of the Captain’s broken heart to be healed. I believe that Maria restoring music and joy to the home is the catalyst which allows Captain to reconsider and allow his family to sing at the concert.
When Maria realizes that she has fallen in love with Captain von Trapp, she is frightened by these new feelings, and her fear compels her to leave the family and return to the sanctuary of the abbey. When she is gone, the joy that had burned so brightly in the von Trapp family is extinguished, and her own bright spirit is shrouded by pain and uncertainty, as Maria struggles to understand what her heart is telling her. All hope seems lost until the wise Reverend Mother intervenes and tells Maria to put aside her desire to be a nun and embrace her new life with Captain von Trapp and his children. When she returns to the von Trapp family’s home, the joy that was missing in all of their lives is soon restored.
“The Sound of Music” is an extraordinary masterpiece that has endured the passage of time because its story, songs, and characters are timeless. The casting for this movie is flawless, but Julie Andrew’s portrayal of Maria is sheer perfection. The musical score is also stunning, and flows perfectly with the narrative to bring the story to life. I would highly recommend this film.
© 2024 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
The Sound of Music
Director: Robert Wise
Cast: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Charmian Carr, Heather Menzies, Kym Kareth, Angela Cartwright, Duane Chase, Nicholas Hammond, Eleanor Parker, Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Anna Lee, Portia Nelson, Evadne Baker, Marni Nixon, Gilchrist Stuart.
Inspired by the tuneful and heartwarming true story, “The Sound of Music” follows the Von Trapp Family singers, one of the world's best-known concert groups, in the era immediately preceding World War II. A beautiful, young postulant, named Maria (Julie Andrews), is asked by the Reverend Mother of the abbey to put aside her ambition of becoming a nun in an Austrian convent, to become a governess to the seven rambunctious children of Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). In the wake of their mother’s tragic death, the von Trapp children have been raised by an endless string of governesses, but their father’s stringent discipline and the absence of their mother have left the children feeling lonely and resentful. Although they are initially suspicious of her, Maria soon wins the hearts of the von Trapp family as she fills their lives with something they have not felt in a very long time: joy.
Mountains play a symbolic role in defining Maria’s path from being a hopeful in the Abbey, to becoming the mother and matriarch of the Von Trapp family.
When Maria is confessing her misbehavior to the Reverend Mother, she tells the wise nun that the mountains are what led Maria to the Abbey. When the older nun chastises Maria that she could have been lost on the mountain, Maria tells the Reverand Mother that she was raised on the mountain and so, she would always know her way home from it. She tells the Reverand Mother that when she was walking down the mountain as a child, Maria was drawn to the nuns singing in the Abbey garden, on their way to vespers, but while half of Maria’s heart yearns to join them and commit her life to God, her vivacious spirit longs for the adventure and freedom she finds in the mountains. The irony comes when Maria is given the chance to have her long-coveted liberty, by leaving the Abbey, and becoming a governess to Captain Von Trapp’s seven children, rather than embracing her liberty, Maria is scared, and yearns for the security of her life in the abbey. Her confidence is restored when she learns that Captain Von Trapp is bringing home the Baroness to be his wife and a mother to the children. Maria believes that this is God’s purpose for her being there…to prepare the children for having a new mother in their lives, instead of a revolving door of nannies. The irony is that Maria, herself, is preparing to become the mother and the matriarch of the Von Trapp family and not the Baroness…and her motherlove for the children is born almost immediately. She comforts the children during the thunderstorm and sings them a song to cheer them up and chase their fears away. She makes the children some play clothes so they can be unique individuals, rather than regimented drones. When the Captain is away, Maria abandons his harsh rules and discipline and takes the children to her beloved mountains. There, she teaches the children to sing and to play and to have fun…and by doing this, she restores the children’s joy and individuality. In contrast, when Baroness Elsa attempts to form a mother-bond with the children, their play looks more painful, rather than fun, their singing is laced with sadness, and the bond between the children and their soon-to-be mother lacks the maternal warmth and love that the children had with Maria. When Maria returns to the Abbey after she realizes that she has fallen in love with the Captain, the Reverend Mother sings the song “Climb Every Mountain” to encourage Maria to follow her heart back to the family, rather than staying locked in seclusion. In the end, Maria and her new family find solace in the mountains when they are hiding from their enemy.
Joy is a powerful theme in this film, and nowhere is joy more perfectly illustrated, than in the characters of Maria and the Von Trapp family and how joy brings them together and makes them a family.
There are two very different worlds woven into the film. The opulent splendor of the von Trapp household, while it gives the impression of warmth and happiness, is a cold, empty shell compared to the vibrant and joyful and vivacious character that is Maria. Frau Schmidt tells Maria that since the children’s mother died, their father has banished music and laughter from his home forever, because he could not bear such painful reminders of his beloved wife. He adopts an austere and regimented style of parenting, forcing his children to behave more like soldiers with their identical uniforms and whistled commands. When the family meets Maria, her vivacious spirit soon pierces the lonely darkness that they have been lost in since the death of their mother, and they very quickly grow to love her. Although the children’s father, Captain von Trapp, is a man whose life is bound by a stringent code of discipline and rules, when he hears his children singing, his frozen heart begins to soften and he, too, allows Maria into his world. When the Captain returns home, with the Baroness, he is outraged to at the state of his children, in their drenched play clothes, but his heart softens when he hears them singing to the Baroness…and after listening to their song, he joins them in singing. Maria’s beautiful gift allowed music to be restored to the Von Trapp home and it allowed a small bit of the Captain’s broken heart to be healed. I believe that Maria restoring music and joy to the home is the catalyst which allows Captain to reconsider and allow his family to sing at the concert.
When Maria realizes that she has fallen in love with Captain von Trapp, she is frightened by these new feelings, and her fear compels her to leave the family and return to the sanctuary of the abbey. When she is gone, the joy that had burned so brightly in the von Trapp family is extinguished, and her own bright spirit is shrouded by pain and uncertainty, as Maria struggles to understand what her heart is telling her. All hope seems lost until the wise Reverend Mother intervenes and tells Maria to put aside her desire to be a nun and embrace her new life with Captain von Trapp and his children. When she returns to the von Trapp family’s home, the joy that was missing in all of their lives is soon restored.
“The Sound of Music” is an extraordinary masterpiece that has endured the passage of time because its story, songs, and characters are timeless. The casting for this movie is flawless, but Julie Andrew’s portrayal of Maria is sheer perfection. The musical score is also stunning, and flows perfectly with the narrative to bring the story to life. I would highly recommend this film.
© 2024 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.